Cross Canada Dog and Pony Tour Part 4
If you’re of a vintage to know what The Beachcombers is, then you will be tickled to the base of your Relic-like woolen tuque, to know that a stroll down School Road in Gibsons feels like you’re about to bump into a wild-haired Nick Adonidas.
If that last sentence looks like gibberish, then congrats on being a long way from getting a pension cheque. You probably also have no clue about hot flashes, creaking knees, or getting up to pee in the middle of the night. Don’t worry, wee Padawan: someday you will.
In the meantime, here’s the lowdown. From 1972-1990, the longest-running Canadian TV series called The Beachcombers aired every Sunday evening. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that a plot involving a hothead and his laid-back partner salvaging logs could be such a hit. Yes, young’uns, you read me correctly when I wrote logs. Logs—as in downed trees—floating off the coast of British Columbia. Ridiculous, right? But it was a hit. A huge one.
Gibsons, B.C.
What does this have to do with Gibsons, B.C.? The show was filmed there. Most of the storyline took place in a café called Molly’s Reach—now a real restaurant known for “good eats, friendly faces, and relaxed coastal vibes”. Not to mention some Beachcombers’ nostalgia.
Sauntering the extremely steep streets for us geezers may be akin to you running your Harry Potter-frenzied fingers along the bricks of Alnwick Castle. Or, for you Squid Games enthusiasts, wandering around Seongapdo Island.
Kind of a big deal.
Not for everyone, of course. As Mark says, “I wasn’t a huge fan, but with only two channels, what else did you watch at 7:00 on a Sunday night?”
Even if you’re not Team Relic, or didn’t follow Molly’s mothering, or don’t even get why anyone would want to watch a moustached, weathered dude rope stray logs, Gibsons is well worth the ferry ride.
How to get there
In the summer, ferries leave Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver about every hour between 7:30 am and 11:30 pm. They’re about 40 minutes long—probably some of the most impressive 40 minutes you’ll ever spend.
Gibsons may not be the easiest place to get to. Which is a huge part of the appeal—and also tends to make it much safer.
“Crime is pretty low. The only way out is on a ferry, after all, so you know you’d get caught,” Rudy explained during our stay.
Note for those of you who have recently watched Murder In A Small Town, which, like The Beachcombers, was filmed in Gibsons. Don’t believe the hype.
“There is no way on God’s green earth a Canadian town of that size would have a murder every week,” explains storyteller Terry McConell. “Near as we can tell, there have been only two homicides in Gibsons in the past decade.”
Gibsons is safe. And, like most of British Columbia, postcard-perfect.
What to do
Our morning jaunts involved glute-building walks to various coffee spots. The Beachcomber Coffee Company received a highly coveted “J & M Approved” sticker.
When we hit up a java spot twice during an adventure, you know we like it.
The first time we entered the funky distressed wood interior, admiring the lemon accents and Victoria Arduino coffee machine, we felt a little too, well, prehistoric. The granola-chic baristas immediately made us feel welcome, however. The service and the coffee made from their brand of fair trade, organic beans, were exceptional. We got their motto: “It’s not just coffee, it’s a lifestyle”. We liked it. We went back.
What else is there to do besides drink coffee?
- Hikes. Through forest trails where we met a woman being walked by a collie. Originally from Ontario, she said she’d never go back. We soaked through our shirts on a humid climb to Soames Hill, with its fabulous views and arbutus trees that appear to be in the middle of a facial peel.
- Swims at Davis Bay. Lesson learned: when the tide comes in, it does so quickly, so be sure to leave your towels and beach paraphernalia WELL away from the water.
- Seaside walks. While wandering the winding streets in the area, we discovered several access points to the beach. Secret Beach, off Gower Point Road, led us down a tree-rot-laden path to the stony beach beyond. Save for a few folks up the beach who didn’t seem to embrace the benefits of clothing, we were alone for most of our cloudy morning trek. We spent a long time leisurely discovering driftwood longer than a bus and tidepools filled with barnacles, spiky purple sea urchins, and beige-pink anemones.
- Food, food, food. The one that topped the list? Rudy and Candice treated us to cocktails, appies, and salsa that will make you rethink your life choices at Lunitas Mexican Eatery.
If beach walks, java, seaside mountain views, and yummy munchies aren’t enough reasons to drop into Gibsons, B.C., then take your life jackets and pike poles and begone. Even Molly can’t help you.
Read the first three parts of our Cross Canada adventure here.
