Day Tripping: Squamish

It’s been ages since I updated my Day Tripping series and thanks to our trek up to Squamish yesterday I can revive it with a worthy entry.

Half way between Whistler and Vancouver lies the historic town of Squamish, BC. Known for its Sea to Sky proximity, windsurfing, The Chief, and its namesake the Squamish First Nation Squamish is a great day-trip destination for those in the Metro Vancouver area.

Starting off the day we picked up Dave and his wife, then headed past Squamish and up to Whistler to pick up my pass from the Whistler Media House. I’ll be doing some Olympics coverage from the Village later this month so it was ideal to make the trek now, before lanes and parking lots were closed.

We zipped back down to Squamish, which is only 30 minutes from Vancouver, and spent the rest of the day with Cinci. The rain was misting down as we walked along a gravel road to an opening in the trees that led us down to the river across from Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park. Along the side of the river there multicoloured rocks of all sizes resting below the rushing turquoise water. The sandbars were weighted with rain and silt while the faint stench of salmon carcass ripped through the crisp pristine air.

After our stroll we headed over to the spit, a long, thin strip of land that reaches southward through the water.

It offers amazing views of Howe Sound, Squamish, The Chief, and even the boat on which Vancouver 2010 volunteers are staying. I’m not sure of the significant of the Mona Lisa but it’s an interesting setup for sure.

Onward to the downtown core for lunch we experienced Grilled Fromage, which is not your average soup and sandwich joint. Grilled Fromage offers up 57 different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches, in a funky space, filled with retro 80s atmosphere. Shaun Cassidy and Barry Manilow albums on the wall, signage with plenty of cheese puns, we got Rick-rolled just by looking around.

I ordered the Asiago soup and then the Polyester Pickle which had smoked Gouda, pickles, and bacon — so good. Other options included “Thriller” which has Havarti, Ham, Cranberries, Banana Peppers, “Bonnie & Clyde” with Creamy Danish Blue Cheese, Sliced Pear, Walnuts, “Feliz Navidad” consisting of Brie, Turkey, Cranberries, on sour dough… and many more.

We met the owner, Colin Bush, who has done an amazing job of bringing unique culinary life to the area… you can’t go wrong with cheese. As Dave said though, the food was just a part of the experience of dining at Grilled Fromage.

After our cheesy experience we walked through downtown, looking at all the shop windows that were Painting the Town Red.

Winding around streets we ended up at the Howe Sound Brewing Company, which was filled with warmth, aromas, fresh beer, and plenty of folks out to watch the Superbowl. Dave swears by their beer and it was well worth the trip to taste some samples.

Rounding out the day we walked back through the town, which was silent and calm. Even in Metro Vancouver we can sense this sort of “calm before the storm” which will erupt next weekend. If you have the chance, you can spend an afternoon like this is Squamish – you can even partake in far more activities in a single day. Sure, it’s that half-way point between Vancouver and Whistler but it’s also an outdoor playground, which can also offer up some seriously tasty post-adventure treats.