It was an overcast day. The clouds were rolling in fast. They were black. And the sky was grey.
And I had a date with a kayak -- rain or shine.
It was a girls-only affair. My pals Nadia, CJ, and I headed toward Deep Cove, on the NorthEast shore, East of North Vancouver.
It was looking like rain.
And as we gossiped about boys, getting old, getting fat, and living the life, we secretly and collectively held our breath for a break in the clouds.
Deep Cove is a lovely little bit of ocean bay tucked in by the Indian Arm. It's the Pacific Coast's idea of cottage country, I think, as the water-edge of the "cove" was littered with summer homes. But after a 45 minute paddle, we left the cottages behind and enjoyed nature to its fullest.
Our guide, Cindy, was as granola as they come. No bra. Khaki shirt. matty hair. And a grin the length of her sea kayak. Man, did she love nature.
Cindy gave us the quick run down of how to paddle ... yadda yadda yadda. Easy as pie. And we headed out for a three hour tour. Yes, a three hour tour. ;)
First stop, jug island.
As we paddled, the wind calmed and the sun tried desperately to find a break in the clouds. Although it was bright, the clouds overpowered the sunlight. The ocean water was black as tar. Like a polished black pearl. It was mesmerizing. And, twice, on our wee jaunt, two white and blacked spotted seals surfaced along side of us, maybe 10-20 feet away and frolicked in the ocean waters.
Across from Jug Island, is a sandy little knoll where we went ashore for "nature's call" and to quench our thirst with gatorade. Cindy brought along the best donuts on the entire planet. If you want one, go to Deep Cove. You will not be disappointed.
we spent the next hour and a half perfecting our strokes and exploring the cove and a small bit of the indian Arm.
"It's time to turn around" Cindy said.
We kept paddling.
"You're eager!" (She noticed).
"Can we go just a little bit further," Nadia pleaded not unlike a kid in a candy store. "Just one more!"
Cindy obliged without too much of a fight and, by the time we had paddled back to Deep Cove, we had successfully lengthened our three-hour tour into three-and-a-half hours.
The way back was the very best.
The sun finally broke free of the clouds.
And it literally was a spotlight guiding us home.
Like we were rock stars on stage, it shone down on us and led us to our cue.
It was a moment of peace.
