Ford Canada brought together a group of bloggers from Western Canada to experience a West Coast Adventure up to the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. Since I am from the West Coast, I am very fortunate to be so close to the water and the beautiful mountains everyday. I loved seeing those from landlocked Provinces take in the views of the Pacific Ocean.
We started off the day at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to meet up and grab our Ford SUVs. My driving buddy – Valerie and I hopped into the 2017 Ford Flex enroute to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal.
It started hailing quite a bit as our entourage of Ford SUVs descended through Downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park to get to the terminal.
Once we got through Downtown, it was a smooth drive to the terminal.
As we waited to board the Ferry, I had a fun time playing around with the 2017 Ford Edge’s Foot Activated lift-gate. It’s a neat feature especially when your hands are full of groceries, how else are you going to open that trunk? I love these hidden features.
As we got onto the Queen of Surrey, we cruised smoothly across the waters taking in the views of the beautiful ocean as we crossed into Langdale. It was very windy and cold, but that didn’t stop us from taking a bunch of photos.
Gibson’s Landing
Next stop was in Gibson’s Landing to eat lunch at Smitty’s Oyster House, a local favourite for seafood from the West Coast. We parked our whole fleet of vehicles right by the pier and it was pretty epic to see the whole line up of Ford SUVs side by side and see the difference between each one.
Smitty’s Oyster House
At Smitty’s Oyster House, we were invited to shuck our own oysters, eat steamed mussels, and a bunch of other tasty treats to give us enough energy to make this day a blast.
It was my second time here and food is always solid. The quality of their seafood is pretty damn good.
Look at this plump mussel. Best place to have fresh seafood.
Oyster, oysters everywhere but it’s always best when they’re in my tummy.
Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Company
Our next stop was Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Company just up the street where we tasted the different types of infused olive oils, vinegars, and balsamics. I had a fun time trying all the weird flavours. The staff are very knowledgable so they can even recommend combinations of flavours too.
Yoga on the Pier
Right after that, we had Yoga at Robert’s Creek, a beautiful secluded area with a pier where you can look at the surrounding areas. We spent some time loosening out muscles and stretching.
Gumboot Cafe
We had some quick nibbles at Gumboot Cafe before heading out. I couldn’t say no to some more coffee.
Painted Boat Resort in Madeira Park
Getting back into the Ford Flex, we drove 45 minutes north to get to the beautiful and luxurious Painted Boat Resort in Madeira Park. We unloaded out luggage and headed to our suites. The sun also made an appearance, which was amazing. We really lucked out on the weather.
The room was a massive two bedroom villa complete with a gourmet kitchen, barbecue grill, stainless steel appliances, fireplace, living room, a balcony and two HD TVs. The top floors even has an upstairs loft.
So much fun being here again since my last visit about 4 years ago. Love it.
Car Photography Lesson
As we got acquainted with the surroundings of the resort, we headed to a photography lesson led by Jess Findlay, an award winning Canadian photographer.
He gave us these tips to shoot the vehicles:
- Surroundings: Avoid things in the background that will distract the eye
- Time of day: Best time to shoot will be a few minutes after sunset or before sunrise
- Show motion: Get some nice movement on the road
- Pay attention to reflection: Minimize the reflection by shooting at an angle
- Shoot details: Capture the car’s curve line and design features
2017 Ford Edge
The 2017 Ford Edge is built in Canada at the Ford Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario. The midsize crossover features technology engineered to give you confidence on the road like Enhanced Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Information System, Front 180 degree Camera and Lane Keeping System.
2017 Ford Flex
The 2017 Ford Flex is also built in Canada at the Ford Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario. The seven-passenger Flex comes standard with AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control, Intelligent All-Wheel Drive and SYNC 3 infotainment system. My favourite feature is the trunk because you can configure the seats in so many ways, especially the tailgate mode. You can now easily sit out of the trunk and be very comfortable.
2017 Ford Escape
The 2017 Ford Escape got a major update with latest driver-assist technologies, connectivity and two new efficient EcoBoost. The redesigned centre console and instrument panel features front-mounted USB port with a pocket for devices, new climate controls, new storage bin at the bottom of the stack and 8 inch LCD touch screen. The two new powertrains are 1.5 litre EcoBoost and 2.0 litre twin-scroll turbocharged EcoBoost engine producing 245 horsepower.
2017 Ford Explorer
The 2017 Ford Explorer is the #1 selling large utility in Canada. The Explorer comes packed with the newest technologies like SYNC Connect with Ford Pass. The Ford Pass app lets you start, stop, lock, unlock and schedule starts your vehicle directly from your smartphone.
Kayaking
After the photography lesson, we had a bit of time, so we went kayaking. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a canoe type contraption and I feel pretty confident maneuvering it, but the water is what freaks me out the most. Ironic right? Sometimes we need to overcome some fears to enjoy new experiences. As we were rowing through the waters, we thought it would be fun to see what “boat” songs we could find on Apple Music. We found – “I’m on a Boat”, “Boats and Hoes”, “Boat Song”, and “Row Row Row Your Boat”.
Caviar Tasting with Northern Divine
After exercising off all the food we had, it was time for a Caviar Tasting. Northern Divine is North America’s only certified organic caviar and voted one of the world’s best sustainable caviars. You are likely to see many higher end restaurants using this on their menus. It’s cost quite a bit, so it’s definitely not cheap.
Dinner at The Restaurant at Painted Boat
After a few nibbles, it was time for dinner. A lot of us were wondering how we could possibly eat more, but I’m always up for the challenge.
First Course:
- Painted Boat Organic Salad with organic greens, strawberries, shaved beets, candied pecans with a spiced maple vinaigrette
- Tomato and Avocado Tartar with basil paint, balsamic reduction and crispy capers
- Spiced BC Beef Carpaccio with radish, focaccia crisp, basil crema and arugula
- Grilled local octopus with smoked potato, grilled chorizo, Piquillo Aioli, crispy basil
Main Course:
- Malbec Braised Beef with Black Fig, and Port Jus
- Gladiator local wild prawns with roasted garlic hummus, chimichurri, grilled lemon and hot house sauce
- Organic chicken supreme with saffron israeli couscous, smoked carrot puree, portdrunk shallots, roast garic jus
- Steamed mussels with red curry, lemon grass, ginercoco nut broth
Dessert
- Maple pumpkin pot de creme
- Dark Chocolate diplomat mousse cake with pistachio crust
It was a very generous meal and we had a lot of fun connecting with the other bloggers.
S’Mores and Star Gazing
The night was still young and the night didn’t end there. We had an astronomy and star gazing lesson, which ended with a s’mores party. It was a great place to star gaze as there isn’t a lot of light pollution. So many stars and planets were visible to the naked eye.
Early Morning Exploring
It’s good to have friends who are willing to sacrifice some sleep to go exploring in the early mornings before breakfast. It was hard to capture the sunrise with the vehicles, but we had a great time driving up and down the meandering roads, listening to music, and enjoying good company.
Final Thoughts
It was a fun 2 days and since I am in the market for an SUV, I personally love the Ford Edge and Ford Escape as those 2 would fit my needs perfectly for my family. The Ford Flex and Ford Escape are both great vehicles and are both 7-seaters. All 4 are packed with technology depending on the tier you choose.
I loved revisiting the Sunshine Coast on this West Coast Adventure with Ford Canada.
1 Comment
I love how the weather turned out great for the rest of the day.