My friend Jack

by Rick Johansen

Another day, I write, with a head full of clichés, another road trip through some of the most beautiful scenery you could ever imagine. North from Vancouver on Highway 99, beneath towering mountains, alongside vast rivers, on the road to Whistler and beyond, but our destination was more humble and, in truth, non existent: Virgin River.

Virgin River is a Netflix soap opera, which we had rather taken to our hearts long before we booked to come to Canada. It’s actually set in California but many of the outdoor scenes are filmed around Vancouver, particular the ones at Jack’s Bar. Jack’s Bar is actually the Watershed Grill. It’s not indicated anywhere along the way and there is not a single reference to Virgin River in the whole area and certainly not at the Grill.

As the typical tourists we are, we took countless photos of the Grill and of ourselves and asked whether it would be possible to have a table for maybe a snack and a beer. The wait would be an hour, said the woman on the door, which I calculated was a very conservative estimate, and given the complete absence of anything else to do in the nearby vicinity, they could probably manage without our custom. And anyway, ‘Jack’ wasn’t there. We will have to wait to return to the UK to meet up with him again on Netflix.

Having spent one day sailing, another exploring the city, especially the amazing Gas Town, an incredible trip up Grouse Mountain and now to Brackendale AKA Virgin River, you might think I’d be knackered and you’d be right. Two more sleeps, including the one that’s rapidly heading my way tonight and it will all be over. When you think of the size of Canada, our short stay is a travesty, but it’s the best that we can do. And if you are worried you wouldn’t be able to do it justice by visiting for such a short time, then don’t. Just make sure you have a plan or are related to someone who has a plan.

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