Looking for something to do in January that challenged our comfort zone, Jill and I decided to go to Snow Valley, a winter sports facility north of Toronto, to try our feet at snowshoeing and snowtubing. After several trips to REI Outfitters, we were ready. We flew to Toronto and took a bus to Snow Valley. Of course we found pies along the way.
People: Snow guides who helped us with our snowshoes and gave a quick explanation about fitting ourselves into the snow tube.
Places: Snow Valley, Ontario, Canada: This is a winter sports area for people of all ages! One can ski downhill or cross country, snow board, snow tube, snowshoe and warm up in a “lodge”. Sliding down a mountain (well, really a hill) in a tube is a blast (of arctic air!) Being pulled uphill by a tow rope made it easy to come to the top of the hill and go down again and again.
Because we had “trained” for snowshoeing, we enjoyed trekking along the snow-covered, wooded trails on the property and managed to stay upright.
Pies: At the end of our adventures, a scallop pie (aka coquilles St. Jacques) awaited us back in Toronto at a wonderful French Restaurant. The “crust” is made with mashed potatoes, and the scallops stayed warm in a delightful sauce that only the French Canadians know how to make.
