waterton wrap up

It is officially the end of yet another fantastic summer season of camping.  As tradition holds, we wrapped up our camping season on Saturday after spending a week on the shores of Waterton Lake.  As you know by now, this is one of our favourite camping spots and one that we hold very dear to our hearts.  This year the mercury held steady at 30 degrees every day.  It was hot!  Windy though, but hey, that's the infamous Waterton wind!  After arriving a day earlier than we were supposed to (oops....my fault entirely - call it over eager if you will) we were able to get a site for the duration of our six night stay.  Phew!  Note to self...always double check dates before leaving!  The kids had an absolute blast and boy did we cover a lot of ground.    Here are just a handful of some of our highlights! 

Yes....that is a black bear heading into the waters of Linnet Lake for a quick dip.  Now, I should mention here that just ten minutes prior to this bear making it's way into the water our clan hiked past that very spot.  Yikes!

We noticed said bear as we were enjoying a post hike snack at a little beach just up the trail.  We were lucky enough to see quite a few bears on this trip, more than we have ever seen before.  Lucky in more ways than one I suppose!

Thanks to the warm weather, we spent a great deal of time playing at the playground and the water park. 

My highlight by far was renting two canoes and taking the entire family out on a canoe trip on Cameron Lake.  Awesome!  The littlest girls did so well, only getting a little anxious near the end as they were quite warm with the bulky life jackets.  But...they loved it!  Yes!

Brent and Aidan headed out one evening for a hike up the Bear's Hump.  Amazing views from the top, and it was nice for Brent to get back into hiking.  We were rewarded much later that evening with the most spectacular array of stars I have ever seen.  So much so, that we woke up Aidan and Maelle around 11:00 and let them lay on the picnic tables in their sleeping bags.  We saw the best shooting star ever, we named all the constellations we recognized, and we were treated to an amazing view of the Milky Way!  The Milky Way!  You don't see that every day! 

As always, a visit to the lake means lots and lots of rock throwing and searching for heart rocks.  That's my thing.  I am getting quite the collection of these little gems, and the kids are all over it when it comes to searching them out.  Patience is the key.  That and a promise of m & m's to whomever finds them!

The day before our departure, Maelle and I ventured out for a very special treat.  We took in "High Tea" at the Prince of Wales Hotel.  Spoiled...yes, very.  It was pricey, but oh so worth it when Maelle said "I feel like a princess way up here!"  Priceless!   She even tried a little lavender tea, but her fave was the three tier platter of goodies!

Looking back the the photos I must say that this was a perfect way to round out our very lengthy camping season this year.  We did.  We saw.  We played.  We enjoyed.  Everything.

Once again Waterton, you did not let us down.  You gave us one of our best ever trips to one of our favourite destinations.  We wandered the windswept shores, hiked your beautiful trails (bears and all!), canoed your pristine lakes, enjoyed your breathtaking scenery, and gazed at your star studded night sky.  This is why we keep coming back, year after year.  To experience it over and over again.  Never tiring. 
So thank you Waterton, for showing us the most amazing time. 
And thanks to my little family.  We had an amazing camping season full of so many memories and fun times that I am still trying to take it all in.  I loved seeing those smiling faces while we discovered new places and old, and I am already counting the days until we can do it all over again.  Thank you.

Lake Louise & Moraine Lake

Before returning home, and ending our camping trip officially, we spent three nights in Lake Louise.  We don't get up that way very often, so it was nice to have a little time to explore the area and get a little hiking in as well.  The park kept us on our toes the entire duration of our stay as there were numerous bears in the area.  Including one rather large black bear that decided that the bushes across from our site would be a great place to play in the evening hours of our last night.  Poor Dakota.  She was on high alert for three days. Between the bears and the bear guns going off, she was a tad stressed out! 
The day after we arrived,  Aidan and Maelle and I ventured out hiking and spent the day on the Plain of Six Glaciers trail.  These kids hiked a whopping total of eleven kilometers, and yes they were very grouchy by the end of it.  They did have fun though!  At least on the way up!

The weather was perfect all day, and we had endless views of Victoria Glacier and Lake Louise as we made our way up to the tea house.  Oh, I forgot to mention that part.  There is a tea house at the end of the trail.  Always good to have an incentive when hiking with the kids!

And here they are!  The Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse!  Funny thing happened here as well.  We met a lot of really nice people on this trail.  It's a busy one, so we often stopped to let people go by us.  We chatted a bit with our companions, and the kids received many compliments on their ability to hike this far.  So much so, that when we arrived at the tea house, a few of these aforementioned people broke out into a little round of applause as the kids arrived.  How nice is that?  They even scored a free mini chocolate bar from one of the people we met.

We enjoyed a few rice krispies squares, a great quinoa salad, and a glass of cold homemade lemonade.  Treats well earned by all!

After our first round of lunch, we found a quiet spot to enjoy the remainder of our lunches before making the trek back down.  We were treated to a few mini avalanches that thundered off Victoria Glacier while we ate.  An awesome sight for the kids to witness, and thus increasing their respect for these mountains around us.

Aidan is learning how to use my camera a little more now.  I'd say he's doing pretty good!

After a very long day of hiking, and a few very tired and shall we say cranky kids, we spent our last full day with a little stroll around Moraine Lake.  Bree has become a bit of a mini photographer, my side kick if you will, as she would choose several sitting spots and say "picture please!".  She would promptly sit down and smile.

And there they all are.  My little adventurers.  Tired.  Dirty.  Bruised. Messy.  But all still smiling after a little over a month long camping trip all over Vancouver Island, and finishing up with a few days in the mountains.

A beautiful end to our last night away from home.

Over the last month or so, we have had so many amazing experiences, met so many amazing people, and created so many amazing memories with our little family.  Just the other day, I was flipping through the kids' nature journals that I made for them before we left, and I was blown away.  Here in my hands was evidence of a great vacation.  Although there were many times throughout the trip that it didn't feel so great, I was reminded that yes we did have the most fabulous time.  I have over eight hundred pictures of our journey, I have kids that are still talking about their adventure, and I am grinning ear to ear.  Big time.  Every time we venture out to the Island, we love it just a little bit more.  But this time was different.  This time I think we left a chunk of all of our hearts out there.  This has become a special place indeed.
Typical of our last night of a big holiday, Brent and I often find ourselves sitting outside after the kids have retired, wondering and planning what we are going to do next year.  We had decided early on that we would do something a little different.  Take a break from the ocean, and try and see something new.  But as we thought about where we could go, and what we could do, we said nothing.  We only talked about that ocean and that magical place called Vancouver Island. 
Until next year!

Goldstream

A few words to describe Goldstream Provincial Park....big and beautiful.  While visiting the Victoria area, we set up camp at a park we had never been to before.  We had recommendations from lots of people, and they raved about it.  So...we booked one week.  And we were not disappointed!  This place was gorgeous, and ended up being one of the major highlights of the trip.  You'll see why in just a minute.  Now, the park itself sits on the Goldstream River...a famous one in BC and known for it's salmon run.  The Nature House was one of the best I have ever seen, and the park has loads of waterfalls.  I'm in!  By staying at this park, it also allowed us to hook up again with Hope and Colin at their home, and be treated to the best bbq ever!  Brent's cousin cooked up fresh crab (caught that same morning!) and Uncle Colin fired up the bbq with some amazing ribs!  Thanks everyone!  It was great to visit with Brent's cousins and let the kids have a play in Hope and Colin's awesome backyard. 

Now...back to Goldstream. 

Look waaaayyyyy up!  This  is an average size tree that you would find in the park.  Huge! 

And here we have the Goldstream River.  A mere 5 minute walk, and a few (ok...a lot) of stairs from our campsite.  Oh...and look what else we had.  Just behind me from where I took the above picture was a little swimming hole or oasis.  Whichever you prefer to call it.  I went with oasis!

This is Goldstream Falls.  Appropriately named, and it became our little swimming hole for the duration of our stay.  How awesome is that?  Yes....that is me in the pic below enjoying a "refreshing" dip in the splash pool.

We all had a turn enjoying this bonus area we knew nothing about when we booked this campground.  The kids found a wet log to slide off into a shallower part beside the main pool.

Even Bree and Jenna enjoyed there time here.  They had there own rocks to jump off and Brent took them one by one into the deeper pools for a little swim. 

Brent was also kind enough to take a video of Aidan and Maelle having a little fun jumping off the rocks.  Believe it or not, just before this video was shot, there were a few people jumping off top of the waterfall and into the splash pool below.  Crazy!

So I think you can see why these two were all smiles for this campground. We are so going back to this place!  Even though we all loved playing in the ocean, swimming in a fresh water waterfall just a short walk from our campsite, isn't something you get to do everyday!  Love you Goldstream Park!  And what a perfect place to be to end our stay on Vancouver Island.  Time to begin the trek back home. 

Victoria

I think this may be my new favourite city!  I so love Victoria!  From the quaint markets around every corner, the numerous cafe's and shops lining Governement Street (Murchies....oh now this is a place I could get used to!), the gorgeous harbourfront, the Parliament Bulidings,  the Empress Hotel, The Royal BC Museum, and the list goes on and on.  Believe me!  This city charmed all of us.  We were lucky to spend two days exploring what we could of this fantastic place, and boy did we cover a lot of ground!  We could have used another three days or so, just in Victoria.  Add it to the list for next time!  Here is a brief look at what we did see.

The kids take a break on the steps of the Parliament Buildings to enjoy a little snack before venturing further.

Ah yes....the famous Empress Hotel.  I would have loved to have had high tea here, or maybe even a glass of wine on the front porch.  Either would do...I'm not picky.  The day we were here, they had artists working on their creations right on the front lawn so people could observe.  Love that!  This city is so full of culture....I was in my glory!

If you are lucky enough to be visiting Victoria on a Sunday morning, be sure to go and see the harbour ferry ballet.  Yes, those are all little ferries all choreographed to classical music.  The kids loved this!

One of my highlights, is that we timed our visit to coincide with Symphony Splash.  There is a huge barge in the harbour that houses an orchestra, and in the evening hours thousands and thousands of people bring their picnics and sit and listen to the symphony.  How awesome is that?  Now, we couldn't do this as it was quite a late performance, but what we did get to do was take part in the "kids" version of Symphony Splash which was held in the afternoon.  Aidan and Maelle got to try their hands at various classical instruments, while Bree and Jenna enjoyed a smaller stage performance of music and storytelling.  Have I mentioned yet that I love this city?

Even I had a go with the violin.  Not an easy instrument to play, thus I have way more respect for the artists that can.

This was a fantastic idea and one I think I may use in the future.  One of the artists set out a huge canvas with a sketch of a local building.  She let the kids use their imaginations and paint what they felt while listening to classical music.  Awesome!

So now you can see why we needed way more time to explore this beautiful city!  Being there for the Symphony Day was amazing, despite very crowded streets and warm temperatures.  I would have loved to have stayed for the evening concert, but maybe one day.  We are still grinning from ear to ear over this place, and I think Brent and I both left a little piece of our heart in Victoria.  We will definitely return.

Tofino

Hello Tofino! 

We were indeed jumping for joy in this place.  This is where we kicked it up a notch, and took a break from the rustic camping style that we are so accustomed to and treated ourselves to five nights at a resort campground.  It was great to just kick back on the Tofino Beaches (that's Long Beach in the above pic), explore Tofino and do a little shopping, check out Ucluelet, do some (ok...a lot) of laundry, catch up with friends visiting the area too, and enjoy the free coffee in the morning.  Woohoo!  Not to mention the gorgeous grounds and fantastic adventure playground that was directly across from our site - a little too convenient.  The resort is called Crystal Cove and it is BEAUTIFUL!  They have a fabulous private beach and a small cove that is perfect for beachcombing, .

We spent a great deal of time in the evenings at Long Beach, and as the name implies, it is indeed a long beach.  A perfect place to run off a little steam before bed!

The ladies could just run, and run, and run here.  Oh....and also cry, and cry, and cry.  The wind was so strong it seemed to give Bree's ears a little trouble.  Not a fan of wind.  A fan of running though!

A fave spot in the morning....beachcombing and exploring.  Oh...and you see that wave in the background.  Yeah.  Well....these said waves would sneak up on us every now and then and send us running for dry ground.  I actually had my flip flop sucked off my foot by a wave that snuck up on me while trying to capture a picture of a starfish (see below - totally worth it eh?) clinging to the rocks behind us.  My shoe did return in the next wave however, and I learned to never turn my back on those ocean waves.  Gotta love it though!

This pic below is of Frank Island.  A great little spot in between North and South Chesterman Beach.  The kids and I did a little geocaching here, not to mention lots of wave jumping and watching all of the surfers.

Bree and Jenna take a time out from all of the beach activity and enjoy a quiet moment...together. 

 

A beautiful end to our stay in Tofino and on the shores of Mackenzie Beach at Crystal Cove.  These sunsets are truly magical and the sky changes into so many colours.  Perhaps one year when we return, we will enjoy a fire on the beach like everyone else.  That is when the little ones learn to sit still!

Our adventure continues next from Tofino onto Goldstream Provincial Park and the beautiful and truly amazing city of Victoria.  Stay tuned!

hello....we are back!

Well hello friends!  Yes....we have arrived back safe and sound from our epic camping adventure on Vancouver Island.  We have spent the last month on an amazing adventure that will never be forgotten.  Once again the island has truly smitten all of us.  We have been to so many places, seen so many things, and done so much that I am still trying to take it all in.  I have taken a few photos (ahem....800 ish) so I am still trying to get through them all and figure out which ones to share.  Of course I would love to share them all, and tell you all about our stories and adventures, but that may just bore you to tears. Frankly I could do a separate blog just on our trip.   Now there's a thought for next year! 

In a nutshell we had the most AMAZING time!  We got off to a bit of a rainy start, but that soon cleared out and paved the way for glorious island sunshine!   Now, don't be fooled into thinking that every day was as picture perfect as the next.  No sirree.  We had our share (boy did we ever!) of bad behaviour, time outs, skinned knees, tears, bruises, and crankiness.  At times we found ourselves questioning our sanity about a trip of this length too.  But in the end....I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Even longer if we could!   Yes, we are nuts.  But then again, we love camping, we love adventure, and boy do we ever love that ocean!

I 've been thinking that the easiest way for me to share our adventure is to break the posts up into several smaller sections highlighting our favourite areas.  That way I can take the time to get my pics sorted and stories summarized.  Also, it will keep you entertained for a while too!  Win win!

Thus, we begin with our number one fave and first stop on the island....Miracle Beach.

 Aidan takes the first step into the ocean in the early evening hours of our first night on the island.

Jenna (aka "no-fear-Jenna") follows hot on her big brothers heels and is the next one in to test the waters.

The ladies were inseparable on this trip.  Again I was blown away by the bond between twins. They became quite the little explorers, and proved that they could definitely keep up with the older two!

You see now how Jenna has earned the nickname "no fear Jenna".  This gal would pick up, look under, and touch everything that came across her path.  She was the ultimate slug finder, and could often be found building leaf houses for the slugs, attempting to feed them with said leaves, and tracking their paths so they could move safely across our campsite.  She made friends with crabs, examined all the kelp, and laughed at the sandfish as they scurried across her toes.  A pure adventurer I tell ya!

Yes....that's a dead crab.   Sigh.

The ocean was no match for her either.  She was right in there and often didn't even look back.  Oh don't worry....Bree was there too.  She was just a little more cautious and tended to be more the observer than the "do-er".   She could often be found flashing Jenna the "you're nuts" looks. 

The best part of the beach for Aidan and Maelle, was being able to set sail on their own and ride the ocean waves.  These two developed such an independence on this trip.  They became little socialites too, taking their scooters and riding up and down the campsite roads finding and playing with all sorts of new friends.  What a better way to spend a day at the beach when you have new friends to share activities with.  Aidan had a brief lesson on skim boarding as well thanks to a family we met from Langley.  They also camped on the site next to ours.  How cool is that?

Bree and Jenna took quite a liking to boating as well. 

Probably one of the nicest surprises we had, was having Brent's aunt and uncle camp with us for the last half of our stay at Miracle Beach.  They even cooked us a roast beef dinner!  What a treat!  How's that for camping in style!  Thanks Hope and Colin! 

We spent a total of ten days at Miracle Beach, and we still didn't have enough time to do everything on our lists.  This has to be our favourite camping spot on the island and hopefully it will become an island tradition! 

Next up...our adventures from Tofino and Uclulet!