May 12, 2011 - Nanaimo and Tofinio

Auf in den kleinen Surferort Tofino... mit der Faehre ging es nach Nanaimo auf Vancouver Island. Dort hatte ich einige Stunden Zeit zum erkunden des kleinen Kuenstlerortes..Dann ging es per Bus weiter. Die Insel ist alleine 500KM lang und 100 breit! 4,5 Stunden durch dichten Rainforest hoch und runter. Aber lohnt sich. Ein wirklich schoenes Plaetzchen. Bin 3 Naechte geblieben. Ein tolles Holzhostel direkt am Wasser mit Panoramafenstern und Traumausblick. Wanderungen zum Strand und durch den Wald.. unter anderem den Wild Parzific Trail an...

Sep 21, 2010 - Tofino

So, we've had the obligatory days of rain, one of which was the day before yesterday, when we pretty much stayed holed up in the rig, except for a few breaks when the torrential rain stopped and we managed a walk on the beach. (Even then, it was lovely.) Yesterday, though, the sun came through, so we bought our park pass and stopped a few places in the park. We were surprised to learn that RVs are forbidden to go into some places (Radar Hill, for example; Incinerator Rock, for another). Note to self: a polite note to Parks Canada expressing...

Sep 18, 2010 - Unexpected pleasures

We woke up this morning to the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof of the RV. Although the trip so far has had its share of grey days, we've only had one other rainy day, so we prepared to make the best of it. First off, laundry, and then a bit of computer work, and then perhaps a moody walk along the mist enveloped beach ... However, by late morning you could actually see blue patches, and by early afternoon the sun was clearly out! So we pulled the plugs and hoses, left them in a heap in the campsite, and headed in to Tofino for a...

Sep 17, 2010 - Back to the West Coast

Today we drove the rest of the way across Vancouver Island from Sproat Lake Provincial Park to the Pacific Ocean, along Highway 4 past Sproat Lake, past Kennedy Lake, and through Pacific Rim National Park to Tofino. The drive is spectacular, and especially on a nice sunny day, which it was. The road is paved, two-lane highway, a bit winding in spots, but pretty good, and as I said, spectacular. Tofino was crowded with tourists--most of them apparently German--even this late in the season, and the streets are lined with surf shops, outdoor...

Jun 4, 2010 - Tofino

Tofino is my new favorite place! its this amazing tiny town! It's like a northwest Hawaii, everyone is a surfer, tons of RVs and other vans camping, parking, and boondocking.. I think it was the friendliest place I've ever been... the first day was long, the drive was far!! I had no clue our neighboring island (Victoria Island sits next to a good chunk of Washington state)was so BIG! it took about three hours to drive from where the ferry landed in Nanaimo to Tofino.. slow windy roads.. then we drove through the few blocks of town, and...

Oct 15, 2009 - Vancouver Island

September 29 – October 15 It was with deep sadness and regret that we boarded the ferry to leave the Sunshine Coast for Vancouver Island. It was hard to believe that anything could compare with the feelings that we had for that stretch of coastline. However, the journey unfolds and we try to unfold with it. Landing in Comox brought us to another place, geographically as well as emotionally. Tofino was our next destination. Along highway 4 we passed through Macmillan Park, home of Cathedral Grove - a stand of old growth Douglas Fir, some of...

Oct 13, 2009 - Tofino: le bout du monde

Nous prenons le traversier de 10h30 pour Nanaimo, sur l’île de Vancouver. Nous arrivons une heure à l’avance et il y a déjà beaucoup de monde pour embarquer. La traversée prend 1h35 minutes. Nous avons décidé d’y aller seulement avec le Jeep et de laisser le Charly au Camping, car cela coûte près de 150$ pour embarquer le gros motorisé sur le traversier. Pour ce voyage, nous resterons à l’hôtel un soir sur l’île, simplement. Donc vers midi, nous débarquons du traversier et allons luncher à un Tim Horton, question de retrouver un peu le goût...

Jul 29, 2009 - Deep Sea Fishing

After a morning hanging at the park relaxing, we headed back to Tofino to start today's adventure. We arrived a bit early but saw our captain and boat down at the dock, as it would have it, he was ready to go too. Captain Matt got us aboard and talked about our experience and we we were under way in 15 minutes. We headed out on a 30 minute ride into the open water to set our lines. Captain Matt gave us an option of "lots of action" or "fishing for the big ones" Of course we wanted both, but we said we would start with lot's of bites to get...

Jul 28, 2009 - Hanging in Tofino

Today saw another relaxing day with a trip 10km up the road to the town of Tofino. Here we hit the information center with a single mission in mind, find a fishing trip that we could do as a family. Most that we had found online were 6-12 hours and we knew that the kids wouldn't make it that long. With a little help from the experts and several phone calls we were booked on a trip for tomorrow with "Jay's" adventures. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and were treated to a "Fantastic" meal. At Schooners, amazing portions, great...

Jul 27, 2009 - Heading West

After a fun day at Qualicum Beach we drove West down the number 4 to cross the island. Highway 4 is an exciting drive especially after Port Alberni! After 3 hours we arrived at Crystal Cove Beach Resort and wow we were instantly impressed!! side Story.... Well Darren was right, his welds held, however, we have had to remove the bike rack as the 10mm tube steel bumper has torn apart in each location where we welded!! We will have to try something new.... It is a relatively small park with only 51 RV spots and cabins but the landscaping is...

Jul 19, 2009 - L'Île de Vancouver... d'est en ouest

20 juillet, NOTE: Il s'agit de notre entrée du 19 juillet car hier à Tofino, une partie de la ville a été plongée dans le noir lorsqu'une voiture a percuté un poteau électrique. On a utilisé nos lampes de poche pour s'éclairer dans notre motel!!! Wow! On a littéralement traversé l'Île de Vancouver en une journée! En effet, notre route a débuté à 5h30 du matin pour pouvoir attrapper le traversier de 8h30. On était parmi les premiers arrivés! On a déjeuné dans l'auto puis re-déjeuné (pour accompagner Julien) sur le bateau. La traversée a été...

Apr 24, 2009 - Surf's up

Well you probably gathered from our recent posts and pics that we are in a pretty cool surf spot (Paul- you may want to look away now), So team Cheese kicked into action for a day in the waves. I took my heavy head (after a few cans round the fire with Dean and Jen last night) to the Admin office after bidding Dean good morning as he cooked fried eggs on his outside grill, his head was a similar state to mine although he had already been down to the beach with the kids! My mission to book an extra night was marred by the fact our spot was...