Around the Island - Coombs & Nanaimo

Welcome back! I hope you all had a safe, happy and fun final long weekend of summer! We went on another camping adventure out towards Kamloops with friends and had a great time and today our darling girl has her first day of preschool - I am so excited for her. Before I get to this past weekends camping trip, I wanted to share some more photos from our Island adventure last month - this time with photos from our stops in Coombs and camping in Nanaimo. Once we left Stamp River, we headed to Coombs Country Market for lunch, ice cream and groceries (for our stay in Nanaimo). We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the patio at Cuckoo and then enjoyed huge Ice Cream cones after grabbing our groceries (a must stop for ice cream when on the island for sure). 

{My loves colouring on the patio at Cuckoo}

Once we wrapped up there, we were off to our next campsite at Living Forest in Nanaimo. This stop allowed B to work during the week while the kids and I could play and have fun in the area. We had some other friends camping at the same site so we were able to spend time with them as well which was fantastic. I also took an afternoon to spend some time with the kids in Downtown Nanaimo - somewhere I knew we would have fun after our "Staycation" there last summer...

{the view from our campsite}

{Down at the beach at the camp ground}

{Family Dinner at the campsite}

{Watching the float planes in the Nanaimo Harbour}

{At the park, reading a new book & flying her kite when B got off work}

{An evening dip in the Nanaimo River}

It was a nice camping trip in Nanaimo, but after 4 nights we were off again to our next destination - our friends' family lake house on Sproat Lake. We spent the final weekend of our little family summer vacation surrounded by friends at the lake house, swimming, eating, drinking and just enjoying great company. It was a fantastic way to break in our Boler and we learned a lot about what needs to be fixed over the winter! We have big plans to update our little trailer and make it more comfortable and functional. Should be some fun to share on here!

What did everyone get up to this past long weekend?

Around the Island - Ucluelet & Stamp River

As sad as we were to be leaving Tofino (and as beautiful as the drive in and out of Tofino is, I wasn't looking forward to it with an almost 3 month old in the backseat), I was looking forward to checking out Ucluelet. It wasn't a definite thing to do until we packed up our campsite at Crystal Cove that morning. B suggested we just go since we weren't sure the next time we would be back on that side of the island. So off we went and after lunch we found a beach to explore and spent a long time on Big Beach enjoying the views, fresh air, waves and lots of climbing opportunities for our little monkey...

{Our first unobstructed view of the ocean on our approach to Big Beach}

{My favourite adventurers, climbing the rocks before the tide came all the way in}

{Some attempted kite flying... which didn't really pan out}

{Rock throwing.... of course}

{There was a wedding just about to start at this resort behind us, so we left the beach before the bride arrived. Halle loved seeing the girls in pretty dresses and the guys in their suits}

{When we got back to our car we were greeted by this deer that actually got quite close and had no fear of us}

When we were finished in Ucluelet, we packed up and headed to our next campsite in Port Alberni at Stamp River Park. It took us longer than we hoped to arrive so we stopped in Port Alberni for dinner and then only had enough time to set up camp and play some card games with Halle that evening. In the morning we barely had enough time to eat and pack up and then decided to take a hike along the river once we left our site. It was such a beautiful park and I highly recommend camping here if you are planning a trip to the area!

{We had a beautiful site right on the river - if only we had more time to stick around and enjoy it}

{The Salmon resting after coming up the fish ladder in the River}

{Watching some of the Salmon that were attempting to jump up river... before they made their way to the ladder instead}

We left here after and made our way to our next stop in Nanaimo. More photos to come after the long weekend! Anyone have any trips planned for the long weekend?

Around the Island - Tofino

This month will be my 30th birthday. Originally B and I discussed making this year a big European trip to mark my birthday, but with the arrival of Nolan in May, we won't be travelling without little one's again for quite some time. In lieu of a big adventure overseas, we opted for a big adventure, family style, right here on Vancouver Island.

Purchasing our Boler trailer back in May was a great decision, and we couldn't wait to get it out on the road for a big trip. Our adventure started mid-August in Tofino, a place on the top of my "to-visit" list for quite some time now. We stayed at Crystal Cove Beach Resort and loved every second of being outside, playing and exploring. Our first full day, B went out on a fishing trip so Halle and I entertained ourselves at the park and exploring the beaches on site...

{We loved that she could ride her bike around the resort & right down to the beaches}

{Looking back at the resort from the cove}

{The fog started to roll in just as we got to the beach - made for some beautiful pictures!}

{Halle had so much fun jumping and digging in the sand and eventually getting soaked in the ocean. I captured so many photos of her giggling and running in the ocean!}

Later in the afternoon when B got back from his trip we cleaned up and headed into Tofino for something to eat. We picked SoBo, a fabulous restaurant with fresh delicious meals and very kid friendly. Afterwards we popped into Tofino Brewing Co for some beer to drink around our campfire and then to Chocolate Tofino for a delicious treat!

{Drinks at SoBo while we waited on dinner - Tofino beer for B & Phillips Root Beer for me}

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast on our campsite and then B and Halle went off to play and explore together while I laid down with a napping Nolan (my time to rest and read). When they returned we headed back into Tofino for lunch at Wolf in the Fog and a walk around town. We walked down to the docks and popped into a few stores and an Art Gallery - coming home with art work for us and a kite for Halle... which we tried out back on the beach. 

{Breakfast on site with my babes - the free Starbucks coffee got us out of bed every morning!}

{Our little  set up - we're still working on figuring it all out}

{My delicious Lamb Gyro at Wolf in the Fog}

{Kite flying on the beach and a campfire - FINALLY}

We had such a great time in Tofino and were a little sad to leave, even with all of the adventures that we had ahead of us. Tofino was great, with some cooler temperatures and the foggy conditions that keep the place damp enough for campfires while everywhere else is under  a campfire ban! Come back tomorrow from some photos of our visits to Ucluelet and Stamp River in Port Alberni.

Has anyone else taken any exciting trips this summer? Anything planned for the fall or winter?