Our trip to beautiful BC!

Well, after what feels like years of not travelling, we went somewhere! Encouraged by Steve's sister's family's trip out here (more on that later), we took a trip to BC! We found some great deals on flights (Flair Airlines out of Kitchener) and flew direct to Victoria, landing early enough to spend a good part of day one on Thetis Island. The kids were such good travellers (there were some very early mornings involved) and we had the BEST time on the island... what a little piece of paradise. We spent mornings  exploring the rocks and beaches, discovering many low-tide creatures and treasures, and also took a few boat trips - out in the rowboat or in the tin boat to Seal Island to say hi to the sunbathing seals. Afternoon activities included walks and explores around the island, swimming, and Archie time; my parents kept the massive collection of Archie comics we had at the cottage when we were kids (Sakinaw Lake), and they loved putting a dent in the collection. Of course we also had some amazing meals and the best company - after over two years, it was so good to see my parents in person and for the kids to spend some time with them. 

After four nights on Thetis we made our way to Ucluelet and Tofino for some camping, beach time and surfing, and there were definitely some memorable moments. Because we booked our trip with just a few weeks notice, it was next to impossible to find accommodations in Tofino, and so with an opening at a campground in Ucluelet (20kms south of Long Beach) we decided to borrow a six-person tent from my parents and camp! (We also figured it might be our only camping experience of the summer - provincial parks / campgrounds are booked solid here in Ontario.) Anyways, our site was teeny tiny and there was hardly any privacy at all (the website was definitely misleading), but we figured there was enough space to camp and really, we were only going to be there to sleep (and there were no other options)! We set up and went to Wikaninnish Beach where everyone had fun running the wide open spaces and playing in the chilly water. We had some incredible pizza in Ucluelet (Abbondanza Pizza - so good!) before settling in for the night, and what a night it was. There were noisy generators running all night, loud neighbours, barking dogs and people honking their horns and yelling at a BEAR that ran through the campsite in the middle of the night. A bear! The kids slept well but Steve and I didn't - we were both looking for hotel rooms at 5:00am, but no luck. The good news is that despite the sleepless night, we had an amazing day at Long Beach (and a good sleep the next night). We rented wetsuits, boogie boards and one surfboard and most of the crew was in the water for five or six hours (!!). Hendrik and Alana got up on the big surfboard, and could not get enough... they had so much fun! Steve was with them in the water, poaching some tips from the lessons that were happening just next to them; the kids did such a good job and had so much fun - this was definitely a highlight of the trip! Jordan was in the water for a while too, playing on the boogie board and in the shallow surf, but the two of us spent most of the day wandering the beach, collecting little jellyfish blobs, and drawing in the sand. We ate dinner in Tofino and after a short wander around the town (and a stop at the playground) we drove back down to Ucluelet for another night 'o' camping. I think everyone was beached out, so we spent the morning en route to my parents' place in Comox, stopping in Coombs (referred to as "goats of the rooftown" by Jordan) to see my friend Hanno from high school (it was great to see him!!). 

See here for this map and beach descriptions (this is a good post too!)

We spent two nights / a day and a half in Comox, and here are some of the things we did: my mom and Alana and I explored downtown Courtenay, the boys had some beach time (finding crabs, throwing rocks), we spent an afternoon at Nymph Falls, had dinner at the park (food trucks!) and played at the playground, watched some Olympics, ate sushi, and visited with my Aunt Zella and her partner Chris. 

Apart from the time we spent on Thetis, it feels like we did a lot on this trip, and if we could do it again we'd definitely spend another day (at least) in Tofino, we'd stay on the beach somewhere, and do more in the National Park. There are just so many places to stop and see, that you could spend months exploring the island and its lesser known hotspots. (We stopped in Cathedral Grove - not lesser known - for a short walk and there were SO many people... after four days on Thetis we were sort of shocked to see so many people in one place!) I'm already planning our next trip out West - fingers crossed it can happen next summer!