Category: Vancouver Island

Qualicum Beach is an unusual town in that its town centre is inland from its amazing seascape, which is right on Highway 19A, suitably called the Oceanside Route. (In fact the tourism board for the area was called Oceanside Tourism, but changed to Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism. Oceanside is a bit generic, so I see why they made the change, but the romance is lost for me.) Along Highway 19A there is a series of accommodations that are perched on the water. One we stayed at was Buena Vista by the Sea, which has x oceanfront suites. Because of the […]

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Parksville as a town was always a bit more commercial than its neighbour Qualicum Beach. In recent years with more swanky resorts appearing in Parksville, you start to see the shift away from the classic beach, sunburns, ice cream and burger stand kind of holiday. To prove this all wrong, there’s Paradise Mini Golf and Fun Park. It is a combination of faux castle, mini golf, water bumper cars, a games room, a cheesy gift shop, and RV Park and a Motel (Paradise Seashell). It’s awesome. The mini golf has two courses which can be very annoying. It’s the only […]

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We were visiting Qualicum Beach (staying at Buena Vista by-the-Sea) and we decided to do something educational for the kids, specifically the Deep Bay Marine Field Station. This is further down the 19A highway/Oceanside, about 25 km from our motel. It is past Bowser (can’t help but thing of a barking dog) and down a series of streets and a gravel road. Sadly, we picked a day that the place was closed for a private function. Important tip: check their website in advance. There was a sign at the highway saying it was closed, but I was determine to double […]

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Cameron Lake, which is about 22 km from Port Alberni and 20 km from Qualicum Beach is supposed to have a strange creature that’s silvery and serpentine, but no one is sure what it is. Such mysteries fall under the category of cryptozoology and in keeping with British Columbia’s tradition of nuttiness, there’s an actual organization called the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club (bcscc.ca) that takes a serious approach to various mysteries. Given the lake monster Ogopogo in Kelowna and Sasquatch having its naissance in Harrison Hot Springs, you could create quite an interesting travel itinerary. This local Vancouver newspaper […]

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When you think “surfing” you rarely think “Canada”. However, anyone who knows anything about Tofino knows about surfing. But it’s not the California or Hawaii surfing. Think 10 degrees Celsius water temperature and lots of rain. Tofino is at the edge of the Clayquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and in the middle of the Pacific Rim National Park. One of my favourite things to do is to head down to the dock where you can find the official sign indicating the end of Highway 1 at the bottom of First Street. Imagine that only Pacific Ocean is between you and […]

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A brief trip to Bowen Island found me in a ferry line up at breakfast time waiting to head back to the mainland. The BC Ferry comes into Snug Harbour Bowen Island and on the Bowen Island Trunk Road, there are establishments meant to service those hanging around for a ferry back to Vancouver. (Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver to be precise.) Bowen Island is odd in that, once you’re there, you feel very far away from Vancouver. However, an 8:35 AM ferry allowed me to be at my desk at 9:30 in downtown Vancouver. But, I had time to kill […]

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Cowichan Bay is a small coastal village on Vancouver Island that’s about a 55 minute drive from Victoria. The objective of our mini off season getaway was not to be in a city and not to feel hustle and bustled. We did however have Victoria obligations. But we were willing to do the drive. Speaking of timing, due to what seem to be normal traffic snarls around McKenzie Ave and the View Royal neighbourhoods, I recommend budgeting an hour to drive into downtown Victoria from Cowichan Bay. Since I’m on the tangent of driving tips, this route has the Malahat […]

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Cowichan Bay is a village north of Victoria and south of Duncan that is wonderfully off the beaten path. We chose to stay at Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay because it was really the only hotel in town. And with a couple of children, the suite with a kitchenette was helpful as it’s just too expensive to eat out all the time. The kids also enjoyed the pool, even though the change area does need an upgrade. Perhaps the best part was the view from the restaurant. We had a great breakfast there and it was quiet and everyone was […]

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BC Ferries is a crown corporation that is charge of running the ferry system in British Columbia. Many British Columbians are not sure why. In the same way Torontonians complain about the 401, BC residents love to complain about the ferries. This may be because of continuous fare increases and schedule reductions. For example, a car and drive pays $67 one-way from Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay and in 2008 it was $56. (Source www.bcferries.com/travel_planning/fares/archive.html) Despite the cost, any of these ferry rides is a beautiful scenic trip. Most visitors to BC are likely to use either Tsawwassen or Horseshoe Bay, […]

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Gardeners all over the Cowichan Valley are going full tilt this month (May 2013) as blooms are bursting forth everywhere you look. A quick tour of my garden today shows an array of the best ever iris. Rhodos in bright red, white with yellow centres, mauve, pink, magenta and another yet to come. Hostas are getting bigger every day. Lillies are growing taller and getting ready for next month’s display. Meanwhile my newly planted annuals are settling in. Spent the afternoon visiting some very experienced gardeners who love to share their garden successes. Find out more at Jacquie Gordon’s Bed […]

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