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Camping…

Friday, July 29th, 2011

We were able to spend 4 days and 3 nights camping at Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island and the trip was spectacular! The weather cooperated and it felt like summer the entire time which for anybody who has been on the west coast this summer knows those days have been few and far between. We had one of the nicest if not the nicest campsite we have ever found with a beautiful waterfront to spend our afternoons sitting in the sun gazing out across the lake.  Just moments away was a wonderful swimming beach complete with raft for diving off of.  The kids adored this place and were quite sad that we had to pack up and come home. So lucky that this is only a short trip from home, about 2 hours from Gabriola.

Posted in Camping on Vancouver Island, Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, Flora and Fauna, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Kids, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Gone Fishing

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Kissinger Lake is about a two hour drive from the Gabriola Ferry on Vancouver Island just past Cowichan Lake. This pretty little spot belongs to Timber West who offers it as a forestry campground and they stock it with rainbow trout making it a favorite destination for campers and fisher-people. There are no gas powered engines allowed so it is very peaceful there. With the warm temperatures and sunny skies of this past week we had to make one last trip out for the season. There is a little dock to dive and fish from and a gravel beach. At this time of year there are also some great patches of  chanterelle mushrooms which are wonderful cooked over a campfire. There are some good walking opportunities in the area as well but you have to keep an eye out for bear who are also plentiful!

Posted in Camping on Vancouver Island, Food, Healthy Living, Weather | No Comments »

Last Swim

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

I fully believe this is my last swim of the year, at least on this side of the border. We escaped from Gabriola and had a wonderful few days at Pine Point on Cowichan lake. The first day was warm and sunny, and the water temperature was very comfortable so I swam every day. On the way home we stopped at Russell farm and bought local corn – really yummy! Our next stop was Frederich’s Farm in Cedar where we bought 12 pounds of blackberry honey. This was fresh from the hives and the bees were swarming in the honey storage room and outside, but they seemed friendly enough. Next time we visit this farm we are hoping for fir honey which is our favorite.

Posted in Buy Local, Camping on Vancouver Island, Healthy Living, Weather | No Comments »

Cathedral Grove

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

This past weekend my husband and I had a couple of days off and met up with some friends from Vancouver and camped at the Living Forest campground in Nanaimo.  We spent one of the days with them and our girls heading up to Coombs and continuing on to Cathedral Grove (MacMillan Provincial Park).  The girls loved Cathedral Grove, the big trees, “fairy holes”, streams and flowers.  It was a wonderful and magical day topped off with ice cream cones for all at the Old Country Market while watching the goats gambol on the roof.

Posted in Camping on Vancouver Island, Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, Flora and Fauna, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Kissinger Lake

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

A great little destination lake is Kissinger, within 2 hours drive from the Gabriola Island ferry on Vancouver Island this is a great spot to camp for a few days. This small lake is located just past Cowichan Lake on the way to the Carmanah Valley. It is run by Timber West and will be open until the Thanksgiving weekend. The water is clear and a comfortable temperature for swimming, the lake is stocked with trout, there are no gas powered craft allowed, and mid week you almost have the place to yourself. There is a bit of history here to stumble upon, as it was a thriving logging camp in the mid 1900s. This is one of our favorite fall destinations.

Posted in Camping on Vancouver Island, West Coast Living | No Comments »

A Dip in the Lake

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

A weather forecast of warm sunny days sent us off to Cowichan Lake to enjoy the mid week camping experience. We were not disappointed, a 1&1/2 hour drive and we were there, blue skies and clear water welcomed us. We tried out our new zero gravity lounge chairs and I took a dip in the lake, cold but very refreshing. Two days later we headed home, with a stop at Russell Farms Market for fresh local vegetables on our way back. We arrived home in time to garden on this very fine weekend!

Posted in Camping on Vancouver Island, Gulf Island Lifestyle | No Comments »

A Swim

Friday, June 27th, 2008


We were back at Pine Point this week with a new camera. Our goal was to learn how to use this new and somewhat complicated instrument. Flowers were our main subject, and there were plenty of wild roses, bushes of them, sweet smelling and beautiful. The weather was sunny and warm and I went for a swim, brrrr, icy but invigorating. No wonder, there was still snow on the surrounding mountains!

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Pine Point

Thursday, June 19th, 2008


I was excited at the prospect of two days at Pine Point on the shores of Cowichan Lake – about two hours from Gabriola. The weather co-operated nicely with blue skies and warm sunny days. On the way we stopped at Russell Farms for fresh fruit and vegetables, artisan bread and browsed their nursery and garden gift shop. We arrived at the campground as the weekend crowd was leaving and just about had the place to ourselves. We sunned, walked, read, talked, roasted sausages over the camp fire and had a wonderul time – I would have liked to swim but couldn’t make myself brave the icy water, maybe in July it will be warmer!

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Miracle Beach

Saturday, May 17th, 2008


20 km north of Courtenay and about 1&1/2 hours drive north from the Gabriola ferry is Miracle Beach Provincial Park. This campground, in a mature second growth forest, has 200 campsites and every one is beautifully maintained and quite private. The campground has numerous walking trails, an amphitheater, a playground, a nature house, showers and a beautiful sandy beach with good ocean swimming plus nice tidal pools for the children. It is located alongside Black Creek, a salmon spawning river with a fish counting fence which was very interesting. We stayed for two days, the weather was warm and sunny and we enjoyed a campfire each night.

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Easy Exploration

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008


Spring is a wonderful time to explore Vancouver Island. The weather is balmy and you avoid the crowds of summer. Approximately an hour drive up island from the Gabriola ferry is Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park. It is adjacent to the Horne Lake Regional Park Campground. To get to the caves you cross a river via a suspension bridge. About a kilometer up the trail are the lower caves that are open to everyone. The upper larger caves are locked and you can only go in on the guided tours. We stuck to the two lower caves which were very interesting and fun to climb around in. We were with friends who camped with us at the lake. The weather was beautiful, the company was great and the experience was memorable – plus, we pretty well had the place to ourselves!

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