Gabriola Island Lifestyle Blog
Archive for the ‘Daytripping on Vancouver Island’ Category
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
One of the wonderful things about Gabriola being so close to Vancouver Island is the ease at which we can make a day trip up to Mt. Washington. Yesterday for a treat we took the family, including my sister-in-law visiting from Toronto, up to the mountain to go snow tubing for the afternoon. What a treat for the girls, the snow was falling and they felt as though they were in heaven. Our 4 year old was a bit scared and decided she would tube down with me which was a blast for both of us. The eldest whom loves roller coasters was vibrating with excitement and after whipping down the hill the first time decided that she could do this forever. It was quite reasonably priced at $49 for the family for 2 hours which is plenty of time for the adults of the group (I think the kids could have gone all day). Next time up there the girls have expressed interest in skiing (I think the idea of hurtling down the hill at breakneck speed appeals to them), I on the other hand would love to try cross-country skiing.
Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, fitness, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »
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 »
Sunday, July 17th, 2011
We are very lucky to have wonderful friends on Gabriola Island who are willing to take our eldest daughter everyday last week to Wellington Secondary School in Nanaimo to partake in the Arts Alive Summer Program for “A Play in 5 Days”. The kids in conjunction with their wonderful teacher Mary-Jo Fulmer created an entertaining and very goofy
play complete with bad guys, magic bananas, a princess, fairies and more. After working on it all week family and friends were invited to watch the play which the kids performed in the auditorium. It was a wonderful introduction to drama and I am sure many will continue on as the kids were all fantastic.
Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »
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 »
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
A completely refurbished Quinsam is back in service on Gabriola. On Tuesday we said goodbye to the Bowen Queen who happily serviced us for the past 6 months and welcomed back our old friend. BC Ferries spent 16 million in a 2 phase project that is meant to add 17 years of life to this 28 year old ferry. This was considered a complete rebuild of the ship and in their words “the result is a quieter, safer, cleaner, more fuel efficient vessel”. The terminals on both sides of the route have also been upgraded providing us with a safer more modern facility all round.
Posted in At the Sea, Daytripping on Vancouver Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, West Coast Living | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 26th, 2010
We took the girls to Victoria for the weekend which unfortunately meant we missed all the Gabriola festivities this weekend but I think we would miss something great here no matter when we went! We stayed at a downtown hotel which made it so easy to get around on foot with the kids. On Saturday morning we took the girls to the Imax at the Royal British Columbia Museum and watched “Under the Sea” on the huge screen. Aylan loved the movie, asking so many questions while her sister fell asleep in my lap:) After the movie we explored the museum for about an hour which was as long as the girls had the attention for. Once we finished we walked around Victoria and had lunch at a great fish and chips stand called “Red Fish Blue Fish” which is close to the sea plane terminal in downtown Victoria. We spent time wandering through Beacon Hill park which is so beautiful in the spring and watched as the girls and our dog Dexter ran around, great way to tire everybody out. It was a wonderful weekend but so nice to come home to our home, city lots seem so small when you come from an acreage on Gabriola.
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Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, Food, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, West Coast Living | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
A friend and I were looking for something a little different than the usual trip to Nanaimo so decided to check out what Duncan has to offer. Duncan is about a 45 minute drive South of Nanaimo just off the highway. We went to Imagine That!, a local artisan run cooperative store; Trendy Tots, where we both bought gifts to bring home to our little girls; Radway, a fairtrade and eco fashion boutique; and then had a fabulous lunch at Bistro One Sixty One, which I recommend highly to anyone passing through Duncan around mealtime. After lunch we drove a few minutes up to Whippletree Junction which is home to several furniture shops as well as a fudgery, antique shop, coffee house, the Pioneer House restaurant and more.
Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island | No Comments »
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
A childhood friend of ours has recently opened a cupcake shop called “A Wee Cupcakery” in the Old City Quarter in Nanaimo, just a hop from Gabriola. We had the chance today to swing by for a visit during our eldest daughter’s ballet class. She has a fantastic shop with many different choices ranging from mexican chocolate to pineapple and red velvet. All made in shop from scratch, are beautifully simple and taste like a piece of heaven! Medina Mayes is the proprietor and baker, a lovely and passionate woman which is evident in every cupcake. A Wee Cupcakery is located at 407 Fitzwilliam Street in Nanaimo and is open 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm (if the cupcakes last that long!) Weddings and custom orders welcome! www.aweecupcakery.com
Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle | No Comments »
Sunday, September 27th, 2009
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This Princess Cruise ship is anchored just outside the Nanaimo Harbour off of Protection Island in sight of Gabriola. The passengers are shuttled by boat into Nanaimo to enjoy the downtown sights, shops and restaurants. A new $22 million cruise ship terminal is in the works which will allow the vessels to berth directly in the Nanaimo Assembly Wharf area next to the Gabriola Ferry dock.
Posted in At the Sea, Daytripping on Vancouver Island, West Coast Living | No Comments »
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Robyn & Carly McMahon and unlicensed assistant Lesley McMahon, your Gabriola Island Real Estate Sales Team