Pacific Rim National Park - Day 4

Our fourth day started out very foggy and misty. We got up early to catch our chartered boat out to Meares Island, which is where a natural hotsprings is located in an ancient Rainforest.

Everything looked so tranquil and calm, it was a quiet morning, a good-for-the-soul kind of morning...

Jacob found the beautifully misted home of Mrs. Spider.

The wooden planks on the hike out to Hot Springs Cove were all carved with the names of different ocean vessels.

We hiked about 30 minutes through the Rainforest before we got to Hot Springs Cove. We saw some beautiful trees, flora, and fauna along the way.

And then...the Hot Springs! All Natural and in the rocks! It was perfect!

Hot Springs Cove was worth the 2 and a half hour journey!

On the way back to Tofino in our boat, we saw some gray whales playing around in the water.

Also, some very big Sea Lions. These guys weigh around 2000 lbs!

Ah, and at last, we enjoyed our last evening by the campfire. We had a wonderful adventure and vacation. Our last night after we went to bed, it started raining again - and rained all day while we drove home. Someone was looking out for us, eh?

Pacific Rim National Park - Day 3

Our third day, we spent almost the entire day doing the various hikes in the National Park. All of the hikes were relatively short and had wooden boardwalks as the trail. We started out in the bog.

The bog was kind of like a miniature forest (where trees as old as 300 years are sometimes no taller than 3 feet). With all the twisted trees, it would be a great setting for a scary movie, or a really haunted and spooky forest at Halloween time.

On one of the beach trails, we found a fallen tree. Tysha decided to show her super-hero capabillities by holding it up with just one arm! (Of course she also rescued a poor woodland creature by holding the tree up! mmm hmm!)

Here are some pretty little plants. Not sure what they're called...but we liked how they look like dainty little stars.

One of the beach hikes and exploring the rocks.

Tysha of course spotted some kids trying to jump over the waves and just had to catch them in action. They were very cute!

A quiet moment of reflection in the Rainforest.

After a long and wonderful day of hiking, we decided to shed our hiking boots (for flip-flops, of course!) and indulge in an evening away from the campfire for dinner. We drove up to a beautiful viewpoint before heading to dinner.

The viewpoint is called "Radar Hill." I guess during one of the World Wars, there was a radar on top of the hill. But we didn't see it. What we did see was an amazing sunset!

Then, we headed to the Tofino Botanical Gardens, which is where our restaurant for the evening was located.

We found this very cool old truck. Of course we had to snap a few photos!

We ate at a place called "SOBO" which is short for "Sophisticated Bohemian". Gotta love it!

Instead of "no shirts, no shoes, no service", this is the kind of sign you find in Tofino. I told Jacob that I might be small enough to pass for a 12 year old so to keep an eye on me so I wasn't someone else's dinner!

Dinner was SOOOO good! Of course we had the freshest seafood. I have to admit, after sitting in such a great atmosphere and eating so well, going home to our tent and sleeping bags didn't sound as good as it had the previous night. SOBO was awesome! We recommend it if you're ever in Tofino!

Pacific Rim National Park - Day 2

Our second day, we headed to the village of Ucluelet and began an all-day sea kayaking adventure! We have really fallen in love with kayaking! It is amazing to be so silent and serene on the water with nature all around (no noisy engines and minimal people involved). It was a sunny and beautiful morning when we met up with our group.

We helped load up the van and trailer, and then drove about 45 minutes to the spot where we put our kayaks in and began to paddle. We paddled for about 7 hours that day, all around Barclay Sound and among the many small islands in the Sound.

We had a double kayak. There was us, our guide (Silka, from White Rock, B.C.), Rachel (school teacher from Vancouver, B.C.), and John and Annah (from Portland, OR). We were a small group, in awe of our surroundings. As we paddled throughout the day, we saw several Bald Eagles (now off the extinction list!), seals, starfish, and various waterbirds (some that swim under the water!) We stopped on an island where we were the only people there! We ate a little lunch and then paddled until it was time to head back to town. What a day! Below is a little view from the beach on our little island that was our lunch spot. Can you say perfect?

Pacific Rim National Park - Day 1

For our "family vacation" this summer, we packed up and headed north to Pacific Rim National Park, which is located on Vancouver Island in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It took a day to get there, and it rained the whole way and well into the night as we set up our campsite and tent. But Mother Nature was watching over us and for the next four days of activities we had brilliant and beautiful weather!

Our first day we spent most of the hiking various parts of the Wild Pacific Trail. We found a cool old lighthouse and even saw Orcas swimming near the shoreline! One family tried so hard to get a glimpse, we saw them almost get washed into the ocean! (We were glad we didn't have to make a rescue attempt!)

This part of the island lives up to it's name with a "wild" coast. It is interesting to see the contrast where the sea's stormy side cuts jagged rocks, as well some of the smooth and golden beaches - almost more like California beaches, but with everyone donning wetsuits because of the chilly water. We actually camped mostly with people who came to surf the area around Long Beach - many from B.C., but a lot from Alberta and other parts of the world as well.

We loved the combination of being by the ocean as well as among the trees - and the anticipation of looking for wildlife all around this beautiful part of the world. We met wonderful people from places near and far - always one of the favorite parts of travel!

Here, Jacob basked in the sun in a meadow by a beautiful inlet on one of our hikes. We found some black sand and left our "mark"...

It was a great first day...

The Twins turn 30!

To celebrate our 30th year, Tia and I decided to take a special trip. Due to my wedding, we were unable to do the trip in January, so we decided to do it for our "half" birthday instead, when the weather is better anyway! We packed our bags and headed to the Northern land of...

Canada! We hopped aboard the Victoria Clipper, a catamaran that journeys through the San Juan Islands and lands in Victoria, British Columbia. Located on Vancouver Island, this little city boasts it's historic ties with England, which still run strong. Of course the Canadian outdoor culture also has a strong presence, as you can see me here with a Canadian Black Bear.

We stayed at the historic James Bay Inn. We enjoyed a huge room and antique furnishings.

Tia especially enjoyed some of the Victorian-era sofas, like this red velvet one in the lobby.

A very walkable city, we set out on foot to have some fun. We hiked around downtown and turned up a few streets until we found signs that led us to this: the Craigdarroch Castle. Over 30,000 square feet, this castle was a great representation of the lifestyles of the wealthy during the Victorian Age. It was filled with original furniture, stained glass, musical instruments, etc. We had a lot of fun exploring the four floors and enjoyed the view from the lookout tower. How fun it would have been to be invited to an "at home" - when the ladies of the house had social hour inclusive of ballroom dancing complete with a card filled out ahead of time letting you know which song and with whom your dance partner would be!

Later that evening, we happened upon a production of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet in a local park square. It was easy to get swept up in the passionate and tragic tale of one of the most famous stories of all time. You know it's great acting when the actors can pull you into the story without any fancy backdrops or props.

After the play, we headed to the Empress Hotel. There, we went to the Bengal Lounge to listen to some live jazz and have some drinks.

This Bengal, displayed above the fireplace mantle, is the namesake of the lounge. Kind of unsettling if you look at him for too long...

But the jazz and the virgin mojitos were awesome! Best of all was the company of my sister. We have soooooo many laughs together!

Also while in Victoria, we visited the Parliament building and had a tour. Did you know the Queen of England still visits and has her own entrance? It is quite a spectacular building and the architecture is quite astounding.

Of course to make our trip to Victoria complete we had to visit the Butchart Gardens, world-renowned flower gardens just outside of Victoria.

Here is Tia in front of the "sunken garden". Below are some of my favorite photos from out visit. It was super-fun for me to take these pictures and enjoy the relaxing and beautiful garden atmosphere...We had a lovely time celebrating the 30 years since we came into this world, together! I love my sister and am so proud of her. I would like to thank her for a wonderful trip to Victoria, and wish her luck and she heads off to graduate school in Boston!