We had one last trip planned this summer: Rolley Lake Provincial Campground. Unfortunately due to the wildfires in B.C. the air quality was the worst we have ever experienced and it was advised to avoid strenuous activities and stay indoors. We visited the Stave Falls Powerhouse for an indoor activity but the rest was all outdoors. We decided to end our trip early and packed in as much of the camping experience as we could into those 24 hours.
This summer our goal was to visit Waterton Lakes National Park. When we realized how close it was to Yellowstone National Park (seven hours), we knew we wanted to add that on. In the end we had five national parks on the agenda: Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park and Craters of the Moon.
As I get older, my love for the outdoors continues to be a priority but a change I've noticed is that I like a bit more luxury; this willingness to spend a little extra money or add an extra pound to my pack is in the area of warmth and comfort. I love versatile and innovative products and this Honcho Poncho by Therm-a-Rest is perfect for me! We've taken it on three different adventures and this is how we used it...
As a person who has done many backpacking trips in her lifetime, having a good stove is an integral part of any trip. From the West Coast Trail to Mount Baker to the Stein Valley there was nothing better at the end of a long hiking day than a good meal–I still remember some of my favourites from over 10 years ago (Pesto Chicken Pasta on the Stein Valley Trail in 2004 just to mention one). From the very first time we used the Winderburner 1.8L Stove System , I knew it was a major win in our books.
We just returned from a four night stay at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort in Parksville, B.C. with my entire extended family – 30 people. It was extremely relaxing due to the ages of our own kids (3-9 years old), the set up of our accommodations, and the family-friendly activities available at Tigh-Na-Mara. This is our third family reunion and definitely the most enjoyable.
Every year we head out to Ucluelet and Tofino; I believe this was our 7th year! Usually we go over Spring Break but this year we decided to go in the summer. We were going to Parksville later on in the week for a family reunion so it worked out well.
We always stop at Cathedral Grove; it's located just 20 minutes before Port Alberni and the perfect rest stop. The trees are amazing and the kids have a great time running around.
We arrived at our campground in Tofino around 2 pm. The road there is quite windy for an hour so be prepared! We stayed at Bella Pacifica Campground because it had good ratings and we were able to get a beachfront spot (#7). If you go, I highly recommend getting a beach spot. It's not cheap at $54/night during peak season, but it's probably one of the most affordable lodging options in Tofino. It is located on Mackenzie Beach which is just a 5 minute drive from town. If you are looking for a little more privacy in the beachfront sites then #1-8 are best.
I did not pack appropriate clothing. We had left home when it was about 35C so I packed that way – it was a cool and windy and even rained the whole first night!
We have a 5 man tent that we've been using the past few years. It fits us well but I don't think we could fit any more bodies in there! Every time I spend a night on that inflatable mattress I do wonder how many more years I can do it; my hips really feel it!
This is the view from our tent – nice, right?
Well, at least we didn't need to worry about sunscreen?!
A major plus about this beach is it has an area that is contributed to by a stream. The water is warm and the kids played in there for hours.
The sites were quite small but it worked for us and our tent.
After waking up to rain on Tuesday morning, I was not a happy camper. The kids loved their "camping breakfast" (cereal in a recyclable bowl from Costco.)
It was too cold for the beach so we decided to go hiking. We hiked about 14 km total over the day! We did the Rainforest Trail which we really enjoyed and would do over again. Koen said that was the highlight of our trip there. Notice Kai wearing Gary's shirt. Note to self: always pack each person a hoodie. Always.
We also drove into Ucluelet to the lighthouse because we really enjoy that view and it's tradition to get our photo at this sign. We did some more climbing and exploring there. Nya doesn't seem so impressed with that tradition.
{Below is the picture from 2014}
{And 2013...I'll stop now}
We went back to Tofino (Ucluelet and Tofino are about 30 minutes apart) and went out for pizza. I wasn't ready to go back to the campsite until it warmed up! The playground in Tofino is always a hit and we went there each day. My sister Maria and her family were staying in Tofino as well so we met up several times which the kids loved.
The sun came out so we went back to the campsite and got ready for a day at the beach!
Having a kite was also a major hit for the kids. They loved it; Kai was a little more successful than Nya with it.
We had the whole beach to ourselves!
The kids have been racing these animals for the past 6 years; there were 4 of them but now there are only 2.
By the afternoon the sun was out in full force–yay! By the way, this is our Costco hammock and we love it.
The cousins came over to play at our beach and this was Kai's higlight; jumping in the waves with the girls.
Then we had "smorepedoes" back at the campsite (waffle cone with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in pot on the stove.)
Once the kids were in bed, we had a little time to relax.
I was definitely happy that our second night would be warmer!
Wednesday morning was beautiful – I didn't want to leave!
We stopped by Long Beach on our way out. You can't go to Tofino and not go to Long Beach.
Bye bye, Tofino. Now we need to figure out if we'll come back at Spring Break or the summer in 2016. Whatever we decide, we're definitely keeping the tradition alive.
Three years ago we went to Nehalem Bay State Park in Oregon and loved it. I blogged about it here and I love looking back to see how little Koen was. This year we invited both of our families to join and two of my sisters (and their families) came as well as one of their friends. Maria and Kris took their 4 girls, Jan and Doug came with their 2 kids and Maria and Kris's friends Ben and Julie came with their 3 kids. We all had sites alongside each other which was great.
It's a long drive (8-9 hours) as it's about 1/2 hour south of Cannon Beach but it's worth it! We did stay in Tacoma on our way down but then drove back in one day. Oh how I wish it was closer. Long road trips are tough when our kids are normally used to (and require!) a whole lot of physical activity.
The campground is right on that sandy beach. Beautiful, right?
I remember last time wishing we had a photographer along. I know Gary and I are both able but with very few hands free, it sure would be nice!
Fortunately it was much warmer this time around!
Once again, the Junior Ranger program was a huge hit! They do a really great job of it there.
Gary bought this hammock at Costco before we left and it was great. I think it was under $40 and I would recommend it for sure!
We all got together for s'mores around the fire and then once the kids were all in bed the adults could hang out a bit.
The walk to the beach is just over a sand dune. Beautiful, right?
One day we drove 20 minutes to Short Sand Beach. We went to the caves and tide pools. It was good to visit another area nearby!
Maria, Kris and their 4 girls. Georgie didn't want to touch the sand. Made things a bit trickier being on the Oregon Coast :)
There were a lot of Sea Anenomes in the tide pools which was cool. If you go to this beach (Short Sands) you definitely want to go at low tide.
Maria and Georgia. The Ergo's were great for carrying the littles over the dunes. Although, Nya climbed it on her own on the last day. That girl has some willpower :)
Nya's `I cold' face.
Koen LOVED jumping in the waves. Even though he was pulled under numerous times (we only allowed him to go up to his waist) he kept going back for more.
The campsite (B11) had a perfect amount of sun and shade. We all slept in the tent again but this time we brought a heater which was key. There is electrical hook up so we stayed nice and toasty warm at night. Next time we will put the boys in a separate tent because getting Nya to sleep was a bit of an ordeal but I think we now have it down. The boys may have gotten in a bit of trouble for waking her up on the last night when they went to bed.
Small world...my friends Leah, Lisa and Lauren were road tripping down to California and ended up staying at Nehalam Bay one of the same nights as us!
One of the cool things about this campground is that it has an air strip. You know what this means! My dad flew in on the second day (just a 2.5 hour flight). There is a paved 3km bike path that goes around the air strip and we did it several times. So fun to have our bikes along this time.
Here's his aerial view of the campground.
And an aerial view of the coast.
Gary and I got to get away for 20 minutes to enjoy the sunset. We took a few HDR photos (that's where you combine three photos-underexposed to overexposed and combine them).
On Wednesday, the rain came. This was unfortunate because we still had one more day there. Our tent's vestibule, where we store all of our suitcases etc, was turning into a giant puddle. I just didn't want to risk the kids tracking a ton of mud into the tent and spending the day all wet. We decided to pack up a day early (so gross packing up wet stuff!) and head down to the Tillamook Cheese Factory before heading home. The rest of the families were in tent trailers and a trailer so they were pretty nice and dry. Gary and I are considering buying a small RV. Considering....must convince a sister or two to buy in with us :)
Nya got to use her `new' rainsuit!
My dad slept in his plane. He got rained in so had to stay an extra day. His `bedroom' had such an amazing view! The elk were just roaming around on the runway and I wish I had my zoom lens! I'm hoping he got a few pictures. The one right behind the plane was enormous.
It's a half hour drive to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and a great way to spend a wet day.
It was fun for the kids to see how cheese is made and also to sample a bunch!
We bought some pepporoni and cheese and then had grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch before heading home. Wow, I look as tired as I felt :) (We had a wedding on Saturday night, got home at midnight, uploaded all the photos, got up early on Sunday, I culled and backed up photos and finally we were on our way around 1:30 pm. So, it was a tiring start to our trip but I needed to make sure that we had all of our photos backed up in several locations just in case).
I don't know why we didn't get a group shot of us all (oh wait, maybe it was the 12 young kids amongst us as we were always off in different directions) but here are a bunch of us!
It was a long drive home and we didn't get home until 8:30 pm. Thankful for safe travels, but man, road tripping is exhausting!
It was really fun to camp with family and I hope we can do it again (although possibly closer next time!). I love Nehalem Bay State Park. It's incredibly gorgeous, clean, affordable and there are NO MOSQUITOES! If you've never been to the Oregon Coast before, I do highly recommend it. It's breathtaking and so worth it.
Hope you had a great week!
Love,
Louise
PS Here is a short little video Gary put together (2 minutes) from our camping trip.
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