Tofino

We spent three nights in Ucluelet and then just took one full day to explore Tofino.

If you are looking for a good place to stay with your family in Ucluelet, I would recommend the West Coast Motel.  Super friendly, affordable, and they have a pool.  Usually it is super pricey for us to find a place with two bedrooms and a kitchen but they have it for about $120/night.

This is the view outside of our room...that big boat is a restaurant.

On our last full day there, we did our day trip to Tofino.  We went to Wickaninnish Beach and did the Bog Walk that we always do.  Super easy walk and the vegetation is so cool.

We also had tacos from the Tacofino truck.

We got to Long Beach and the kids just ran and ran.  There isn't a lot of life on the beach as it's just sand but it's fun for the kids to run in the waves and just go, go, go!

I'm so thankful that we had a sunny day for it.  Gary's parents have never been there so I think it was a great way to see it!

I love all these marks in the sand.  I think it's just from the waves.

After exploring the town of Tofino (great playground there!) and going to Cox Bay, Wickaninnish Beach and Long Beach, we went back to our motel.

Kai spent some time doing up his brackets for March Madness and made me do one as well. I chose Duke as the champion and they are out already.

Then, I went to the lighthouse in Ucluelet to meet up with my friends, Mark and Maria.  They were on the island celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary!  I don't usually work on holidays but in a location like that, and the dates lined up, I had to!!  It was sooooooo windy but so beautiful.   Gary and I had a chance to go to their resort for dessert after the kids were in bed and Gary's parents could watch the kiddos.

Kai got a special trackable geocoin in the geocache in Tofino.  We've only had one before; in Oregon. 

On our last morning, the kids went over to grandma and grandpas for breakfast.  Later I found out that breakfast may have included ice cream.  Gary and I got a quick walk in to see a bunch of sunstars and seals!

Then, we were on our way to our next destination; Port McNeill.  On our way, we stopped at my oma's house for her 91st birthday!  It's always great to see her, talk with her and hold her hand.  Nya and Koen sang happy birthday to her and she loved it.  I wish I could see her more often, but for now, it's just every Spring Break.  It's my mom's mom so it always makes me feel closer to my mom when I hold her hand and look in her eyes. 

We stopped in Courtenay for lunch.  We had A&W and the kids were sooooo excited!! It was their first time there.  Kai's excitement faded quickly when Gary checked out the latest scores in March Madness.  Kai was really hoping to do better with his brackets.  Look at his face.  Poor guy.

Next stop?  Port McNeill to visit our friends, the Voses!  Will post on that tomorrow :)

Thankful for a safe trip and for kids that travel pretty well!

Love, Louise

Thankful Thursdays

I'm blogging via iPhone so not sure this is going to work out.  This is a family edition of Thankful Thursday.

Thankful for...

Kai:

1.  That grandma and grandpa could come along and that their room was right beside ours.

(Tacofino Truck)

2.  Climbing big rocks at the beach.

Koen:

3.  Lichen Claws

4.  Not losing any toys.  (I just found Louis Hamilton after an hour of looking through our hotel room).

Nya:

5. Milk

6. Swimming with grandpa

7. Ice cream

Gary:

8.  A wife who plans a wonderful vacation.

9.  A beautiful sunny day at the beach.

Louise:

10 That first view of Long Beach as you walk down the path.

11.  Being able to take pictures of my friends, Mark and Maria, here in Ucluelet.  VERY windy but beautiful. 

12.  Nya sleeping in her travel playpen throughout the night and even two naps!

13.  The ability for our family to go on trips.  The time, money and health that allows us to do so.

I hope that you had a great week so far!  Today is a big travel day for us so praying for safety and sanity!

Love, Louise

Ucluelet: Day 1 and 2

We started our Vancouver Island holiday yesterday.  Little did we know it would begin with a 5 hour wait at the ferry terminal.  This was due to high winds.  So, while we waited we did a lot of walking and we also did a geocache.

Nya wanted to hold Kai's hand. So cute.

Five hours is a long time to `waste' but Duke Point is pretty to walk around and because we weren't trapped inside a vehicle waiting, it was fine.  The boys are so easy to travel with.  It's Miss Nya that is the most work, especially yesterday when she had to miss her nap.

We finally got on the ferry.  Here's a video showing the waves.  It was like this for a full hour.  Pretty wild.

Gary's parents are joining us this year and they were on the ferry behind us so we saw them late last night.  We are staying in Ucluelet in a motel that we stayed at 5 years ago; the West Coast Motel.  It works well with two bedrooms and a kitchen (Gary and I get the pull out couch so Nya gets her own room) and a very budget friendly price. Nya slept through the night and I am so thankful!  The last time we went away was in the summer when she was still getting up several times a night and I was nervous.

This morning we started with our traditional walk to the Lighthouse.  Grandpa was able to do his first geocache!  It's very nice to have extra hands to help out. 

Nya is pretty much able to keep up with the boys.  The weather was perfect...not too cold and not too windy. 

Lookout.

We've taken our picture here, with the sign, each year.   Looks like the `P' is currently missing.  It took Koen a few hours to get his grumpies out.  He does not like getting up before 8 am but his siblings love getting up at 6 am. 

The Lighthouse.  

`Do Not Climb The Rocks' said the sign.  You know it wasn't me telling him to do it.

Koen happy again, chasing people with a `Lichen Claw' at Big Beach.

Biggest mussel I've ever seen!  It also had VERY large barnacles on it. 

Then we went back to our place and the kids had a snack at grandma and grandpas (they are staying next door to us which is super convenient).

After lunch, we all went swimming in the pool at our place.  The worst part was getting Nya out of the pool as she was tired and DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE.  Fortunately I got a nap out of her after that.

We then walked to the aquarium.  We weren't sure if we wanted to go but reviews online (and from friends who had been) highly recommended it.  It is not large, and it's sort of pricey (it is non profit though), but we went for it.  I love that they catch everything locally and then release it in the fall.  Very cool.  

A lot of touch tanks for the kids.  My little marine biologist :)  Koen loved it the most.  I would say the best part of the aquarium was the staff.  The guy there was so informative and we asked him many, many questions.  He also fed krill to many of the organisms so that we could see them eating.

Koen and I found the Octopus named `Jacques'.  He was a tricky one to find but we learned that he was in a den and you had to look for the crab shells which were his previous dinners.  He was collected by a diver in Tofino.  They tried to feed him a HUGE crab while we were there but he had his eyes closed and didn't go for it then.  The poor crab was so stressed smelling the octopus in the water.  They removed him.

Above is something cool I've never seen...sacs of opalescent squid eggs!!!

Touching the Sunstars.  They got to touch so many kinds of sea stars.

Nudibranchs; Butterflies of the Sea.  

Nya was a little young for it but the kids enjoyed it. I would recommend it BUT I would make sure that you ask the marine biologists there as many questions as you can.  Koen and I asked many questions.  Koen's questions were mostly about how every animal reproduced :)

Strawberry Anenomes....so pretty!!

We came back and had a huge dinner of ribs and salad.  Strawberry shortcake for dessert!

Nya made sure that baby had some.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunnier and it will be our Tofino day!  Looking forward to showing Gary's parents Long Beach as they have never been.  We are also looking forward to the Tacofino Truck :)

All right.  Time to read and relax.

Hope you are having a good week!

Love, Louise