Our Vancouver Island Adventure - Nanaimo, Tofino, and Victoria

Monday, October 12th, 2015.  We're back home and what a trip we had.  We travelled a rolling distance of 696.8 kilometres.  We took two ferries to get to and from Vancouver Island.  The first was Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo and the second, Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen.  We love our cute little camper van we call Serenity.  We thoroughly enjoyed each and every place we stayed and all of the natural wonders we got to explore along out travels.

Ready for departure:

Living Forest Oceanside Campground and RV Park was  well maintained home away from  home park for us to stay at and as our first stop.  We were parked next to the drier end of the harbour and had a view of the more industrial outskirts of Nanaimo but the industrial view certainly did not take anything away from the natural setting and surroundings we found ourselves in.  Besides, Nanaimo is a charming harbour city.

As we left Living Forest and made our way to Bella Pacifica Campground just outside Tofino we made a few stops along the way.  Our first took us to Piper's Lagoon Park, Nanaimo, a lovely walk along a trail to the rock outcropping and lovely views of the harbour and the many fisherman's cabins on Shack Island.

Trail at Piper's Lagoon Park:

Our second stop took us to Beachcomber Regional Park, district of Nanaimo.  This was Edith and David's favourite of the day.

That's so very true Eugene.  David and I each spent time in the hollow of a warm, welcoming, friendly, funny and engaging tree.  What a hoot that was.  Then we both had to stop ourselves from walking off the rocks and into the sea.  I'm sure our spiritual energy kept on walking into those hypnotic and yet rejuvenating waves.

Then we were off on the slow yet engaging drive to Port Alberni, then onward to Tofino.  Port Alberni, a good stop for lunch, a bit of shopping, and a top  up of the fuel tank.  We did manage a quick walk to Alberni Harbour for a less than stellar coffee but I did get to reminisce about trains as we visited the old Port Alberni (Train) Station.

The drive from Port Alberni was the best though as the twisting winding narrow two lane highway demanded a good pair of hands on the wheel and keen eyes on the road ahead and the passing traffic on the opposite side of the road.  We made to stop at Cathedral Grove on our way to Victoria.

Bella Pacifica Campground is a rustic cut out of niche plots of bare ground to host a variety of camping options from tents to tent trailers, to campers, small motorhomes  or much larger ones.  We were parked in a spot two roads away from and above the beach but we had a nice little view.

Edith and David found this beach to be another gem and much to their liking.  Roaming the beach and discovering a spiritual gem tucked into the rocky shoreline was more than they could have asked for or even imagined.  At different times they both spent time in this seaside spiritual nook.

Tofino is a great little seaside village and great 4 kilometre walk from the campground.  Pizza for lunch and a couple of afternoon coffees gave us the perfect perk to meander back to the campground.





Clouds and rain moved in and our stay and departure became a wet one.  And the drive back to Port Alberni and points beyond was more riveting with the wet roads under our wheels.  However we did manage a stop at Cathedral Grove and spend time amongst some regal (Douglas Fir) giants.

The trees are magnificent however as much as we wished to stay another destination was awaiting us so onward ho and taking lunch in Port Alberni and adding more fuel to the tank.

We had our lunch and got back to our drive to Victoria.  As the early afternoon gave way to mid-afternoon we hit the city of Ladysmith and decided to stop for a coffee and muffin at McDonalds.  This quick break re-energized us and onto Victoria we went.  We arrived at the Westbay Marine Village and were greeted warmly and happily by the clerk behind the desk.  With such a great welcome to the marine village we quickly got set up in Site 21, a beautiful corner setting overlooking the  harbour and the outlying parts of Victoria.  What a beautiful location we found ourselves in.

We relaxed and watched and enjoyed what the simple serene life of being on a harbour was all about.  Then it was time to head back home.

The ferry ride from Swartz Bay to Tsawassen was a little rough than usual.  We all noticed the subtle rocking of the ferry.  The trip to Nanaimo very smooth.

Serenity is unpacked and back in storage but plans for another trip next April are slowly coming together.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about our Vancouver Island adventure.

Happy Camping!