Keira-anne.com

There are enough elements, places to discover and activities around Tofino and the surrounding region to fill a year’s worth of Island Profile posts. However, as it’s my first day back from holidays, I thought it would instead be nice to view the seaside village through my eyes.

To view all the photos I snapped on the wet coast, please visit my Tofino Set on Flickr.

Though it had been well over a decade since I last slipped into a kayak, I couldn’t wait to test out my sea legs once again. When Rebecca and I first started planning our girls’ getaway trip to Vancouver Island’s Oceanside region of Parksville and Qualicum, I was very excited to see that an afternoon kayak trip with Adventuress Wilderness Adventures for Women was first-up on our itinerary.

After a quick lunch in Nanaimo, we arrived at Wall Beach in Nanoose Bay for a PFD fitting. I also made sure to slather my skin with plenty of sunscreen (sun + sun reflected off water = double trouble) and ensured maximum fashionability with my brand new aquasox.

After zipping up our lifejackets, we quickly slapped on our new hats and were ready for our crash lesson in kayaking. While both Rebecca and I had been before, it’s smart to take some time to review safety rules, procedures and to agree to stay in a group.

Guiding kayak tours of the region for close to 10 years, Jan Kretz is an adventuress who knows what she’s doing. She’s got a fun attitude and a deep love for the ocean – something that was apparent to me from the moment we met her.

I was also quite impressed by her pink and purple kayak (not to mention slightly jealous)!

Soon enough we were ready to head out into the big, blue sea. Though the wind was blowing and the waves were rolling, we pressed onward from Wall Beach to Craig Bay with ferocity in our paddling. After all, we wouldn’t be adventuresses if we let a little bit of wind stop us, now would we?

As we reached the calm waters of Craig Bay, I couldn’t help by take a moment to smell the salty sea air and soak in the beauty that was around us. A bright sun, eagles soaring overhead, the towering mountains that form the spine of Vancouver Island and more geese than you can imagine…

Believe me when I say that there is nothing strenuous or stressful about laying your paddle across your kayak and letting the gentle waves lap and bob your solo vessel in the water for a few moments. Any worries were weightless, completely carried away in the sea.

Before long, the clock ticked down and it was time to head back to Wall Beach. Lucky for us, the wind was still blowing and allowed us to essentially “surf” our kayaks back to the shore. And as we all paddled in somewhat reflective silence, I can’t help but think we were all pondering how fortunate we were to be experiencing some place so beautiful by way of an adventure so unique.

UPDATE: Be sure to read Rebecca’s re-cap of our kayak adventure here.

Adventuress Wilderness Adventures for Women operates throughout most of the year with the summer months naturally being the busiest. Based out of Nanoose Bay, just 10 minutes south of Parksville, Jan offers half-day, full-day, weekend and multi-day trips geared to all skill levels of paddling. For more information and to book a paddle date with your best girlfriends, you can visit the Adventuress website, e-mail Jan directly or call toll free at 1-866-955-6702.

Australian writer Germaine Greer once said “The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.” Surely she must have experienced a weekend on Vancouver Island.

Since Andrea was planning meet up with a friend of hers in the Comox Valley and I was headed there to visit family, we grabbed the same ferry together and ended up having one of those weekends made up of memories and magic.

We met so many amazing dogs on the ferry, but this Rottweiler named Beth was the star of the show. She was really just a big cat who, the more we cuddled her, the more she rested lazily against our legs.

No doubt Jordy is a water baby just like his mama. We started Saturday early by grabbing him and Charley, a couple coffees from McDonald’s and hit the beach at the Courtenay Airpark.

The water was warm and glassy, the sun hot and bright and the sand was like wet baby powder under our feet.

It’s no secret that I’m currently engaged in a passionate love affair with Vancouver Island wines, so I made sure to bring Andrea by Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery.

They had some swings.

I’ve never been to the Courtenay Museum & Palaeontology Centre. I don’t think you’re supposed to snap pictures, but I grabbed this one anyways. Yes, dinosaur bones and fossils have been found all over the Comox Valley.

After Miss A’s rendez-vous, she met up with my mom and I at Atlas Cafe for some dinner. I had the veggie enchilada again.

After dinner, we didn’t head straight home. Instead we found ourselves on Headquarters Road and pulled over by Casawood Farms. The space is home to many, many cows and is one of the Island’s producers of milk for Island Farms.

I wasn’t thrilled to see their ears tagged (though how different can it be than a mom piercing her baby’s ears), but I suppose it’s important for identification purposes. I was, however, excited to see that the cows had an eating area separate from their clean, dry sleeping area.

None of the cows had docked tails, none were forced to sleep in pens, none were hooked up to milk machines and there were acres and acres of green grass for them to roam during the day. The ladies let us pick up handfuls of their muck and feed them by hand. This was a great idea until my (mom’s) camera fell into the feeding trough.

Who knew cows peed out of their bums?

Really? You feel okay knowing that such beautiful girls are callously butchered like something out of a horror movie just so you can enjoy that burger? Oooookay.

A few kilometres further down the road we found another private farm with a few horses roaming the field. All it took was a sweet whistle and they came running towards us.

Like the lovely cows, the horses also let us feed them by hand with handfuls of grass we pulled from the roadside.

I think I kinda like animals.

First discovery on the ferry: Jordy left his mark on my leg.

No, not that kind of mark.

Oops… forgot this beauty shot from Coombs.

Since it was sunny, we decided to ditch the dog area and opted for a picnic on the deck instead.

Comox Brie from Natural Pastures, BC-grown cherries and über healthy crackers.

Yummmmmmy!

We met Mitch on the way back, a one-and-a-half-year-old black labrador/mastiff cross. I couldn’t tell if he was more interested in Jordy or the brie cheese, but we didn’t mind his company either way. His tongue was bigger than two of Jordy’s paws put together!

After stuffing our bellies, all three of us laid back under the big, beautiful sun for an afternoon nap.

That’s all for now, kids.

Vancouver Island is essentially surrounded by one endless beach and as much as the terrain changes, one thing remains certain: beauty. Kilometres of sand are constantly licked by refreshing salty water. While the east coast of the Island is certainly not without its charm, nothing compares to the shores of the west coast.

Photo: CanadaGood on Flickr

Nestled at the half-way point between Port Renfrew and Sooke on the southern part of the Island, China Beach is one of those special spots that seems untouched. Located next to Jordan River, it is part of Juan de Fuca Provincial Park.

Photo: Water Lily Lane

Like most beaches on the west coast of the Island, it’s not unusual to see many surfers and seals alike bobbing in the salty Pacific Ocean water.

Photo: Spiritwood Images on Flickr

Photo: maplemusketeer on Flickr

While a perfect setting for camping, picnics, swimming and sandcastles, China Beach is also the trailhead for Vancouver Island’s famous Juan de Fuca trail. The Juan de Fuca trail stretches 47 kilometres along the shore to Botanical Beach – most hikers make the journey in two and a half days.

Photo: nuanc on Flickr

Photo: maplemusketeer on Flickr

China Beach offers endless stones to be overturned and a number of trails to be explored, but grey whale migration is certainly a sight to see. During the spring and fall, it’s estimated that up to 17,000 of these beautiful behemoths make the journey past China Beach.

Photo: BinoCanada on Flickr

Photo: Zero-X on Flickr

Photo: CanadaGood on Flickr

There’s certainly something surreal about watching the sunset and knowing that it’s simultaneously rising over Japan.

Photo: BinoCanada on Flickr

It should go without saying that if you plan on visiting China Beach or any of Vancouver Island’s other parks, please respect the land. Take your garbage with you, leave the vegetation alone and avoid any wildlife you may encounter. Bears, cougars and rogue ocean waves are frequent visitors to China Beach.

To visit, head west on Highway 14 past Sooke and click over to the BC Parks website for further information.

When I was a teenager, I spent all my May long weekends camping in Parksville. Between swimming at the beach, roasting marshmallows around the campfire and trying my hand at mini golf, there was always something fun to do.

Photo: City of Parksville

Times have changed and though I no longer find myself camping in the springtime, the long weekend is a perfect excuse (like I ever need one) to get back to Vancouver Island.

Photo: DragonWoman on Flickr

The weather forecast is a bit less than favourable, but I’m hoping to get a lot of fun packed into those three days.

Aside from spending quality time with my aunt and introducing Jordy to his new “cousin” Charley for the first time, my mom and I are looking forward to a scrumptious dinner at Avenue Bistro in the seaside town of Comox. However, I can’t decide between the Baked Hazelnut-crusted Comox Camembert with apple cranberry compote or the Vegetarian Meze Plate with hummus, baba ghanouj and more delectable goodies.

I think it goes without saying that we’ll be feasting on some Island Farms ice cream for dessert. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for banana fudge to be in stock!

If you happen to be on the upper Island this weekend, be sure not to miss the annual Art and Bloom Festival at Woodland Gardens in Merville. My mom and I went last year and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenery mingled with beautiful crafts from local artisans.

And the best part? It’s a dog-friendly location, so Jordy and Charley will be tagging along as well! Hopefully that sun will hang on long enough to allow the four of us a trip to Miracle Beach’s off-leash beach to let the monkeys burn off some energy on the sand…

What do you have planned for the long weekend?

After spending my days at work and away from Jordy during the week, I was super pumped for the weekend. I had a whole lot of plans to do nothing, but it seems to me that Blizzards with Andrea are becoming a tradition. Good thing I signed up for the Blizzard Fan Club.

After a full-on grocery shopping trip Friday night, I tackled my kitchen on Saturday evening and whipped up some coconut curry vegetable soup with pan-fried tofu.

I found the recipe here.

There are large misconceptions about tofu. Buying a package is no different than buying a package of raw chicken… it’s all in the preparation.

Sizzle it in the pan with a bit of olive oil, soy sauce and minced garlic and you’ve got yourself a yummy topping for the soup. And like it or not, cilantro is the true cherry on top.

I decided to devote Sunday to Jordy and me, so I wasn’t leaving him alone for a second. I thought his first trip to the off-leash shores at Sunset Beach would be the perfect way to take in the day.

Unlucky for him, however, he had to wait until Mommy got ready before heading out the door.

Jordy took to the beach like a fish to water. While I half expected him to cling to my side, he was happy to roam, sniff and interact with the other dogs that were enjoying surf and sunshine.

I am pretty sure this is going to become a regular spot for us this summer.

Tania’s boy, George, was certainly intrigued by the waves until they decided to turn on him. He came scooting right back!

It’s true love.

A romp in the sand requires a warm bath. I grabbed some “Mango Tango” scented shampoo for Jordy, but despite the fruity fun, having a bath was his least favourite part of the day.

I grabbed a few presents for myself also.

I think the new squeaky toy I got for Jordy more than made up for bath time.

I think I’ll spend the rest of today pretending that tomorrow isn’t Monday.

This weekend was the first weekend I didn’t spend on Vancouver Island in a month. Last night was rough and tough, and I felt very much defeated. I didn’t need something to keep me occupied or attempt at making me smile; what I needed was rejuvenation. Rejuvenation wasn’t what I expected, but it was exactly what I got on this optimistically gray Sunday afternoon.

I hopped the 601 bus to Tsawwassen and was picked up by Chelsea. We then hopped the border into the United States to spend the afternoon in Point Roberts.

She’d been wanting to show me Lily Point Marine Reserve for sometime now, and the experience was incredible. It’s funny how driving across an imaginary line can instantly cause me to feel so far removed from all that I want to escape. We were only minutes from Canada but miles from “life.”

Lily Point holds an interesting piece of history in the area. Between 1884 and 1917, the Alaska Packers Association operated a salmon cannery at the edge of the water, overlooking the Juan de Fuca Strait. The cannery was subsequently abolished when the salmon supply depleted, but a few remnants still scatter the shoreline today. This is how it used to look.

It took no more than a brief glance to the silhouette of Saltpring and Vancouver Islands for my heart strings to feel a sharp tug. It will always be home, but what I yearn for there is in my past.

After admiring the view, we made our way down the clay cliffs to check out the cannery ruins up close and personal. Chelsea feels like Alice in Wonderland down here. I totally understand why.

I wouldn’t be hard-pressed to guess that much of what remained of the cannery had been destroyed by fire at one point.

I saw these two horses wearing pretty purple robes. So regal-like.

Obviously going to the U.S. and not raiding the candy aisle would be a tragic waste of time. We wasted no time. Chelsea’s big into the Swedish fishes.

Want some of my awkward Goobers? (Emphasis on the “awkward”.)

How’d you like them boxes, Duane?

Yessss… they’re very tasty.

That pink crap you buy? That’s not real cream soda, in case you were wondering.

I’m a sucker for VitaminWater, but those lucky Americans are also treated to VitaminEnergy drinks. I’m jealous. So I bought one. I’ll let you know how it is. (Oh and it’s in a can, not a bottle.)

$18.49 American dollars later, and it’ll all go straight to… well, I dunno. I’ll sweat it off or something.

Photos are great and the candy will be eaten, but I wanted a permanent reminder of my day.

I’ve always been fascinated by beach rocks, and the colours I found amazed me.

Whether you believe in God or not is your call, but I couldn’t help but be in awe of the beauty Chelsea and I experienced today. The beauty in the nature around us, in the simple honesty of our friendship and of the spiritual recharge that this day provided for me.

It’s ironic to me that, on the bus ride to Tsawwassen, I started to read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, because those three elements were key to what brought me the most joy today.

P.S. Follow me if you’d like post updates, as I have – and will continue – to write less often.

So I bet you’re all dying to know how the rest of me and Jenny’s trip to Tofino turned out. Sure, I showed you all the stellar snaps from our afternoon of surfing, but what about the eats, the camping and the people?

By the time I got dropped off on Wednesday afternoon in Horseshoe Bay, my hair was a windblown mess, I was an hour early and the sun was optimistically shining for the first time that day. I had a bit of time before Jenny was to arrive, so I grabbed a ferry ticket and waited in the sunshine.

When you take the ferry as often as I do, it’s important to find ways to keep yourself occupied on the voyage. Being that we were to surf the next day, we opted to watch “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” simply to catch the surfing scenes. Super lame of us, I know.

Mmm…Emmers.

It’s my ritual to stop at Woodgrove Centre’s food court for quick eats on weekends when I head home. Apparently the McDonald’s I had for lunch that afternoon wasn’t enough, so I opted for an A&W Teen Burger and onion rings. Then I’d had enough.

After a quick pack-up of my mom’s car (since there’s no way in hell my truck will make even one more trip to Tofino) and a too-short sleep, we pointed the wheels west along the Pacific Rim Highway. Once you leave Highway 1 near Qualicum Beach, it’s about 40 kilometres to Port Alberni and another 90 kilometres to Tofino.

We stopped in Port Alberni to grab some last minute supplies from their local Wal-Mart, and I have to pointedly say that, aside from the sweetheart of a store greeter, every single employee was oddly rude to us. Not impressed.

The rain started to fall as soon as we hit the Pacific Rim Highway, so we had a pretty good idea of the kind of day we were in for. Tofino is, after all, located in a rain forest.

At the end of a long and winding highway, we arrived at our campground only to find out that we had to wait until later in the afternoon to check in.

Maybe the campground’s local resident wasn’t finished with our site yet. Apparently he lives there all the time.

Jenny and I had time to kill before we were supposed to show up at Bruhwiler’s shop, so we headed into the heart of Tofino and walked around. This sign made me chuckle. Most signs like this in Vancouver would state a limit of about 1/16th the time.

We should’ve taken it from this guy and bought protective rain gear. Little did we know at the time…

Breakers Deli has wicked wraps, pizza, sandwiches, burritos and delicious baked goods. For lunch, I grabbed a chicken burrito with free range chicken, avocado, mango tamarin sauce, mozza cheese and organic greens while Jenny had the turkey and havarti cheese toasted sandwich.

Yours truly is becoming quite a little pro at that whole parallel parking thing. First try, every time.

Here’s where the fun begins…after our afternoon of surfing, Jenny and I were finally able to make our way back to the campsite and set up. The only problem was that the rain had started to come down even heavier, our clothes were soaking wet and cold and puddles were starting to form in our campsite. After a valiant effort, we managed to string up two tarps and pitch a tiny tent.

Not only was the set-up pathetic, after we’d finally showered and put on warm clothes, starting a fire was a lost cause. I did everything right and yet the wood still wouldn’t catch. Waving the white flag, we forgot about roasted wieners and drove back into town for fish and chips and hot tea. We ended up at Big Daddy’s Fish Fry and oh-my-god it was heaven sent.

By the time we arrived back at the campsite, it was almost 9pm and the rain had only kept on going so we decided to retire. Somewhere in the middle of the night, the precipitation decided to become a torrential downpour, and so by the time we woke up, the only thing left dry was our pajamas. It’s what we drove home in. Every other single item of clothing was soaked through and splashed with mud (except my Total Skull hoodie, which was smeared with blood since I somehow managed to rip my cuticle open while peeling off my wetsuit).

(I have to take a tangent here for a moment and say that I love how welcome dogs are in Tofino, and how much they’re a part of the community. Perhaps if some people in Vancouver were more diligent in cleaning up after their dogs, canines would be more welcome in the city too.)

After a quick stop in at Bruhwiler to thank Raph and grab some shop hoodies, Jenny and I hit Chesterman Beach one last time before our trek back to the east coast of Vancouver Island.

It seems like everyone had the same idea. The rain that fell in Tofino on the two days we were there was the first rainfall the community had seen in over a month. As we snaked our way back along the Pacific Rim Highway, we found ourselves part of a mass exodus of tourists who also had the same idea.

Not so long ago, I was discussing camping in general with one of my best friends and I stated how awesome it is. His idea of “camping” was finding a nice hotel in the woods, though I hugely disagreed at the time. However, after the two drenched and cold days I spent in the woods, I surrender and admit that he may be right. Perhaps I’m just over this whole “roughing it” thing.

Besides, just because you don’t have a campfire and just because you aren’t camping doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in some s’mores. Ahhh…toaster ovens. Bliss for my tongue.

As the first few waves of frigid, salty Pacific Ocean water crashed over my braided head, the only thing I could think was that surfing was better than sex. Really. It’s been close to a decade since I last set foot on a surfboard, and even then I was no good. This time I wanted to do it right and signed up for an afternoon session with Tofino’s legendary Bruhwiler Surf School [website]. While there are a handful of schools on Vancouver Island’s West Coast, it seems to me that the Bruhwiler crew teach simply for the reason that they want to share their passion and way of life with others.

It’s all about the love of the wave.

We arrived at the shop a bit early in time to sign in, and were happy to hear that our wetsuits were already loaded onto the truck for us – one of the many advantages of sending in your body specs by e-mail prior to arriving.

Raph Bruhwiler and Dave the Moustache Man (who gets props for wiping the snot off my face) were our instructors for the day, and I can truly say that both did a stellar job. After a quick 15 (or so) minutes of chat on the sand – including important safety rules and basic theory – we grabbed our boards and headed out. In the words of Johnny Castle: “the best place to learn really is in the water.”

Snaking is definitely not allowed. Catching a “double up” is also not recommended.

Jenny and I hoped to ride another day without instructors, but due to less-than-favourable weather (more about that in the next post), we were forced out of our campsite earlier than we’d hoped.

To say that I can’t wait to head out again would be the understatement of 2008. The boys of Bruhwiler were phenomenal teachers and the encouraging vibe in our small group gave me the get-up-and-go that I needed. After about half an hour in the waves, I was actually standing up on nearly every other wave that I caught, and the feeling was simply euphoric. Like I said, better than sex.

I’d like to catch one of Bruhwiler Surf School’s two-day Roxy surf camps next summer with some girlfriends (and I think they know who they are). To find more information on the sport, the instructors, rates and camps, visit Bruhwiler Surf School’s site by clicking their logo in my sidebar.

To view all the photos from our ultimate surfing experience, click on over to my Flickr.

Not long ago, I thought July 30 would never arrive. It seems, however, that is has. After weeks of planning, packing and mostly just anticipating, I’m slinging on my oversized backpack, grabbing my laptop and boarding the Coastal Renaissance with Jenny in less than 24 hours.

First stop on Keira-Anne’s long weekend: the We(s)t Coast of Vancouver Island, Tofino. It’s been a little over two years since I was last there, and I am highly anticipating a good time, rain or shine. Perhaps I over-prepare more than I should, but I did bring my UGGs in the event that I’ll be colder than a mofo after a few hours of surfing in the Pacific.

To those of you who are wondering if I’ll be bringing my camera and sharing the weekend with you through photos, to that question I say “oooooobviously!” The next few days will quite undoubtedly be chalked full of amazing photo opportunities.

Before I bid you all adieu, however, there is one last (very important) thing that requires attention…

BIRTHDAY BABE

Tomorrow marks a special day in the life of someone who is very special to yours truly. My dear, darling and sweet friend Ashley is celebrating her 24th birthday. I have known this girl for close to a decade, and with each year, there is more to learn, love and appreciate about her. She has a spirit and disposition that is incomparable to anyone that I know. What I appreciate most about Ashley is her unrelenting heart; one that always loves me, never judges me.

I wish so much that I could be with her in Calgary to partake in a martini, a cupcake and a few giggles, I know that she knows that she’s very much loved across the miles from sunny BC.