May 02, 2015 at 08:26PM by advodna_dave

The huge tides in the bay below the campground put on a great show over the course of a day, and the sunsets have been full of contrast. #Airstream #liveriveted #nanaimo #vancouverisland

May 02, 2015 at 07:40PM by advodna_dave

Nice afternoon on the waterfront in Nanaimo (okay spent mostly at the awesome playground and tide pool lagoon) and capped off with fish and chips at Trollers, voted the best in town for something like three years running. We agree based on the location on a floating barge tied to a dock in the harbor, but found the batter and fries completely tasteless. #nanaimo #vancouverisland

May 02, 2015 at 12:13PM by advodna_dave

Kudos, Canada. Before I forget, for anyone planning for Vancouver Island, the place we stayed in Tofino, Crystal Cove, was a really nice resort. In fact, the beachfront cottages, many with hot tubs on the deck facing nightly mind-blowing sunsets over their private cove, were pretty spectacular. That being said, the RV sites, while pleasant, were kinda removed from the beach, although ours was (by request) directly across from an awesome playground, one that every local with kids that we met said they sneak into. Staff was really nice, huge library of DVD's for us to rip and free Starbucks coffee. The only real complaint was that wifi disconnected constantly and was unusable in the evenings. So, would we stay there again? Actually, no. We would probably opt for the Bella Pacifica Campground a little father up Mackenzie Beach (not to be confused with the Mackenzie Beach Resort which was rundown with RV sites waaaaaay off the beach in a back lot). So, while the front row at Bella Pacifica is tents (maybe vans) only, the next row is elevated with a nice, filtered view of the beach. Honestly, I didn't see a playground and bathrooms we saw looked "rustic," and we'd want to get some info on the wireless, next time, we'd probably opt to stay here just for the proximity to the beach and a little view from the site, plus a more "state park" feel over resorty. Of course, with that info, you can make your own decision! #Winnebago #winnebagobrave #Tofino #vancouverisland #campendium #campendiumcanada @campendium

May 01, 2015 at 06:01PM by advodna_dave

Today we came all the way across Vancouver Island from Tofino to Nanaimo, a three hour drive - which of course means it took us seven - but somehow still felt leisurely and pleasant. We snagged one of the last oceanview sites overlooking the straight and the ferry route we'll travel on Sunday over to Vancouver. #Airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #vancouverisland #nanaimo

May 01, 2015 at 02:24PM by advodna_dave

On the way out to the coast, I remembered seeing signs warning about oncoming traffic veering into our lane because of overhanging rocks. On the way back this afternoon, I was that traffic. While we finally installed latches all over the kitchen to prevent the magic moving dance of the pantry drawers, we still managed to find things pretty worked over from the curves and warped road sections from all the water this area sees. Closet doors opened and contents spilled, towels all over the bathroom, one of our hanging change jars rolling around loose on the gray shag carpet and mysterious aluminum shavings from behind the sink. I have a feeling, today will be nothing compared to Alaska! #airstreamintherearview #Airstream #liveriveted #tofinotonanaimo

April 30, 2015 at 07:53PM by advodna_dave

Date night's a little trickier on the road, but we get it done. And the seafood in #Tofino definitely makes it worth it. #onehandedeating #seafoodplank #parentingontheroad #shellfishparents #crabbychildren

April 29, 2015 at 08:46PM by advodna_dave

@advodna_ann, Wynne and Gorilla walking on the beach at low tide from the Bella Pacifica campground. #Tofino #mackenziebeach

April 29, 2015 at 02:31PM by advodna_dave

Someone once told us that Tofino was what would happen if Santa Cruz was in Alaska. We're feeling that plus a little bit of the remote resourcefulness and grassroots entrepreneurship of Tulum. I'm not sure if it just here, Vancouver Island, BC or Canada-wide, but instead of a cursory "How's it goin'?" everyone here asks "How's your day been?" or "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?" And they seem to really want to hear your answer. So far, the parents we've run into with similar age kids at the beach or playground have turned out to be the owners or restaurants, tour companies or surf shops and are excited to recommend kid friendly activities around town. They leave us with a friendly "Enjoy your visit!" While we're stuck inside this afternoon while the rain is falling (and ripping DVD's from the lending library at the campground in preparation for the remote section of the Cassiar in a few weeks), we're excited to have one more full day to explore the town. #Tofino #vancouverisland

April 29, 2015 at 10:09AM by advodna_dave

I met a guy and his two adult sons the other day who were in the business of selling storage containers, and it got me thinking about whether I'd seen any storage container houses I really liked the looks of. Web searches all seemed to come back with very modern structures that looked like, well, storage containers. This garden shed structure at our campground was an interesting hybrid that could be a great foundation/storage/garage for a tiny house or cabin. What you think? #tinyhouse #storagecontainers

April 28, 2015 at 08:44PM by advodna_dave

And then, the weirdest thing happened... We're sitting there finishing our tacos when we hear a sound. We all hear it at the same time. It was like a high pitched call but with a deep resonance. We scanned the horizon and there, silhouetted against fading sun were the dorsal fins of four orca whales. At first, we only saw two, but then another two tiny fins (babies!) surfaced beside the adults. We stood up to get a better look and heard the call again, this time clearly coming from the small family unit of whales. As we looked at each other in disbelief, they called again and began swimming slowly, adults in the middle and babies on then side, towards us on the beach, the largest orca lifting his nose above the water every few feet to renew the call. We joined hands and walked towards the waterline, preparing to greet our equals in the sea, migrating just as we are north in search of new opportunities and experiences for our families. But then Wynne stepped on a crab and was like "It gonna pinch me!" and Mae started crying 'cause Wynne started crying. Meanwhile, @advodna_ann's just rolling her eyes at another one of my BS stories to justify taking a cheesy silhouetted family picture of ourselves. #deepthoughts #Tofino

April 28, 2015 at 08:22PM by advodna_dave

Sunset on MacKenzie Beach with take out from Tacofino and some Hoppin' Cretin IPA from Tofino Brewing Company. Oh yeah, and these people. #lifeisgood #fulltimefamilies #Tofino #tacofino #tofinobrewingco

April 28, 2015 at 04:23PM by advodna_dave

"Think fast hippie!" From the license plate, it looks like he might just mean business. #Tofino #canadianredneck?

April 28, 2015 at 11:51AM by advodna_dave

Oh crap, we just realized we can't get to Alaska this way, at least not without taking a lot more ferries! Oh well, I guess we'll just hang out here for a few more days before back tracking to Vancouver, taking a week in a VRBO to regroup and trying again from there. 😉 This is the map for the past two months or so from San Francisco to the far west coast of Vancouver Island. Our current map is always on the home page of the blog with clickable logos linking to all the pics and blurbs from each location. We also have a link to our proposed route and schedule for the next three months as we move slowly north until we finally reach Alaska around June. #Airstream #alaska #roadtrip #fulltimefamilies

April 27, 2015 at 09:26PM by advodna_dave

This sunset was just barely getting started when we had to go inside to get the kids to sleep. #Tofino #crystalcove #vancouverisland

April 27, 2015 at 07:07PM by advodna_dave

The rain cleared at the end of the day for this view of one of the wharfs in Tofino from dinner spot. #Tofino #vancouverisland

April 27, 2015 at 04:34PM by advodna_dave

Not a bad place to take a nap (the baby took one too). #Airstream #liveriveted #ucluelet #brownsbeach #pacificrim #vancouverisland

April 27, 2015 at 04:21PM by advodna_dave

We've reached the Pacific Coast! Another nap in a parking lot meant some time to explore a short section of the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet before heading up to Tofino to find camp. Anyone feel like grabbing a seat to take in the view? #pacificrim #ucluelet #vancouverisland