New Tofino Pics and Video

Had an enjoyable but quick overnight to Tofino, a spectacular destination on Vancouver Island's wild west coast. There's usually storm watching at this time of year but we were blessed with some fantastic sunny weather. Unfortunately my young city girl traveling companion was neither stoic nor adventurous, nor even appropriately dressed.

I soldiered on and had the best time I could under the circumstances. Though I saw some $49.00 and $58.00 specials posted I opted to spend the extra dollars on comfort. The Weigh West I stayed in had walk-in specials too. Very nice room, it's ocean front and holds the Dockside Pub and restaurant. It was a really fun little pub for dinner and afterwards. The whole town seems to be full of attractive young women which I appreciate, coming from a retirement / young family community such as Parksville.The hotel/resort also offers whale watching, bear watching , fishing excursions and more from their Dockside location. They're just gearing up for their summer hire and expect March to pick up substantially with the annual Pacific Rim Whalefest.

Here is an image gallery and HD West-Coast sunset video taken at one of the most spectacular locations in the world, MacKenzie Beach, Vancouver Island.

First Snowdrop of the Season

February 4th and here's a picture of the first snowdrop of the season. Quite late, if I'm not mistaken, seen here actually poking its head out of the snow at the tail end of one the colder winters I can remember. It's been hovering between -4 and plus 4 celcius for most of January around Parksville on Vancouver Island. The sight of it makes me think of spring and all the outdoor chores I'm looking forward to, pruning fruit trees, planting my hedge and generally crawling out from hibernation. When not at the rink, I prefer to spend my winters in front of the fire.



The sight of it also got me thinking of the summer to come, and in that spirit I finally got around to some footage from last year's vacation at Pacific Playgrounds Campground and RV Park. We had a great time there, hanging by the pool, tubing down Oyster River, strolling on the beach , biking around the campground and enjoying the family fun it offers.


For more Vancouver Island travel and tourism attractions and recommendations, visit http://www.vingo.ca