Back to Tofino....with Ramon and Carla!

Cathedral Grove near Port Alberni, 2014

....and the same 800 year old tree in 2021.  Well....now it's an 807 year old tree.

Carla all packed and ready to go!

Unfortunately, Grandma Lori had a 2nd mini stroke just before we left, so we spent 3 days in Salmon Arm on the way to the beach.

Carla loves animals!

Homestyle go karts in Salmon Arm

Grandma Lori on the road to recovery.

New shirt, new hat.

Salmon Arm Mini Golf.  1 Papa, 2 Ramon, 3 Carla

An angel on the super smokey Canoe beach, Shuswap lake.

Tia Deb's crazy good French Toast.  Crunchy, secret recipe :)

Leaving Don and Deb's place

The sport of shopping.  If it was an olympic sport, Grandma Lori would be the gold medalist.

Lytton BC...a month or so after the town burned down :(

Bush camping Carla calls it.  Free, wild, guerilla....call it what you want.  Quieter than a campground!

Ramon demonstrates his new, improved brushing technique to his sister.

Awww.....

Old Alexander bridge over the Fraser River.

Junk food breakfast in Hope.  Caramel toast.

Carla wisely chose veggie Pho.

Sasamat Lake near Port Moody.  Where I spent many days of my youth.

Wild camping in Ioco.

KD for breaky????  Corrupting my kids.

1st time paddle boarding.  Belcarra across from Deep Cove.

Perch....AKA Shiners.  She caught 5.....

....by cracking open muscles.....

....and threading the squishy, yucky insides, onto a hook.

Bit windy on the ferry to Nanaimo

On the ferry to Nanaimo.....

...where we spent the night with Auntie Sheena :)

Ucluelet Aquarium

Wild Pacific lighthouse loop trail....Ukee

Exploring the tide pools in Ukee

Papa!!!  watch me jump!

We stuck our fingers in their bums....I mean mouths!

A bit pasty...but I'll eat 'em!

....won't eat these though

Abalone

There were hundreds of people bush camping near Ukee.  With everything booked and campsites starting at $60-70...some seasonal workers have no choice.

Long beach....

....Pacific Rim National Park

Sea Gooseberry!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurobrachia_pileus

...and more

....and more

Boogie board and a floatie with a hole

Driftwood VW

Gazing into the crystal ball.....

....and this is what she saw?

Tonquin beach near Tofino

Morning walk on Long Beach.  Who knew the Wx could be so warm here?

More Long beach....

Slugs prefer green blackberries?

Carla scrambles up a pile of driftwood.

Little beach Ukee

2nd beach Ukee

jigging for squid

Surfs up!  Perfect waves on this day.  Lots of surfers out.

....muching on Salal berries of course.

Canoe Creek?  On the way out of Tofino/Ukee

Bush camped near Cathedral Grove

Goats on the roof!  Coombs

Butterfly world.  Coombs

Wild Play Nanaimo

Zipline over the Nanaimo River

Fast Track indoor Karting....Langley

The grandfather they never knew.  Nor did I much for that matter.

Canada/USA border...for about 20-30km?

So many mansions going up in the farmland.  Never knew farming could be so lucrative?  Hmmm.  Mt Baker in the US in the background.  Gotta ski it one day!

Carla raiding a corn field

Surely they can spare just one?

....and a few blueberries

....and a few pears

...and a few apples

The drive back.....via the coquihalla between Hope and Merritt.

Fire on both sides of the road!

We popped out into this.  The hiway was closed a few minutes after we got thru.

...and into the next fire....Logan Lake fire between Merritt and Kamloops.

...and back to visit Grandma Lori...for a 2nd round of thrift store shopping.

Ramon brings it on home, in a desperately needed rain.

 and Carla boils and bleaches her catch.