9th Anniversary

Yesterday was our 9th anniversary. We went for an exploratory bike ride on trails we have never been on. We found a great lake and I had my warmest swim of the season. Then we went to a nearby resort for an amazing couples massage, in an outdoor tent overlooking the water. It was so nice! Our plan was to go kayaking after that, but it was too rough, and we were sleepy after the massage, so we lounged around the pool instead, and then went out for sushi. It was a great way to spend the day with my significant other wh!!!

Cathedral Grove

On our way home, we stopped at Cathedral Grove to check out the big trees.

Tofino- Last Day

On our last day in Tofino, we rented wetsuits and went to the beach for one more play in the surf. The water temperature changed, so this time we got the full meal deal: suits, booties, hoods and gloves. I can't believe how much warmer I was wearing all that in the water, than I was sitting on the beach watching the other day. Aja has taken to the waves like nothing we have ever seen before. She is so in her element out there. She has no fear and looks like a little pro out there on her boogeyboard. Chris even taught her how to duck dive under the waves. It was really neat to watch her. We stayed for 2 hours and that still wasn't enough for her! That night, our friends from home came over for dinner, and the kids did their whole sauna, swim, hottub repeat, plus a little bocce ball. We had such a fantastic trip, and it was tough to say goodbye to Nan and PK, knowing we only see them once a year. It really was a wonderful week together!!!

Tofino- Day 5

Yesterday, my Dad and Cheryl took the girls on a short hike, out to lunch and a small Aquarium in Uculet, while Chris and I did a longer hike along the coastline and through an old growth cedar forest. I love true west coast coastline! We also went to the same place they went for lunch: a fish and chips truck- possibly the best fish and chips we have ever had!!! We came home and had a sauna, plunged into the ocean in the rain, and then the hottub! Sedona's favourite thing to do at night has been playing Uno.

Tofino- Day 4

Another fun filled day! This morning Chris and Aja rented full wetsuits and tackled the surf again! Aja can't get enough of it!! She has no fear of the waves. Then this afternoon, we went whale watching. We were lucky to see 3 killer whales up close. The one we saw when we first arrived has been in the area since the day we came, but it has been travelling alone for 10 years. Just today, it met up with a Mom and her calf and they were travelling together. Apparently, you only see Orcas on 5 % of the trips!!!! Then we hit the open waters and hit some 6 foot swells to look for gray whales.... and we saw one! It was a great boat ride, and a little scary at one point (seeing those waves come towards us was a little intimidating)! After the tour, we spent the rest of the day paddleboarding, hottubbing, going to the bike park and eating at an amazing fish taco stand! Adventure filled days, that's for sure!

Tofino- Day 3

Yesterday we went for a great 5 km hike all along boardwalks to a really cool First Nations cultural centre. There were signs all along the walk explaining traditional First nations practices. When we got back in the afternoon, we went to the beach where Aja and Chris braved the water in their Farmer Jon wetsuits. It is so cold here on the surf side, that there's no way you could go swimming without a wetsuit. Aja LOVES boogey boarding and stayed in for an hour!

Tofino- Day 2

Today was an educational day. We started off by going to a beach seine. This is where you take a big fishing net, put it in the water, and pull it out to explore all the creatures inside. The girls, Aja in particular, were in their glory. She loves anything to do with the natural world and will hold anything. They were both getting right in there and holding everything they could. The picture of the giant white things are actually squid eggs! Chris' reaction is to the kelp crab that's trying to pinch him! After that, we had to go warm up with a hot chocolate!

Then in the afternoon, we went to study plankton under the microscopes at a nearby Botanical Gardens. This is where Sedona was in her glory. She could have stayed there all day- the two of us stayed for an hour because she was so into it, and later declared that she would like to be a Marine Biologist! We also went for a walk around the botanical gardens where they had all sorts of funky stuff!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the bike park (very cool), getting ice cream, going to the Roy Henry Vickers art gallery, spending time at the awesome park with a zipline (where we ran into someone who was in Sedona's ski classes last year), and paddleboarding. Not a bad way to spend a day!!