Gabriola Campground- Descanso Bay

Located just a short distance from the Gabriola ferry terminal, Descanso Bay Regional Park offers 32 camping sites on a beautiful 40-acre oceanfront property. There are three bays, one of which is a designated shellfish-harvesting beach (check for closures). There is also a great picnic/day use area with gorgeous sandstone beaches. Just off the shore is this small "island" that makes the perfect destination for those that would like to do a quick little paddle. To make reservations at the campground located at 595 Taylor Bay Road call 1 250 247-8255.

Cistern rebate on Gabriola Island.

The Regional District of Nanaimo is currently offering a rebate of $500 for those that install a cistern (minimum of 1,000 gallons) on Gabriola if you meet the criteria. The "Rainwater Harvesting Incentive Program" is in response to the growing population in the area and the increasing demand on water resources. As the population of the Regional District of Nanaimo continues to grow, reducing demand on water resources and water systems will become increasingly important. I think this is a great initiative and one worth looking into quickly as they have a limited number of rebates available, if you go to the RDN website you can get the application form, details and a list of suppliers.

Gabriola - exploring the waters.

It was a bit windy on the Island on Saturday, so we decided to take the opportunity and go for our first sail aboard our 16 footer. We loaded up the cooler, tent, propane stove and kids and left Degnen Bay and headed towards Blackberry Pt on Valdez. It was a great late afternoon sail, we found a compromise that worked for our family, my husband fished, I sailed and the kids tattooed each other with their special markers. We set up our tent about 15 feet from the sandy beach, started a small camp fire and watched this amazing sunset. It did rain during the night, but our tent didn't let in a drop of rain, and we woke up to another sunny day. Submitted by: Tina Lynch