Twenty Five Walks on Gabriola - Sandwell Park

Sandwell Park, Gabriola Island

The Gabriola Land and Trails Trust published a great brochure with 25 walks on Gabriola.  We're going to try and do the 25 walks listed this year and share them you.
Over the holidays we took the kids to Sandwell Park (walk #15 in the brochure), a beautiful sand and pebble bay on Gabriola.  To get to the parking lot, you drive to the end of the Strand.  You'll see a yellow gate and a wide path, a 5-10 minute walk gets you to the bay, there is a steep part so watch your footing.  At the bay there are outhouses and an expanse of beach and driftwood lies before you.
It took us about an hour with kids in tow to walk down the path and along the beach, of course we stopped and beachcombed along the way.  There are some beautiful clear winter days when you can see down to Mt. Baker, we were lucky that this was one of those days.

Gabriola Families go camping in Lake Cowichan

On Monday 12 families from Gabriola loaded up their coolers, tents, boats and kids and headed down to the group campsite at the Gordon Bay Provincial Park in Lake Cowichan. With 21 kids with us, we had a lot of activity on the beach and at the campsite. This was our third annual group camping trip. On the first night we usually do a pot-luck dinner, a great feast after the work of setting up camp. The group campsite is perfect, it has a large clearing, a covered area, electricity, hot and cold running water, outhouses and even a wood stove. We managed to get in lots of beach time, a few campfires, visiting with our friends, a bit of kayaking and some windsurfing. I left to come back to work on Gabriola Wednesday morning, and the commute was great. I had packed up and hit the road by 7:15, caught the 8:15 ferry from Nanaimo to Gabriola and was in my door by 9am. Submitted by: Tina Lynch

Gabriola - Enjoying the Waterfront

It was a gorgeous day on the Island yesterday. I started my day by watching the calm water in front of parents home in the Twin Beach area on Gabriola Island. This is a great spot to go in the evenings, with the smooth sandstone shoreline set against the vibrant sunsets. I only got to look at the view for a few minutes before my day got busy with work, but it was enough just enough time to soak in the beautiful surroundings and get recharged, and a great day to show waterfront homes. Wouldn't you like to live here ?

Submitted by: Tina Lynch.

Gabriola Treasures!

I love going for walks on the beach anytime, in the rain or sun, although sunshine is preferred. A neighbour and I went down with the kids last week and it was beautiful. Not only did we get some fresh air, the kids got to run free and explore the beach, but I also found this beautiful door. I was so excited, as were the kids with the shells and rocks they found. I took it home to enjoy and just love the worn colours and the anchor, now I'm waiting to decide what to create with it although I may just hang it up as it is, the perfect little beach treasure. Posted by Tina Lynch.

Boating adventure from Gabriola Island

We were lucky to have our friends lend us their Zodiac this summer. On Sunday night, we decided to cook dinner over a campfire. My husband, kids and myself loaded up the small Zodiac and headed to Black Berry Point on Valdez Island, it was about a 15 minute boat trip from Degnen Bay on Gabriola. Surrounded by clouds, the shells on this beach glistened in the sun. There was a beautiful fire pit already made, so we brought out the European Hot Dogs and Bannock Batter and had our best summer night yet. Inspired, we've decided to head there again tonight with some new Islanders - hope they like small boats and outdoor cooking.

Ocean Discovery

Last week, one of my friends and I packed up our kids and headed to Sidney. We went to the Shaw Ocean Discovery Center, which is an amazing new facility with lots to offer. The kids looked through microscopes, saw the jellies, went in a "submarine", and spent plenty of time in the touch pool. It's a great way for them to explore the ocean food web, the displays are stunning and encourage questions and exploration. Next door is Mineral World, a place for the kids to do a little outdoor gold panning, search for semi-precious gemstones and gather some sea shells. It's a great day trip from Gabriola and gives a different view than we see at the beach.