A walk in the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve

The Elder Cedar Nature Reserve is located just off North Road in the southern end of Gabriola, near Degnen Rd.  There is a walking loop that leads you through the the forest wetland and some rare species.   The terrain is fairly level, with a small bridge and stepping stones to cross the stream, it is single track trails and they ask that you walk carefully and stay on the paths.  We recently walked the trails and it's approximately a 25 minute walk.

Celebrating on the Islands!

Last week we decided to have our son's birthday a little earlier than usual, so within a week we planned and hosted his party.  We found planning it within a short time was very liberating and forced us to be a bit more creative.  This year the kids were old enough to help us paint signs on pieces of driftwood we collected from the beach.  We silk screened a few shirts (that we picked up at the GIRO) with our "outback tour koala logo" and got busy turning a little "reef" in front of McConvey Road on Gabriola into the Australian outback.   You can walk to this beautiful stretch of sand when the tide is low from the Descanso Bay Campground picnic area, or take a kayak or raft in high tide. This is a beautiful place that feels like a deserted island, we've all decided it's one of our favourite spots on Gabriola. (Submitted by Tina Lynch)

Good Morning Gabriola!

This is a picture of the beautiful sunrise I woke up to this morning before heading to work. We're having an amazing winter on Gabriola this year, some gorgeous days of sunshine. It's so easy to get out for a walk, run or bike ride when the weather is this nice. Enjoy your day, mine sure started off right, I hope yours did too!

submitted by:Tina Lynch

Specialties near by.

If you crave any of your favourite meals or snacks from abroad, you may want to make the trip to McLean's Specialty Foods on Fitzwilliam Street, downtown Nanaimo. They offer a mouth watering selection of fresh and imported delicacies as well as over 100 cheeses from all corners of the world. It's great to have a taste of your homeland for the holidays, or gather some items and make a basket for that special someone. If you go during the week, you should take the time and have your lunch there, their sandwiches are amazing and just melt in your mouth. The store is in Nanaimo's Old City Quarter and is just a short walk from the Gabriola-Nanaimo ferry terminal.