Whiskey and Tutus: Camping Adventures

Just so you all know, my posts this week will somehow involve Burning Man. Since I am not going this year, I will find a way to talk about it or things that have to do with it. Since this story is about camping its perfect for this week!

When we moved to Vancouver we knew one of the places we had to go to was Vancouver Island, specifically Tofino. We were lucky enough to have friends that already had an awesome place to camp so we set off on a four day weekend of surfing, camping and exploring this beautiful island.

Getting to the island takes a little bit of coordinating, which we didn't do so we had to wait three hours to get on the ferry. When people kept asking if we made reservations, I said "No, but we'll be OK." I would get a look like, "Oh you wait, smart ass, you just wait." Needless to say we'll have reservations next time. Once you get to the island you make your way to Tofino, which is about a three hour drive passing through lakes with the most amazing views. We got to Green Point, which was right above a beach, so close you can hear the waves crashing as you fall asleep. Tall majestic trees provide shade and a coolness in the air. I can see why this campsite gets booked a year in advanced. After we set up camp we made a fire and relaxed under the stars with a well deserved beer.

No sleep for the weary. Our first night was a little rough, I didn't hear waves crashing so much as I heard Maggie growling at every noise she heard, oh and then there's Cody who was snoring away without a care in the world. Yes, we had our dogs with us in the tent. I think their bed took up half the tent actually. Anyhow, when you camp with people that are solely there to surf, you get up early to stake out your spot at the beach. I wasn't sure what was happening, I saw things getting repacked, dogs getting loaded into the car and I still didn't have coffee. WTF? Once we got to the beach, my Husband set up our little stove and had the french press going stat. Yes, french press while camping. I like good coffee. Our first beach was Long Beach and it was beautiful. The water was pretty cold as people kept warning us So Cal kids and the waves were pretty flat, but Kyle was happy to be surfing no matter what the conditions were. We ended our second night with dinner at a restaurant called Shelter - which was amazing. Good wine, good friends and fresh crab. I love his town.

By day three I was ready to roll, Kyle had the coffee going, I had the dogs fed and we were out to stake out our spot at a new beach, Cox Bay, hoping for better surf. Once we got to our spot and checked the surf we headed back to our cars, set up our kitchen and chef'd up breakfast. The waves were better today, but the water was still so cold. We all had full suits on, gloves and booties. We had such a fun day, and I have to say that our dogs are so rad, they chilled on the beach while we surfed, actually the whole trip they just chilled, always happy to be wherever we were and never strayed too far. We ended our night with dinner around the campfire and Allie teaching me fun tricks with my camera, which lead to a full-on camp photo shoot, naturally.

It was time to head home and I was feeling pretty sad. The beaches here are so beautiful, the town has this hippy vibe to it that I love, it reminded me of living in Mammoth in the summer time. We are already planning our next trip back, but we'll call that resort adventures!

Here are some pictures of our awesome weekend.