Road Trip 2025 - Gabriola Island

Gabriola Island was one of the main reasons we wanted to get back to British Columbia, and specifically Vancouver Island, to rediscover the wonderful windswept cliffs of the Malaspina Galleries. This post shows the 1981 photos from our initial visit to the island when Crystal was 2 yrs old, as well as our re-visited trip with Jessie, Nick, and JJ, who had been born since.

Malaspina Galleries, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

The short trail from the parking lot to the Malaspina Galleries Community Park was easy to handle with my walking sticks, but once I got to the viewpoint I realized I'd never be able to scamper out to the smooth rocky shore or climb down to visit the windswept cliffs myself. So again, I handed my camera to Nick and used my iPhone to capture whatever caught my fancy from the topside. Most times I could see Nelson and the kids. At other times I didn't know what they saw or did until after I uploaded my Nikon and their camera phones to my computer. Without fail, they did a fantastic job with their photography.

Malaspina Galleries, 1981, Gabriola Island, BC

The above photo shows how the windswept curves of the Malaspina Galleries looked on that low cloud level day of our first visit in 1981. 

Malaspina Galleries, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

Our 2025 revisit was late afternoon on a bright, sunny day. There wasn't much difference in the curves themselves, although the background had changed. The kids appeared to be in as much awe as we had been on our first visit all those years ago.

Malaspina Galleries, 1981, Gabriola Island, BC

Our second recreated photograph was based on the 1981 version above where Nelson is standing in an alcove with Crystal on his shoulders. This alcove was harder to locate in 2025, but I believe the image below shows we did indeed find the correct one.

Malaspina Galleries, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

Missing from the revisited alcove photo is Nick who was taking the photo for me while I waited up top wondering where they were all hiding. 

Malaspina Galleries, 1981, Gabriola Island, BC

The final recreated shot of our 1981 visit was based on this photo of Nelson and Crystal sitting on a rock and looking out toward Nanaimo on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Or, they might have spotted one of the many BC Ferries that keep people and traffic moving between Nanaimo and Gabriola Island, much like the one we traveled on.

Malaspina Galleries, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

The location of Nelson and Crystal sitting on a rock and looking outward was the hardest to find although this shot is pretty close, considering the background. Thank you to Nick for taking this photo of his dad and siblings. 

Malaspina Galleries, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

The photo above shows where the force of the winds carve the surf-like sandstone waves out from beneath the windswept cliffs. It truly is spectacular to see the trees rooted into soil on a rock base. The photo also shows where Nick sprang across open water to the rock where he took the photo of JJ, and later where the two of them took a selfie while standing on the same rock. 

Purple Sea Stars, 2025, Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island, BC

It was reassuring to see the Purple Sea Stars among the photos that Nick had taken with my Nikon while we were at Gabriola Island. Back in 1981 we'd seen our first ones on the other side of this same island, and with all the devastation of the sea star wasting disease in the years in between, I was relieved to see they have survived here on the island.

Malaspina Galleries Community Park, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

The Malaspina Galleries Community Park includes a stellar shoreline on the opposite side of the windswept cliffs which is where the family headed off to explore next. I barely kept myself from struggling down from my perch to join them as they walked on massive rocks smoothed by wind and waves. 

Malaspina Galleries Community Park, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

Can you believe the textures revealed when the tide goes out on Gabriola Island? I'm definitely turning this photo above into one of my online jidigi puzzles. 

Malaspina Galleries Community Park, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

And here's another one I'd like to puzzle solve...it looks like a stone whale, doesn't it? And is it really looking at a stone turtle? Come on, put your imagination to work. These are the images I love photographing in nature...things so out of place and yet not man-made. I feel blessed when I spot these surprises and marvel at the world God has crafted for us. 

Arbutus menziesil, Gabriola Sands Provincial Park, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

Late afternoon had passed and we were into the evening hours when we drove a few minutes down the road to check out the Gabriola Sands Provincial Park beach. The Gabriola Sands Provincial Park shares the same bay as the windswept cliffs. As soon as we parked the car, my eyes were drawn to where the green trunk of the arbutus tree announced where the trail started...or was it guarding the trail? It was my first encounter with the broadleaf evergreen tree which is native to coastal regions of BC. Such a gorgeous green. 

Gabriola Sands Provincial Park, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

The Gabriola Sands shore has less rocks and more of a sandy, algae, crushed shell feeling. Shallow tidal pools are numerous, holding anemones, limpets, barnacles and a whole lot of broken shells. 

Gabriola Sands Provincial Park, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

And yet the same smooth rocks line the shore, holding up the forest away from the tides as best it can. There are treasures on this beach as well. In the above photo, Jessie is looking at a rock within a sandstone layer or ledge. Who knows how long the elements have eaten away from the rock with its different composition? How long will it take before the rock is free? What will we find if we revisit Gabriola Island in another 25 years? 

Nanaimo to Gabriola Island BC Ferry, 2025, Gabriola Island, BC

With the BC Ferry approaching to take us back to Nanaimo, we head for the terminal. Our revisit to Gabriola Island had exceeded our expectations as we introduced this generation to the unique windswept cliffs that make up the Malaspina Galleries of Gabriola Island.

This was our last full day of vacation with the six of us together. The next morning, Nick and JJ headed homeward where work awaited leaving the rest of us to continue our journey along British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. Join us for that adventure when it posts on September 1st.

This Gabriola Island post corresponds to the August 2025 calendar page.

Road Trip 2025 - Nanoose Bay - Part 2

 

This is the 2nd post to follow our stay in Nanoose Bay on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Part 1 was the discovery of Brickyard Community Park with its sweeping views of the Winchelsea Islands.

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

Our Airbnb was so close to Brickyard Community Park that it's to the immediate right of the above photo. After exploring the park, we took a breather on the flagstone patio of our new digs to drink in the views of the Ballenas-Winchelsea Archipelago where the nineteen Winchelsea Islands are found. 

Harbour Seal, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

Can a rocky island be classified an island if it's only visible when the tide is out? In the above photo, this Harbour seal was often seen in different poses when we could see the rock itself. Then as the water rose and covered the rock, the seal would slip into the water and we wouldn't see it for hours until the rock appeared once again. 

Great Blue Heron, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

We saw a few Great Blue herons fly past, close to shore, so elegant and quick it was hard to take a photo due to the trees scattered around the patio. By locking onto the heron with my camera and ignoring everything else, I managed to take a video which produced the screenshot of the flying heron you see in the above image.

Winchelsea Islands, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

After supper I sat on the curved stone bench near the patio chairs and gazed at the view. It didn't take long before I caught Crystal lightly jumping from rock to rock heading down to the water with JJ not far behind. When they stopped, I was able to capture a photo of them with some of the islands, although I didn't know they even had names at that point. 

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

As Crystal and JJ followed the shore to the left, I heard some noises on my left and caught Jessie making her way down the rocks to join her siblings. Nick followed her down soon after.

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

And then Nelson headed down. All of them, exploring a large stone surface that reminded me of the Canadian Shield. The area looks easy to get to in the above photo, but we found out the next day that it was only because the tide was out. With the tide in, the area became another rocky island.

Purple Sea Stars, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

While they explored their strange new world, JJ managed to snap photos of purple sea stars clinging to the underwater rocks. Purple sea stars can be several colours. How many sea stars can you find in the above photo? I can see four, but there could be more. We were happy to see that they'd survived the Sea Star Wasting Disease we mentioned in our post Botanical Beach Part 2. 

Green Sea Urchin shell, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

Meanwhile, Nelson's camera captured this shell from a Green Sea Urchin. Our Botanical Beach posts on Vancouver Island's west coast shows some great photos of purple and green sea urchins. 

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

I dawdled around the patio taking photos of water, rocks and trees while waiting for them to return. My phone buzzed and I got a text message from Nelson to look down. And there he was surrounded by our children, posing for a photo with the Winchelsea Islands in the Strait of Georgia behind them, and further across to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. 

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

On the water, we saw paddle boards, canoes, speedboats, and a cruise ship. The above screenshot was taken from video of two kayakers who effortlessly dipped their paddles into the water and spoke in quiet voices without disturbing the resting gull.

Winchelsea Islands, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

I was up early the next morning taking photos of the sunrise. Low tide seemed to be around that 7 am mark and I saw rock formations I hadn't taken notice of before. 

Bald Eagle, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

On an island near the Brickyard Community park was a Bald Eagle that stood there for the longest time staring out across the water. I tried to zoom in closer but I was at the end of my zoom length and this was the best photo before it got blocky and pixelated. 

Common Loon, 2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

A Common Loon floated by. I held my breath in anticipation of its haunting call, but their was no yodel, wail, hoot, or tremolo that everyone associates with the wilderness. Perhaps because I wasn't in the wilderness...just sitting on a stone bench on a flagstone patio enjoying the beauty of the Winchelsea Islands near a busy tourist area. 

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

My last photo of our Nanoose Bay visit leaves me with the fond memory of enjoying happy times at our Airbnb oasis. It truly is a blessing to share beauty, fun, and educational family times like this. 

Photos from Nanoose Bay, BC correlate to the July calendar page.

Come back and visit when our next post comes out on August 1st as we revisit Gabriola Island's unique windswept geologic formations.

Road Trip 2025 - Nanoose Bay - Part 1

 

My last 3 posts covered our adventurous yet relaxing day in Cowichan Bay on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. For this new adventure we drove a couple hours up the coast to Nanoose Bay which served as base camp for our visits to Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Park, Horne Lake Caves, and Goats on the Roof in Coombs. From here, we'll also revisit Gabriola Island to see how it has changed in the last 40 years and you can read it here on August 1st. 

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

With only 85 kms between Cowichan Bay and Nanoose Bay, we arrived early and decided to explore the nearby Brickyard Community Park. Well, I say we, but because of the rocky terrain, I stayed in the parking lot while Nelson and the kids checked out the park, so they get the credit for all these jaw-dropping photos. 

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

As I checked my camera later that evening, I couldn't stop gushing over the images from Brickyard Community Park. The one of Jessie admiring the view seemed to set the world at her feet. Of course, I didn't know what was actually at her feet, but she looks quite stable from this angle. 

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

But my heart jumped when I saw this photo of JJ relaxing on the same rock that I had just admired Jessie sitting on. Talk about an angle change! I don't want to think of how he got there, or how he got off, but the image of his pose is striking above the brilliant bluey green of the Strait of Georgia. 

As a side note, I used Jigidi to turn the above photo into a jigsaw puzzle and received a very nice comment saying that these are the Winchelsea Islands. Of course I had to research that and discovered that the islands make up the "unique ecology and diverse ecosystems" of the Ballenas-Winchelsea Archipelago. For more information about these islands, which ones are available for camping, hiking, etc, check out this Winchelsea Islands website.

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

And where was Nelson while our kids were hanging out on the rocks? Well, from the above photo, it looks like he was playing mountain goat himself. Honestly, that climbing gene is not from my side of the family. Oh, and there goes JJ skipping down the rocks with agility calling, "Dad! Where ya goin'?"

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

The above image was taken at Brickyard Community Park and shows the mountains of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast across the Strait of Georgia. With the ebb and flood currents of the tide, and numerous watercraft using the liquid highway, the view is always beautiful and changing. 

2025, Purple Sea Stars, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

We showed images of purple sea stars and explored the sea star wasting disease in our posts on the Botanical Beach while visiting the western side of Vancouver Island. We were glad to find them here on the eastern side as well, where we first discovered them on our 1981 trip to Vancouver Island. 

2025, Purple Sea Star, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

Did you know that sea stars wear pajamas? Actually, in the above photo, the sea stars' fifth arm is clinging to the back side of the rocks, but I can't look at this image without thinking the sea star is wearing a sleeper, or onesie, as some people call it. 

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

After exploring the park, Nelson and the kids made it back to the parking lot and we headed off to our nearby Airbnb. It was so close in fact, that you can see the park through the gap between the trees on the left side of the above photo. On the right side of the photo, you can see the stone steps winding down from the driveway to the patio. 

On July 15th, Nanoose Bay Part 2 will feature the scenic views, wildlife, and personal interest photos of our stay at this calm and beautiful natural retreat

Photos from Nanoose Bay, BC correlate to the July calendar page.

Road Trip 2025 - Cowichan Bay - Part 3

Have you been reading along as we experience harbour life and tidal changes in our Cowibbean Cottage Airbnb? It's been a good day so far, with plenty more to see here in Cowichan Bay on the east side of Vancouver Island. As in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I'm including the timings as things happened on that day.

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:22 pm - The tide isn't completely out yet, but we knew it could turn at any minute. Nelson couldn't sit still for long as there was always something below the water to catch his eye. Meanwhile, Crystal has a penchant for close up photos and was often found in various poses in order to snap the perfect perspective. 

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:35 pm - Blue mussel shells and green algae were finally spotted as the tide was nearing its lowest point, as can be seen in the above photo, along with the persistent acorn barnacles. 

Rock Pigeons, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

1:02 pm - A couple of Rock pigeons pulled my gaze downward to where the tide had gone out hours before. They waddled across the shell-littered ocean floor, stopping every now and then to peck at things I couldn't see. Pigeons are seed and fruit eaters and ignored the occasional bug that skedaddled out of their way.

 

Low Tide, 2 pm, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

2:07 pm - Low tide had unofficially arrived as the white tire on the left side of our dock was exposed. I kept watching for the water to go lower, but I soon realized the water had started to rise as the tide slowly returned. My first notice of the tide going out had been at 7 am and now it was just after 2 pm. That's 7 plus hours to go out and return with the moon's help. So amazing.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

2:10 pm - Look what I found! It's the last photo I took of the ocean floor before the tide returned and it shows a bit of everything we've covered in the Cowichan Bay series. Do you recognize anything?  I see clam shells, oyster shells, mussel shells, a muddy crab, a crab leg/claw?, algae/seaweed, barnacles, and lots of small breathing holes for creatures hiding in the muck and waiting for the water to return. Did I miss anything?

Harbour Seal, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

3:49 pm - The Harbour Seal in the above photo had just come up for air. I took many photos of him as he swam and dove in the harbour, but this is the most detailed one. He finally disappeared among the boats in the marina.

Glaucous-winged Gull, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

4:42 pm - This Glaucous-winged Gull seemed to be the most common gull in Cowichan Bay. It was our first time seeing one as most of our gulls back home are Ring-billed gulls with a black ring around their beak instead of where the red spot is on the Glaucous-winged Gull. 

Great Blue Heron, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

8:00 pm - This Great Blue Heron flew in low and landed on this little building. The size and shape of this bird was recognizable to me and although it didn't show the long plumes at the back of its nape, the setting sun really lights up its striking belly feathers.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

8:05 pm - A flash of white across the water had me turning my head to a flock of birds landing on the far side of the bay. I believe they are swans, although their necks seem too short and I don't know what type of swans inhabit Vancouver Island and the Strait of Georgia.

Harbour Seal in water, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

9:15 am - The next morning we packed up for our next adventure. Before I left, I took one last photo from our Cowibbean Cottage deck. It was a peaceful photograph that would be chosen for our calendar, and yet it wasn't until I was drafting the calendar that I noticed the Harbour Seal in the centre bottom. The funny thing was that I'd looked for the seal off and on throughout the morning, and the evening before as we ate supper on the deck, relaxed, and listened to the kids describe their day in Victoria.

I had assumed that the Harbour Seal I'd spotted at 3:49 pm the previous day had grabbed some food and headed back to deeper waters. But no, there was a chance he had stayed the night near the marina, and then by some miracle I managed to photograph him as he swam away the next morning. Probably not the same one, eh, but I'd like to believe it's the same one. A small blessing to end our memorable visit at Cowibbean Cottage.

One last thing...weeks later when we were all back home, I sent out a survey asking Nelson and the kids what was their most memorable stay and where they'd like to go back if they could...the unanimous answer was Cowibbean Cottage. 

Our amazing visit to Cowichan Bay is featured on the June calendar page.