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.