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 clamoring down the rocks after him 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.