Summertime fun

We have all heard the saying "Be a tourist in your own backyard" before but how many of us actually take the time?  About 10 years ago a wise fellow I work with told me that summer on Vancouver Island is the time to take your holidays, its the time to use up your 'sick days' and 'vacation days.'  He said there are beaches around here just as nice as Maui in the summer and they are only a short drive away.  There are resorts here as nice as a 5 star in Mexico.  Why save up all year long for a 1 week trip away in the winter when you spend 2 days of it travelling when you can have a few mini vacations around here in the summer for a fraction of the cost too.  
I now realize just how correct he was.  Until recent years I had never travelled north of Campbell River, figured there was nothing worth seeing up there.  Little did I know Telegraph cove ttp://www.telegraphcoveresort.com/and its funky cottages would become a favorite getaway destination for me.   A Whale watching trip from the resort there blew me away! Unreal scenery and wildlife like I had never seen before.  Whales, sealions, and literally 100's of eagles swarming over the ocean. 
It wasn't until a few years ago that I also discovered San Joseph Bay on the west side of the Island.  We walked in from the parking area along a trail and came out of the trees to find white sand beaches as far as the eye could see.   We set up a tent and stayed overnight, there were only 2 other people on the entire stretch of beach and they were surfing.  I had no idea there were beaches like this so close to home.

 

We all know Tofino is famous for their beaches but it blows my mind to hear how many people have lived on Vancouver Island all their life and have never been.  The same goes for the Gulf Islands, Saltspring, Saturna, Hornby and Cortes are among my favorites.  I want to spend more time discovering these islands.  I always feel I am thousands of miles from home on a 'real' vacation if a ferry is involved.  Cortes Island is a short trip from Campbell River and the lake and beaches there are unreal!

Another thing that blows my mind is how many people live in the area and have never been out on the water surrouding Campbell River. Some have never even been on our fishing pier!  I got lucky, or maybe it wasn't luck,  maybe I was the girl scouting out my future husband on the docks of Painters Lodge many years ago when I worked on the dock there.  My husband has had a boat of some sort since he was a kid.  Having a boat is not a luxury item for him, its his job.  He has worked as a fishing guide in the summers since he was a kid. https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/BC-Fishing-Charters-Campbell-River/163386570386140.      We have been lucky enough to spend alot of time on the water over the past decade, fishing and touring around.  Just last week we came across 100+ pacific white sided dolphins off the south tip of Quadra Island.  We stopped the boat and they swam and jumped all around the boat.  It was unreal!

It was on this day last week that I started thinking about 'vacation in your own hometown" and I thought to myself  I would rather float in a boat next to wild dolphins over swimming with captive dolphins in a hotel any day!  ( no offense to anyone that has swam with hotel dolphins)!!!  I realize that not everyone has access to a boat, but almost everyone knows someone with a boat.  Why not hire them for the day or offer some sort of swap.. A you take my family out in your boat for the day and I will....... whatever that may be.
So take a mini vacation this summer somewhere around here!
Not everything awesome has to cost alot of money.