Tofino

 This morning we packed up camp bright and early and hit the road for Tofino. Packing up after a few days proved to be a bit of a challenge. One of the sleeping bags refused to fit in the roof rack and was almost left in the forest after being thrown from the van by a disgruntled packer. We ended up with a few more things in the van and under our feet, but the kids were still smiling.

We stopped on our way out of town for groceries, water shoes, and sandals. Fitting it all in the van was like a jigsaw puzzle! I'm still not sure how we did it! With the van stuffed to the top, we were off to spend a week on MacKenzie Beach!

The last leg of the trip, although short, is dreaded because of the crazy winding road nick-named "the puke road". From Nanaimo it didn't take long to make it to Coombs where we had to stop and pick up our favorite candied salmon.

This old car parked on the square was a fun find for the littles!

I had told them about the goats on the roof in Coombs before we left home, but they weren't sure what to expect! They thought it was pretty cool that they lived up there. And brainstormed all of the different ways they could have gotten up there.

We watched them for a little while before heading into the famous market to look at trinkets and toys.

This little girl found a goat stuffy the second we walked in. Collecting stuffed animals is kind of her thing. She held onto that thing the entire time as we browsed through the rest of the toys at the store. 

I could have stayed in the market forever! These things are my favorite! I wanted to pick up Christmas presents and gifts for everyone I knew, but I restrained myself and settled for a cute little Nativity that has me excited for Christmas.

While the boys were deciding on their souvenirs Mr. Stannix picked up some salmon and then we were off!

We found this little gem near the check-out. It totally screamed "Mike" and we had to buy it! With that we set out on "the puke road" where we lost a few to motion sickness and sleep. They all came to as we saw the ocean playing peek-a-boo through the trees while we drove. 

The littles could hardly wait to see the ocean up close! We ended up with the perfect campsite with stairs to the beach on one side and a bathroom on the other. After we were all changed into our swimming suits we ran down to check out the beach!

The tide was just right for swimming and wave jumping.

I could sit and watch the waves roll in all day long and never get bored. I love the Ocean and the way it is constantly moving and changing with the tides.

While Mr. Stannix was wave jumping with the big kids, I hung out with the younger two on the beach. Finley dug and dug all afternoon.

This wild baby crawled around the beach dipping in and out of tide pools.

The water was cold, but the weather was perfect! I was in love.

When everyone was shivering out of their swimming suits we rinsed off and head up to camp. After a warm dinner, we tucked the littles into their sleeping bags for the night.

While Mr. Stannix waited for them to fall asleep I snuck down to the beach to watch the sun set behind the rocks. The tide had gone out quite a bit and the sky was painted in pastel pinks and yellows.

I walked the beach until Ollie fell asleep, admiring the shells left behind by the ocean and soaking in the fresh sea air. 

I was so excited to finally be here to enjoy one of my favorite things. I looked forward to sneaking out and relishing in many more sunsets as the week went by!

Mr. Stannix was building a fire when I returned and we finished off our evening eating salmon and laughing together. We fell asleep with grateful hearts to the sound of the crashing waves below.