6 minute read
Summertime Adventures
Toddlers through Teens
BY JOANNE PENHALE
Smash their screens and burn their workbooks — if you’re blessed by the company of kids this summer, help them explore this area’s vast wilderness, water and valuable local institutions.
Starting in south Chemainus, Fuller Lake’s sandy beach offers a shallow entry to a swim area with a dock as well trees for shade, picnic tables, a playground, washrooms and a boat ramp for non-motorized boats. With easy access from Highway 1 and beach-adjacent parking, a daytrip here, at 9323 Poplar Road, is on the easy side of summer family fun.
Northward in Saltair, off 10786 Chemainus Road, try Stocking Creek Park for about two kilometres of up-anddown trails through rainforest alongside a gurgling clear stream and a waterfall. With depths no higher than your knee, parts of the creek make for happy splashing for little humans to keep cool.
Nearby, ideally around low tide, head straight down South Oyster School Road, park and descend the stairs to Big Rock Beach. The namesake boulder is likely to wow some aspiring geologists, and creatures in the sand beyond will elicit wonder and thrills. Bring a shovel, enjoy watching the kids unearth a geoduck clam and take in the A+ view of Stuart Channel.
For river swimming, adventurers at Nanaimo River Regional Park can walk a few minutes from roadside parking at 1955 Frey Road in South Nanaimo, fi nd a riverside perch and become one with the resident fish and frogs.
The above sites scratch the surface of water and wilderness adventures to be had in the area. More hikes include Holland Creek Trail, which has multiple access points in Ladysmith and can suit toddlers; or for those with more stamina, try Cable Bay Trail and Joan Point Park, accessed off the end of Nicola Road in Cedar. Bring a picnic, lay a blanket on the rocks overlooking Dodds Narrows and Mudge Island and be thrilled by passing marine activity, which may include eagles, salmon, sealions and seals. Or for some scenic driving, no hiking, pebbly beach bliss and some stunning colours at dusk, try Elliots Beach Park in North Oyster.
Of course, in all outdoor activities, remember sun protection, water safety and leave wilderness sites more pristine than when you arrived.
And on that note, do not actually smash tablets and nor burn workbooks!
The Health Care Auxiliary thrift stores in both Ladysmith and Chemainus are a revolving door of treasures that are organized and priced fairly by an army of friendly volunteers. Make way for indoor cartwheels at home by schlepping in those material goods you didn’t need after all; their value will benefit local health care and make bargain hunters smile. The Ladysmith store, at 910 First Avenue, is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Chemainus store, at 9867 Maple Street, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Hours for dropping off goods di ffer slightly. Better yet, make it an errand day and have the kids help haul recyclables to one of the area’s two bottle depots. Kids love to be helpful and sort items. Whatever coins kids earn on returned drinking containers can go a long way on toys, games, old-timey knick-knacks, or fancy dress-up gear at those wonderful, wonderful thrift stores.
Ladysmith’s Junction Bottle Depot, 149 Oyster Bay Drive,is open daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
South Nanaimo’s Bottle Depot, 839 Old Victoria Road, is open daily until 5 p.m., except Sundays until 4 p.m.
Nearby is the Calico Cat Tea House, where kids old enough to sit still for an hour may enjoy experiencing high tea, with dainty sandwiches, scones, fruit and sweets on pretty dishes, amidst flowery decor. Lunch and tea leaf readings are also available by reservation (250-754-3865). Open Wednesday through Sunday, at 1081 Haliburton Street.
A weekend drive along the winding and pastoral Yellow Point Road, which spans 16 kilometres from North Oyster to Cedar, offers a myriad of opportunities for family fun and spontaneity. Yellow Point Farms, at 4756 Yellowpoint Road, has a petting farm, where the animals roam freely. For a $9 admission fee, Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., children can relish a goat snuggle, petting a mini horse in the sun and numerous other farm animal encounters. The farm store has local meats as well as produce and other treats for excellent backseat munching between stops.
A newcomer, at the end of the driveway at 3881 Yellow Point Road, Crystal Quest is well worth stopping by, Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Thousands of colourful crystals, mineral specimens and more shimmer throughout the small, serene, sunlit store, and proprietor Dee engages kids on the subject of energy, their feelings of connection with rocks and other intuitive ways of being that aren’t part of the typical educational curricula. Lucky shopgoers may also pet Merlin, the flu ffy orange-and-white Maine Coon, or glimpse Kali, the lynx point Siamese, whiz by.
Further along meandering Yellow Point Road, a number of ocean access points offer kids the glee of discovering life at the intersection of land and sea. The most accessible is Blue Heron Park, at 13485 Westby Road. Here, a sloping rocky beach is easy to enter, ideally with waterproof footwear, and intrepid littles can experience the shear joy of handling wee crabs found beneath upturned rocks.
Finally, on a Sunday, the outdoor Cedar Farmers’ Market, at 1984 Woodbank Road, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offers a large variety of local food, artisanal products, music and people watching, all of which provides stimulation and nourishment for any age.
Happy exploring!
