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Kayaking Trips

Up until my first trip with Due West Charters, I held the dubious distinction of "flipped every kayak I've ever entered".  I've done a number of Kayaking Trips with Due West Charters since (no wet exits yet) and enjoyed them all throughly.


Photo Cruise in the Gulf Islands
April 7th to April 9th, 2000
My first trip with Due west charters, it was oriented around photography. Peter Hubert lead the photography as we explored the southern Gulf Islands, including Tumbo and Cabbage Islands and Montegue Harbor on Galiano.

Kayaking in the Gulf Islands
September 22nd to September 24th, 2000
I enjoyed my first trip so much, I jumped at the chance to go out again. This trip was more oriented around kayaking and we spent time on Saltspring visiting the Saturday Market.

Mid Coast of British Columbia
July 30th to August 9th, 2001
This 2 week trip started at the northern end of Vancouver Island and ended in the Mid Coast of British Columbia. We explored parks and ghost towns.

Aristazabal Island
August 28th to September 5th, 2003
This year Jan was offering a new trip to the area surrounding Aristazabal Island - a region North of Bella Bella.  This was a trip into one of the least populated places on the coast of BC and unspoiled wilderness.

Kayaking in the Gulf Islands (2)
October 14th to October 17th, 2004
Near the end of the Season, Jan had took us to many of the parks that now compose the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada.  I was amazed how much wildlife was waiting to meet us.

Winter Harbour To Brooks Peninsula
July 23rd to 28th, 2006
Another Kayaking Adventure on the Curve Of Time. This time we depart from the Northern Vancouver Island village of Winter Harbour and Kayak in the sounds that dot this coast.

Desolation Sound
June 22nd to 26th, 2006
Desolation sound is the sailing "backyard" for Vancouver.   Far enough to be "away", but not so far that you can't get back in a reasonable amount of time.   We explored in our Kayaks, saw petroglyphs and more than our fair share of Jellyfish.


Road (Driving) Trips

The classic way to get outside.  One of the first trips big trips I organized by myself was my Grand Canyon road trip and road trips have had a special place ever since.


A British Columbia Road Trip
A road trip from Vancouver to Calgary and back without covering the same road twice. Kermeos, Castlegar,Radium Hot Springs,Banff,Jasper,Kamloops and Back.

Banff and Area for a Few Days
Another road trip to Calgary, but this time we took the high speed route and didn't take photos.  I spent a few days in Banff and took some pictures including Banff, Bourgeau Lake, Johnson Canyon and Drumheller.

Northern Vancouver Island
Eric was fresh back from Japan and I wanted to show him around a small part of BC. We went bear watching, whale watching and visited some of his family in Alert Bay.

Catherdral Provincial Park
I've started a new tradition of trying to stand on top of mountains for Canada Day. This year I drove to Cathedral Provincial park in the South Okanagan for hiking, but also explored the desert in the Osoyoos area.

Vacation Rentals

British Columbia has huge vacation rental market that goes back at least a hundred years.  In spring Canada celebrates the Victoria Day long weekend (Queen Victoria was born on May 24th but Canadians celebrate Victoria Day on the Monday before May 25) but the weather is often dodgy so for a get away trip we take advantage of the cheap shoulder season pricing. 


Tofino and Hot Springs Cove
May 19th to May 22nd, 2000
Really, the blame for all of these trips rests squarely on Sean's shoulders.  He was the first to come up with the idea and organized much of the first trip.  We drove over in his car and Mark's car and were surprised how many of us lived in a such a "cozy" place.

Salt Spring Island Weekend trip (May 2001)
May 18th to May 21th, 2001
We really didn't lack for space - or food.  This great vacation rental was on a working farm on one of my favorite Gulf Islands. 

Pender Island
May 16th to May 19th, 2003
Another huge rental but on a much quieter island without a hot tub!  There were a few good hikes within walking distance and the food was second to none.

Mudge Island
May 21st to May 24th, 2004
A little different this year - we chartered airplanes a flew in!  Mudge is completely without retail (we usually make a combined liquor/oops run) but had lots of things (including a hot tub) to keep us entertained.

Port Renfrew
May 20th to May 23rd, 2005
The traditional May long weekend trip tries the West Coast of Vancouver Island. We get in some serious hiking as well as a trip to the beautiful Botanical Beach.

Galiano Island
May 19th to May 22nd, 2006
This years May Day getaway is to Galiano Island in the Southern Gulf Islands. We hiked, prepared food, hiked some more, kayaked and unwound.

Gabriola Island
May 18th to May 21st, 2007
Gabriola Island is just off the coast of Nanaimo. We went for walks on the beach, prepared food and went to the local market.


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