Relaxing in Comox

Back on mainland (sort of) after a whirlwind trip to Hornby Island, Ryan and I settled in for some much needed downtime in Comox on Vancouver Island. We were fortunate enough to be staying with Mary and Steve, his aunt and uncle who showered us with hospitality.

Once we'd had our post-camping showers we were treated to a delicious dinner of chicken wraps, followed by an amazing coffee-chocolate pudding cake. Feeling the need to walk off our meal, we made our way to the beach. It was great being walking distance to the ocean. We scouted for crabs along the rocks, me being the only one reluctant to pick them up and hold them. They moved too fast and had far too much of a resemblance to spiders for my liking. It was a beautiful night as the sun set over the water.

The next day we woke up early, just in time for low tide. Being the prairie boy that he is, Ryan is very intrigued by the tides and has found a new obsession in finding beached sea creatures. We loaded the car with shovels and buckets and drove to Point Holmes. With the tide out, the beach stretched far and we set out to explore. The highlight of the location was the fact that it was situated nearby the airport. Planes would fly low over us on their final approach. After a couple of hours and many crabs, starfish, clams and oysters later, we headed back to the car to set out in search of lunch.

Much to our dismay, when we turned the key, the car wouldn't start. It was our own fault, we should have known better than to leave our mini fridge plugged in while we were gone. Fortunately, we found a kind man who gave us a boost and we were on our way! Before finding a restaurant we cruised past the airport, stopping to wander a field of retired warplanes. I love having a fiance who not only accepts my nerdy love of airplanes, but appreciates them just as much as I do.

By the time we'd took our photos and admired the planes, we were feeling rather hungry. We made our way to a seafood restaurant where we feasted on battered oysters, seafood chowder, lobster ravioli and a club sandwich made with crab and shrimp meat. They are so much more appetizing on a plane than on the sandy beach. It was all extremely satisfying and we left feeling very full.

The large meal left us feeling rather sleepy, so we went back to the house for a short nap. We woke up feeling far more energized. It was a beautiful afternoon, and a great day to fly our airplane kite that we'd purchased in San Francisco. Or so we thought. Out on Goose Spit we attempted to fly our plane, but the winds were not in our favour. We had a few minutes of airborne fun before giving up and returning home for dinner.

Mmm, let me tell you about dinner. We had cedar plank salmon, which I very much appreciated given the fact that salmon happens to be one of my favourite foods. It was delicious and followed by an equally amazing dessert of chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream. I was in food heaven, as I have been for much of this trip. Topping off an already great day was our perfect evening. Earlier that day we'd seen people having fires along the beach and I mentioned that I'd love to do that. Mary and Steve made it happen, saying "Let's go tonight!" without hesitation. We packed our cameras and blankets and drove to Goose Spit where we found a free fire pit .

We spent the evening there sitting on driftwood, cooking smores, basking in the heat of the fire, and listening to the waves hit the shore. What a wonderful life. The nearly full moon lit up the water and I loved every moment of it. After a good night's sleep and an amazing breakfast of blue crab eggs benedict, it was time to pack up and hit the road yet again. Comox has been good to us, but there are far too many adventures to be had in so little time!