Geocaching in the Comox Valley, Vancouver Island

by Keith and Heather Nicol

   Geocaching  started 18 years ago in Oregon and refers to the hiding of a “cache” whose geographic

Eric finding his first cache at Kye Bay

coordinates are listed on the internet. The idea is for other people to try to find the “cache” which may vary in size from a large mayonnaise jar to small containers the size of a dime. In a large cache there may be a log book to sign and small trinkets to exchange like a marbles or other small toys. Obviously in a cache the size of a dime there may be just a small roll of paper for you to sign. Many of these caches are found in parks or along trails and they are a fun way to add variety to a walk or hike. We like to use it when we are new to an area to learn about different places to explore.

Heather with a large cache near Nymph Falls

 We have always used GPS units to find geocaches but with the advent of smart phones you can now get apps to for your phone to allow you geocache without the expense of getting a GPS unit. Since we like using handheld GPS units we still geocache with those. The Comox Valley has literally 100’s of geocaches and information about their location , what size they etc can be found on the following web site: https://www.geocaching.com/.  You need to register and you can use the free membership or if you want extras you can become a premium member. Over the May long weekend we found caches at Nymph Falls and Kin Beach. On the Mother’s Day weekend our kids were visiting and our daughter’s boyfriend Eric got to try his hand at finding caches when we walked along the Kye Bay beach.  So try geocaching if you want practice navigating with a GPS and exploring new areas.

The water was rushing at Nymph Falls on the weekend

Butchart Gardens is a perfect choice for Mother’s Day

Our favourites were the fringed tulips

by Keith and Heather Nicol

      Butchart Gardens has a well deserved reputation for its colourful and varied gardens and receives an amazing 1,000,000 visits a year! The gardens have been running for over 100 years and started when Jennie Butchart decided to rehabilitate a limestone quarry which had been used to supply her husband’s cement plant! And a perfect time to take in the gardens is for Mother’s Day which is coming up this weekend. The tulips are in full bloom and are a highlight of the gardens at the present time. They come in some many colours and shapes—and keep an eye out for our favourite – the colourful fringed tulips. Also in bloom are a variety of cherry and other trees as well as rhododendrons. 

More tulips grace the foreground of the fountain viewpoint

 The temperatures when we visited on Sunday, May 6^th were ideal. Just warm enough to enjoy the sunshine while walking through the colourful display of flowers spread over 55 acres. We were visiting with my brother and his wife Mary Ellen and they enjoy coming to the gardens since they can also take their dog, Keita. One of the staff we spoke to said they thought the gardens were about 2 weeks behind this year due to cool weather which might be an advantage since it means that the tulips are still in good shape.  We have visited the gardens on a few occasions and are always impressed with the work that has gone into the magnificent flower displays. We go away inspired to make our own home garden abit more colourful. We finished our garden tour with a gelato cone which we enjoyed at a shady table in the Italian garden.  There are special Mother’s Day events planned at Butchart Gardens for May 13 so check out: https://www.butchartgardens.com/ for details. 

We enjoyed a gelato in the Italian Garden

Tulips are currently featured in many of the flower beds