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ChilliConCarnage
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Joined: September 12, 2011
Posts: 156
Location: PNW
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 Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 6:34 pm Post subject: Tofino is a Westy Wonderland! |
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While staying at Green Point Campground near Tofino on Vancouver Island this past week, we saw a large number of VWs. Specifically, there was at least 9 Westies, 1 tintop, 5 Eurovans, and even a Rialta. When you add in all the Jettas and Passats that brought in tent campers, almost 1 out of 5 campsites had a VW parked on them. That far outpaced any other make by a good margin.
I'm not sure what draws so many Westy people out there, but it's definitely the hot spot if you've got a VW camper!
Some of my cell phone pix didn't come out well, but above is a sampling taken during the 5 days we stayed of all the VWs we saw in the campground.
This is out second trip to Green Point. The first time was a couple of years ago, when we also saw a bevy of Westies. We even saw one from a company that rents Westfalias on the island: http://www.westfaliarentals.com/
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cyrus #1
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Joined: September 06, 2013
Posts: 41
Location: St. Albert, AB
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| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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I went to Tofino for the first time last year, which is surprising considering I grew up in BC. Anyone that hasn't been to that part of the island needs to go. It is incredible!
The trip actually led me to purchase my westy. I was jealous of all the vans when I was tenting it in my jetta! There was a westy parked in my driveway less than a month after I got back.
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dplumtree
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Joined: October 23, 2010
Posts: 68
Location: Alberta,Canada
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| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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we were there 2 weeks ago and it was us and 1 other. must have been the down time. did see 3 more heading out on the highway when we left.
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Love My Westy
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Joined: August 08, 2007
Posts: 1839
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| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Our first time to Tofino was August, 1998. We were in our 2 year old '86 Westy. I believe that was the year we were looking for rain as it was 100 degrees for over 20 days here in Salt Lake City. We drove the Sunshine Coast, took the Ferry from Powell River and ended up at Tofino. We returned in our Westy several years latter and did a kayak trip. |
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danbar
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Joined: October 16, 2011
Posts: 464
Location: North Bend, WA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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It seems like there are 5 Delica's for every Westy out there. Im hoping to head up there again this weekend. How's Green Point campground? I don't know where we might be staying yet.
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IdahoDoug
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Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10251
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, we saw about twice as many Delicas as Vanagons on a recent trip to BC. They are surprisingly small inside, but loaded with lots of features.
DougM
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Doka Todd
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Joined: January 23, 2014
Posts: 106
Location: Delta, BC
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| Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| I third the Delicas in that area. Very popular for the surf locals. We have a ton of them here as anything 15 years old or older comes in without question as long as it passes the safety inspection. |
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a2d2
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Joined: March 28, 2013
Posts: 366
Location: EastVanagon, BC
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:18 am Post subject: |
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| dplumtree wrote: |
| we were there 2 weeks ago and it was us and 1 other. must have been the down time. did see 3 more heading out on the highway when we left. |
Must have just missed you, was up there for the week and half before Labour Day. I saw quite a few Vans and Bays but they could have been hiding in the woods while you were there...
| IdahoDoug wrote: |
| Yeah, we saw about twice as many Delicas as Vanagons on a recent trip to BC. They are surprisingly small inside, but loaded with lots of features. |
A few weeks ago a customer mentioned that he had a Delica. Feeling that he was part of the "Van Brotherhood" I told him that I had a Vanagon.
He replied "I pass those all the time on the way to Whistler" with a smirk on his face. Have fun finding parts, smarta$$. 
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cbcnm
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Joined: November 19, 2010
Posts: 94
Location: Portland ore
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 5:56 am Post subject: |
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we were up on vancouver island from aug 14-26. spent a week in the tofino uculete area and did not see many westys on the road. however, i suspect that those who were lucky enough to get a spot at green point didn't leave their site! loved exploring the area with my kids.
we went on a bear watch for a day out of tofino and saw 6 bears up close and personal, hiked the wild pacific trail, explored schooner cove and hung out on the beach.
we hit tacofino for dinner a couple times and really enjoyed the west side before heading to telegraph cove.
chris |
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ChilliConCarnage
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Joined: September 12, 2011
Posts: 156
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 8:10 am Post subject: |
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There were two Delicas at Green Point while we stayed there. I always admire them when we go up to Canada and wonder how they never made it into the U.S. They certainly look bada$$ from afar.
One of the Delicas at the campground looked exactly like this:
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photogdave
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Joined: April 05, 2004
Posts: 3053
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 8:51 am Post subject: |
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| a2d2 wrote: |
A few weeks ago a customer mentioned that he had a Delica. Feeling that he was part of the "Van Brotherhood" I told him that I had a Vanagon.
He replied "I pass those all the time on the way to Whistler" with a smirk on his face. Have fun finding parts, smarta$$. |
Sounds like the same guy I met at the Overland Rally in WA a couple of years ago.
"What kind of rig do you drive?" he asks. "I have one of those Syncros over there," I reply.
"Oh, so you're a future Delica owner," he smirks.
Well I was the one smirking as I watched him completely unload his van so he would have room to make up his crappy plywood bunk while the wind started blowing his gear across the field. I suppose I could've helped but here was a nice cold beer waiting in the fridge and I just felt so comfortable in my spacious westy lounge... 
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Jake de Villiers
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Joined: October 24, 2007
Posts: 5911
Location: Tsawwassen, BC
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| photogdave wrote: |
| a2d2 wrote: |
A few weeks ago a customer mentioned that he had a Delica. Feeling that he was part of the "Van Brotherhood" I told him that I had a Vanagon.
He replied "I pass those all the time on the way to Whistler" with a smirk on his face. Have fun finding parts, smarta$$. |
Sounds like the same guy I met at the Overland Rally in WA a couple of years ago.
"What kind of rig do you drive?" he asks. "I have one of those Syncros over there," I reply.
"Oh, so you're a future Delica owner," he smirks.
Well I was the one smirking as I watched him completely unload his van so he would have room to make up his crappy plywood bunk while the wind started blowing his gear across the field. I suppose I could've helped but here was a nice cold beer waiting in the fridge and I just felt so comfortable in my spacious westy lounge... |
Yup, those teeny vans definitely attract the hipster crowd - plenty of style and precious little substance. 
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ChilliConCarnage
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Joined: September 12, 2011
Posts: 156
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:07 am Post subject: |
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| danbar wrote: |
| Im hoping to head up there again this weekend. How's Green Point campground? I don't know where we might be staying yet. |
Green Point is beautiful, but you normally have to book well in advance to get a spot on the weekend. I think we made our reservations all the way back in March.
I hate campgrounds that offer little privacy. So many RV style campgrounds are just glorified parking lots, where you're stuck with vehicles just a few feet to your left and to your right. There is another campground near Tofino (Bella Pacifca I think?) that was recommended on a thread here. When we checked it out a couple of years ago, it looked more like the parking-lot style of campground.
Green Point, on the other hand has some awesome secluded campsites. We couldn't see our neighboring campers, or even the road for that matter. Note that the spots nearest the highway may be noisy from passing cars. They're also somewhat dark and shaded from being in the forest. Spots on the west (Ocean) side tend to be a little sunnier (which we needed to make our solar work).
We used the Trekker shelter and an AquaCube on-demand water heater to take (glorious!) hot water showers every morning. Green Point has no showers, or electrical, so we relied on our solar and the AquaCube.
P.S. By coincidence, there was a Westy in the spot right next to us. More coincidentally, it was also Merian brown, and they had the same green Trekker shower shelter that we had. Our setups were almost mirror images of one another.
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photogdave
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Joined: April 05, 2004
Posts: 3053
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:25 am Post subject: |
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I was actually disappointed with Green Point and felt it was not much better than Bella Pacifica...no scratch that, Bella Pacifica was horrible! Dirty, noisy and traffic from cars at all hours.
However I had been under the impression that Green Point was more of a rustic campground but it still has paved roads and sites that are quite close together. We had kids running through our site shouting and waving sticks around the whole time. You got lucky with that secluded spot.
After our trip last year we declared ourselves "done with Tofino"! We like the idea of windy grey beaches, quaint small towns etc. but it is starting to feel more and more like an Alaskan cruise ship port with all the galleries, whale watching tours and souvenir shops.
Between the ferries, gas, camping fees and park fees (you didn't have to pay both previously if you were camping but they changed that right before our trip) it ended up being a $500 weekend camping trip! And we didn't even take any overpriced whale watching tours! 
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danbar
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Joined: October 16, 2011
Posts: 464
Location: North Bend, WA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 11:16 am Post subject: |
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But the waves are the best in the Northwest. We just need a basecamp to park a couple vans at so we can surf for a few days. This time of year is great because the tourist traffic is dying down.
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photogdave
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Joined: April 05, 2004
Posts: 3053
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| danbar wrote: |
| But the waves are the best in the Northwest. We just need a basecamp to park a couple vans at so we can surf for a few days. This time of year is great because the tourist traffic is dying down. |
If I surfed I would probably think about Tofino a lot differently!
There doesn't seem to be anywhere you can legally camp and walk to a surf spot - unless I've missed something.
But to go for just a weekend camping trip it's very expensive and the campgrounds aren't all that!
Good free camping at nearby Kennedy Lake though:
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ChilliConCarnage
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Joined: September 12, 2011
Posts: 156
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 11:50 am Post subject: |
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I suppose it all depends on what you want. There were lots of surfers at Green Point, which is just above Long Beach.
We go to Green Point / Tofino to get as much physical and emotional distance from work / home / chores / daily grind as we can within a day's drive of Seattle. At home, I never have time to read, so all of the books I've read over the last 10 years have been read during camping trips at a the beach or mountains.
We took our bikes and rode into Tofino to see the opening game of the NFL season. We were able to watch it at a little pub on the water, where our defending champion Seahawks easily dispatched the Packers. While watching the game, an Orca swam past just outside the window. This is one opening day game I will not soon forget. The hour long ride in pitch black darkness back to the campground after the game was also memorable.
(view from Jack's)
Last time we rode our bikes into Tofino we passed a bear on the side of the road.
We'll be definitely going back. Many times I'm sure.
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IdahoDoug
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Joined: June 12, 2010
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Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, Dave - that pic looks like the kind of camping that we enjoy. We have considered circling Vancouver Island a couple times but are also surprised at the cost. The ferries have become crazy expensive and would cost us in a single day more than everything else we do in a typical touring day around here. All our food, fuel for several hours driving, soaking at a hot springs resort, etc. I think I recently totalled it at $140 each way for 4 of us plus the Van? Nearly $300 added to a 4 day trip.
By contrast, in inland BC where we play all the ferries are free and we also enjoy low campground prices. A couple weeks ago we stayed here for $25 with a white water creek 20 feet away that was loud enough we joked about it a bit.
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photogdave
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Joined: April 05, 2004
Posts: 3053
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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| IdahoDoug wrote: |
Wow, Dave - that pic looks like the kind of camping that we enjoy. We have considered circling Vancouver Island a couple times but are also surprised at the cost. The ferries have become crazy expensive and would cost us in a single day more than everything else we do in a typical touring day around here. All our food, fuel for several hours driving, soaking at a hot springs resort, etc. I think I recently totalled it at $140 each way for 4 of us plus the Van? Nearly $300 added to a 4 day trip.
By contrast, in inland BC where we play all the ferries are free and we also enjoy low campground prices. A couple weeks ago we stayed here for $25 with a white water creek 20 feet away that was loud enough we joked about it a bit.
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That's pretty much where we're at!
I don't mean to knock Tofino in any way - it is a very beautiful area and if you're into surfing it's an obvious top choice.
For us it's just too far and too expensive for a camping getaway. Having grown up around here and living on the Island in the past I've been there plenty; from hitchhiking in and out with nothing but a backpack to watching my friends get married in a luxury seaside resort. So maybe I'm jaded by memories of cheaper times!
As I type I'm watching a news story about how badly BC Ferries handled rate increases that has resulted in a loss of ridership and spinoff economic benefits.
More and more we find the less we pay for camping, the better the experience. Here's our free spot from the other weekend. No ferries or park fees - just a long drive up some forest service roads:
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syncrosafetysam
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Joined: November 21, 2013
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:42 am Post subject: |
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We were in Tofino that weekend as well . . . I almost lost my arm waving to all the Westies we saw. We go pretty frequently, and always take advantage of the quiet (and free) camping available up the logging roads behind the landfill.
A few more pics of the trip up on the blog: www.heretodayvanagontomorrow.wordpress.com
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