Fleeing fireworks to Vancouver Island

“Enta w zamanak.” (An Arabic phrase meaning "you and your time," often used to dismiss something as outdated or irrelevant.) That’s what I told the U.S. every year on July 4th when the fireworks started going off—loud, endless, and, if you ask Louie, basically the apocalypse. But this year, we had a plan. Instead of spending the night consoling a 70-pound greyhound in full existential crisis mode, we packed up the van and fled north.

Our mission: escape the US, escape the noise, and explore the west coast of Vancouver Island for the very first time.

Day 1: The great escape (with a Walmart Cameo)

We crossed the border in the evening and stayed the night just five minutes from the Tsawwassen ferry port, ensuring we wouldn’t have to rush, deal with the border crossing in the morning, or risk missing our 6:15 a.m. reservation. Now, you’d think the first night of an epic getaway would involve some magical off-grid camping spot, right?

Wrong.

We slept in an RV park—fine, decent, but not exactly worth it when there’s a Walmart next door. Nothing humbles a vanlifer quite like realizing you paid for a night when free parking was a few feet away.

Still, we were out of the US Louie was blissfully unaware of the fireworks we had dodged, and we were on track for a peaceful, firework-free weekend.

Day 2: The paddleboard baptism

Once we landed on the island, we made a quick pit stop at Costco in Nanaimo (because of course). Then, we drove to Sproat Lake for lunch and some paddleboarding. Now, let’s be clear—I love paddleboarding. It’s peaceful, it’s scenic, it makes you look like you have your life together.

Except when you fall.

And let’s just say, I got initiated into Vancouver Island’s waters real quick. But the lake was amazing, and the wipeout was worth it.

Later, we made our way toward our campground but stopped for a walk through the rainforest trails. The wooden path had two loops, and Louie, despite some initial hesitation, took it like a champ. We spent the night at Long Beach Golf Campground—hot showers, clean amenities, and site 35X was the best.

Day 3: The Tofino Experience™

First stop: Mackenzie Beach. We walked Louie, soaked in the coastal views, and then I headed out for more paddleboarding (this time, with slightly more dignity).

We explored downtown Tofino, where we stumbled into a fisherman’s port filled with charm, great views, and some solid oddities. It was the kind of place where you could tell every boat had a story.

Then came the important part—beer shopping. We found a horchata stout from Vancouver at a beer store on the ground floor of a cool hotel called MOQ, and let me tell you, it was creamy, sweet, and exactly what we didn’t know we needed. It had that comforting, spiced warmth—almost like if Almaza, the quintessential Lebanese beer, took a wrong turn on the way to the Mediterranean and ended up in a Mexican bakery.

At Tonquin Beach, we met a group of girls from Ucluelet, one of whom was an artist (Seawoven). We chatted, soaked up the scenery, and eventually headed back to camp for a warm shower.

Dinner? Takeout pizza from Basic Goodness Pizzeria. But instead of eating it at camp, we took it to the water, sat by the view, drank our beer, and enjoyed every bite. If there’s a better way to eat pizza, I don’t know it.

Day 4: Ucluelet, seawolves & the 'lemonade' incident

We drove to Ucluelet and walked the Lighthouse Loop, a scenic coastal trail where we had an unexpected wildlife encounter. At first, we spotted what looked like a dog stranded on a rock near the ocean shore. But something felt off. As I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t a dog at all—it was something wilder. A wolf? Alone? By the ocean?

Curious and slightly bewildered, we continued along the trail and soon stumbled upon a park ranger. I asked if it was possible that I had just seen a wolf. His response? Yes! He explained that Vancouver Island is home to a unique community of sea wolves—coastal wolves that have adapted to life near the ocean. He also mentioned that the wolf we saw had been spotted several times recently, closer to humans than usual, which is often a sign of struggle—most likely rejected by its pack and having a hard time hunting for food.

The ranger recommended watching The Island of the Sea Wolves, a Netflix show about these incredible animals. The first thing we did when we got back to Seattle? We watched all four episodes—and we loved it. The story, the imagery, everything about it was mesmerizing.

Still processing the incredible experience, we carried that sense of awe and reflection into the rest of our day. Lunch was a picnic at Little Beach, followed by yet another paddleboarding session—this time, a particularly special one. First, it was in the ocean, and second, it took me through areas we had spotted earlier during our walk on the Lighthouse Loop trail. It was peaceful at first, but then the currents started picking up, growing stronger and stronger, pushing me out toward open waters. Alone on the board, I had a brief moment of panic before deciding it was time to turn around and make my way back to shore—just another reminder that nature always has the upper hand. Then, we grabbed coffee and started making our way back toward Nanaimo.

But first, we stopped at Wally Creek for a quick dip, and wow—the place was stunning. The water was ice-cold but completely worth it, a perfect wake-up call after all our adventuring. I even flew my drone to capture some areal shots of the crystal-clear pools and the winding rock formations.

Now, here’s where things got…notable.

We saw a girl wearing a tiny bikini top, and Alizée, ever the keen observer, simply remarked: "C’est une limonade."

Translation? Let’s just say it was a refreshing sight, in more ways than one. wink

Day 5: Back to reality (with one last Walmart Cameo)

We took the ferry back to Tsawwassen, and by the time we "landed", it was 11 PM. Too late to book anything, too early to power through to Seattle, so we made the humble decision to sleep in the Walmart parking lot.

It wasn’t glamorous, but hey—we’d come full circle.

At midnight, a grumpy store employee reminded us that the parking limit was three hours. But the lot was full of other campers, so we weren’t exactly the only ones bending the rules.

By the next morning, we were back on the road, heading home to Seattle, firework-free and fully recharged.

Final thoughts

Was this trip about adventure? Yes.

Was it also about saving our dog from full-scale panic? Also yes.

Vancouver Island gave us everything we needed—beaches, lakes, paddleboarding, craft beer, friendly strangers, and one very unforgettable stop at Wally Creek.

Would we do it again? In a heartbeat.