Yes it was, we bumped into Beau and his family eating lunch while we were nature walking with Toni from Rainforest Tours. I thought Toni was walking over to a group of friends (Vic recognized him), turns out she was walking over to the the other guide in her company and the group she passed over for us because we reserved her months in advance. We are touched we were priority since we booked forever ago but it’s Beau Bridges. We told her she has to frame his disclaimer form and that she should have brought them to Port Renfew with us. We really wish we could have asked for a picture but you know, respect the privacy of celebrities, at least we got to meet them.
We loved Vancouver Island so much last year that we returned this year and hired Toni again to guide us for 4 days around the Port Renfew area. Ayland Farm was a nice stretch for our legs on the drive to Port Renfew. We were also pretty tired, this entire trip we were constantly on the go. Since we don’t drive, we kept heading back to Victoria as our main base to depart again. Our itinerary was: Victoria 1 night, Campbell River 2 nights, Victoria 1 night, Port Renfew 3 nights, Victoria 1 night, and Seattle 2 nights.
Ayland Farm is part of East Sooke Regional Park which has fields, beach, and nice easy trails.
That’s me following Toni.
Toni pulled us over to the side of the road to enjoy the view. We love watching the fog on the horizon, watching it hug the little island, making the water and sky disappear into one another. It was perfectly summer in our spot, but at sea, a foggy mystery.
It was refreshing walking through the woods and breathing the fresh sea air. It was a good adjustment for me because I don’t feel comfortable in the outdoors. I was telling Vic that I like it but hiking doesn’t feel natural to me (keep in mind I’m not graceful with things unnatural to me). His response was, “Yeah, that’s ’cause you’re a city slicker.” This easy jaunt was a good way to get my uncertain feet used to non paved ground.
It wasn’t wet enough for mushrooms. We kept hunting for them the entire trip for macro shots.
Banana slug!
We had all these doggie friends running along the trails. I felt for this particular dog because that could easily have been me asking for help. The dog’s person had to go fetch him. What a cute doggie.
There’s my dog friend calling for his human. The poor guy got stuck by the petroglyph. We didn’t realize there was another petroglyph near by and didn’t see it.
After taking in the sights for a bit, Toni gave us the option to explore more or head to Port Renfew. We forgot all about Port Renfew which was still an hour away and decided to head there to enjoy the cottage. We get distracted easily when we are surrounded by all these natural wonders.
Arbutus Tree, you can recognize by it’s bark, it looked painted and it’s orange hued paint peels away as it matures to a pistachio green.
Jebus Mews & Andrea 
Yes! Madrone trees are my favorite! Never heard them called by their scientific name before so now I can say I’ve learned something new today…and it’s only 9am! Thanks for sharing, looks like a beautiful trip. Great photos!
Thanks! British Columbia is a very special place 🙂
Very nice place and it must be so cool to bump into a celebrity!
We really wanted a picture. Forgot what they were filming on the island. Beau was a nice surprise.
Incredible pictures! What a beautiful place. Thank you and greetings.
Thank You!
I loved you photo’s thank you!
It’s a nice place to get away from the city…
Yes, it is. How’s the weather in Portland? It’s been really cold and freakishly warm in NY. We are headed to Banff pretty soon 🙂 So behind writing about our adventures.
It’s been a fairly standard winter here, maybe a little warmer and a little dryer. Nothing to complain about compared to back east.
We just got back from Banff. It was colder in NY when we left and came back. It was unseasonably warm there but really nice. The cold is dry there so it doesn’t get in your bones which is nice. I found out that I do not acclimate well.
Beautiful photos. I have quite a collection of petroglyph photos; they are my favorite feature to look for. I’m jealous!
Thank You! It was really cool seeing them.
What a beautiful place – love the trees and must be stunning to walk around..with additional plus to met Beau Bridges! 🙂
Thanks! We just got back from Banff. We fell in love with Canada’s nature. I found out that I do not acclimate well and snow shoeing hurts (workout) more than hiking!
What a beautiful vacation, Andrea! That looks like a place I would love to visit.
Thank You! We plan to head back to Vancouver Island next year. We love it there.