Wayne & Irene Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Living Forest Recommended Sites The sites R1 to R4 are lovely sites, but they are quite separate from the other park sites since they are located on a small beach area that must be accessed by using a very steep dirt road down to the water. In addition, R1 to R4 do not have sewer connections, but they do have hydro and water. Last year we used the sites around the covered patio area between sites 213 and 214 ... please refer to the park map on the Living Forest RV park site. I recommend that we all book sites as close as possible to the covered patio near 213/214 since it is an ideal facility to use for group type get togethers. The official Group site alsol has a covered patio but that part of the park is definitely not as nice as the 213/214 area and the official Group sites themselves are much smaller, much more crowded ... and half of them have no TV connection as well. On another point, our RV's are only charged a smallj premium for length on the BC ferries. The "standard" vehicle they use for billing purposes is 20 feet. They will charge an additional $5 per foot for us (assuming most Toys are 22 feet) and they do not charge anything additional for the overheight aspect. They will, however, put you in with the big rigs on the lower deck, after collecting the additional $10 from you. Last year they ran specials during the summer, hopefully they will as well this year. That greatly reduced the cost. Keep checking the BC Ferries website for possible info on special rates for June. Cheers, Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Coming to the Island The road from the Creston crossing to Vancouver is called the Crowsnest Highway/Hwy 3. It is a very winding, hilly road with almost no services, I drove it a couple of years ago when I was heading back east and I said to myself: Never Again! You would be much better off coming west on I90 until intercepting the I405 and crossing the border at Blaine. Much easier driving. You will make way better time and get to use the "cheap" American gas right up to the Blaine crossing. Fill up at Blaine and you will not have to buy any of our ridiculously expensive Canadian gas at all. At about $1.50 a liter that translates to just shy of $6 a gallon in Canadian money ... right now it's even more if using US dollars. Don't forget to purchase Blue Cross or similar emergency medical insurance. Nanaimo has an excellent hospital and I will have my car with us in case anybody needs to be transported there in a hurry. Of course, ambulance service is also available to/from the Living Forest park. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrel Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Hi all, We also will be at this get together . Tried to make it last year but were not able to. Just put the money down on a $18 site for the 22,23,24th, wow it has electricity and water. We rarely have such luxeries.We were planning to be on the island in June so this will work out just great. Looking forward to meeting everyone. It's my wife's 70th birth year and she wants to have high tea at the Empress hotel . We live in Grants pass, oregon and plan on being on the island for a month or so. Darrel and Gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Living Forest Recommended Sites (Part 2) Here's some more information on campsites for our June 22-24 Toy In at Living Forest RV Park: The covered patio area adjacent to site 214 is a great facility for get togethers. It can hold at least 4 picnic tables and has water/electricity/sinks ... very handy for group gatherings. With this in mind I have booked sites 212 and 213 ... for ourselves and one couple of long time friends who also live on the Island and who will be joining us for this Toy In. I know that some folks have already made bookings, and that is certainly a good idea. I highly recommend that everyone who is interested in this event should make their bookings as soon as possible. There's no harm in booking early and later cancelling out if your plans change, but trying to get good bookings at the last minute will be very difficult as this is a popular park that fills us for every weekend during the summer. So ... I would invite you to log on to the www.livingforest.com site and check out the online booking form and the associated park map. To keep our group in the same area you might like to choose a site in the vicinity of the sites 213/214 ... as close as is available when you book. Once you have your booking made it would be a nice idea to post that information on our toyotamotorome site so that we can all get an idea of where we will be. I will leave it to each of you to make your own bookings directly with the campground. They will need a credit card to hold your booking, but will not charge your card until you actually get there. Please read and understand their booking rules and cancellation policy. I asked them about a discount for our group but unfortunately they only offer discounts for groups using their Group area. As I explained earlier, the Group area is very cramped, not nearly as nice as the area around sitess 212/213 ... and those Group sites have no cable TV hookups. Altogether not the best arrangement in an otherwise great Rv park. If you have any questions please let me know as soon as you can. The key to a successful event for us will be to have everybody book early so that we all get nice sites in about the same area. Looking forward to meeting lots of new friends and seeing all the different Toyota campers in June. Cheers, Wayne & Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I just made our reservations! Site 170. Very excited! Gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Living Forest -- Please Make Your Own Reservations Just so there is no misunderstanding: In my earlier messages I had suggested that I would make a group reservation for all of us and then sort out individual sites for each camper. That notion has fallen by the wayside since several people have indicated that they have already made their reservations. That is entirely fine ..;. and let's all do that. So, disregard earlier messages about group reservations to be made by me ... and please go ahead and make your own bookings as soon as your plans allow. As I indicated yesterday, we will use the covered patio area adjacent to site 214, so I recommend you select an available site in that general area if you would like to be close to the other Toyota campers for this rally. A quick note about ferries: BC Ferries operates from the mainland Vancouver site ... called Tswassen ... to transport people and vehicles to and from Vancouver Island. The crossing takes about 2 hours. You can get all the schedule info from their website. You have a choice of going to Victoria (Schwartz Bay) or Nanaimo (Duke Point or Departure Bay) when you get to the Tswassen terminal. If you are arriving early and want to take in Butchart Gardens or other Victoria attractions you would want to choose Schwartz Bay. Otherwise, take the Duke Point/Departure Bay ferry and it will land you within about 10/15 minutes away from the Living Forest park. I strongly recommend you make bookings for the crossing to Vancouver Island since the ferries are very busy on summer weekends. Waiting in their parking lot for the "next" ferry ... about 3 hours ... would be a bad start to this great ToyIn. Please message me with any questions you may have about the ferries ... or anything else ... and I'll try to help out. Cheers, Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Wayne; we would be taking the ferry from Port Angeles. Do you know anything about that one? Thanks, Gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacomaSue Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Gail: The ferry from Pt Angles to Victoria is the Black Ball Ferry Line, http://cohoferry.com/main/ It is quite a bit smaller than the Canadian ferry between Vancouver Isl and Tsawwassen (Blaine) and it is advisable to have reservations to avoid a long wait. I was at the ferry terminal in Victoria almost 3 hours before sailing time and the ferry was already totally booked. Last year, I went to Living Forrest through Blaine and came back through Pt Angles. The drive between Living Forrest and Victoria was a lovely and, I remember, it as a 2-hour drive, but I paid more attention to the scenery than the time. To get to Pt Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula, from Portland or other points south, you can split off I-5 onto highway 101 at Olympia or you can continue north to Tacoma and take Highway 16 to Bremerton and cross the Hood Canal Floating Bridge. Highway 101 either from Olympia or from Bremerton is two-lane and a bit windy---but, I think really lovely. Need-less-to say, the Olympic Penn. routes are slower than i-5 to Blaine. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 A Bit More Ferry Info Sue is right on with her remarks. I've never taken the BlackBall ferry ... although we did take the ferry from Victoria to Anacortes once. It was a beautiful trip through the San Juan islands but the ferry itself was quite small and old compared to the BC ferries, but really quite fine, especially considering the beautiful scenery. I checked both Blackball and BC Ferries websites and the fares work out to be quite close. One advantage of the Blackball ferry is the fact that you don't have to wait at the Blaine border crossing to go through customs/immigration. That process can be very time consuming ... sometimes more than an hour's wait. The Blackball does a quickie customs check for its passengers that takes less time. I'm not sure if there's something else once you land in Victoria, but I can't imagine the whole process would be as time consuming as going through customs at Blaine. Sue's comments about reservations are right on. In either case you really do need to reserve to avoid disappointment. Be sure to fill your gas tanks on the American side whichever route you take. Our prices ... in American gallons ... are over $5.00 per gallon and forecast to keep going up all summer. Cheers, Wayne & Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtchris Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Wayne......which sites are you gathering about again? Somehow I lost that post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I'm suggesting we gather around the covered patio adjacent to site 214 ... anywhere in that general area. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron 'n Sue Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 OKAY, Wayne, we'll do that! Looking forward to seeing you all! Sue & Ron Toy-Rig Living Forest -- Please Make Your Own Reservations Just so there is no misunderstanding: In my earlier messages I had suggested that I would make a group reservation for all of us and then sort out individual sites for each camper. That notion has fallen by the wayside since several people have indicated that they have already made their reservations. That is entirely fine ..;. and let's all do that. So, disregard earlier messages about group reservations to be made by me ... and please go ahead and make your own bookings as soon as your plans allow. As I indicated yesterday, we will use the covered patio area adjacent to site 214, so I recommend you select an available site in that general area if you would like to be close to the other Toyota campers for this rally. A quick note about ferries: BC Ferries operates from the mainland Vancouver site ... called Tswassen ... to transport people and vehicles to and from Vancouver Island. The crossing takes about 2 hours. You can get all the schedule info from their website. You have a choice of going to Victoria (Schwartz Bay) or Nanaimo (Duke Point or Departure Bay) when you get to the Tswassen terminal. If you are arriving early and want to take in Butchart Gardens or other Victoria attractions you would want to choose Schwartz Bay. Otherwise, take the Duke Point/Departure Bay ferry and it will land you within about 10/15 minutes away from the Living Forest park. I strongly recommend you make bookings for the crossing to Vancouver Island since the ferries are very busy on summer weekends. Waiting in their parking lot for the "next" ferry ... about 3 hours ... would be a bad start to this great ToyIn. Please message me with any questions you may have about the ferries ... or anything else ... and I'll try to help out. Cheers, Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron 'n Sue Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Hi Wayne, Just to confirm the dates of the Van Isle Toy-In. Are we right? June 22,23,24, & 25? Nice long visit! We are going to try to get the same spot we had last year. Sue & Ron Toy-Rig OKAY, Wayne, we'll do that! Looking forward to seeing you all! Sue & Ron Toy-Rig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Hi Ron and Sue... You have the dates right. Actually, Monday the 25th will probably not work for everybody, especially those folks still working for a living; but we're all free to stay as long as we want after the weekend itself. Irene and I will be staying Sunday night and checking out on the Monday morning. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Around early June I'll put out a call and ask everyone to confirm their attendance and their campsite numbers ... just so we'll know for planning purposes. We'll use a similar format to last year ... Friday evening Meet and Greet ... Saturday evening Pot Luck .... and Sunday just leave things loose and unplanned .... leftovers? Go to a local pub? (Crow and Gate in nearby Cedar is really good!) Wayne and Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chattycat52 Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 I wish I had read this earlier. there is a great Campsite in Coombs bc , maybe next year they have a pool and great group sites and the price is great. I have made plans for that weekend but have been really looking forward to the toy in as this is my first year with Molly the mIni and I'm so excited, so I'm going to see if I can cancel and coem with you all as well.Cathy my email is chattycat@shaw.ca if I can help in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chattycat52 Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) Ok I got a spot (Campsite 211 ) for Sassy and I . I'm so excited . I am going to make up a few posters to hand out cuz i see a few Toyota motor homes around the Comox Valley, so I can hand them out . What can I do to help ?? I will be staying till Monday as well. Cathy Edited May 2, 2012 by Chattycat52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hi Cathy Glad to hear you will be coming. Spreading the word to other Toy owners is probably the most helpful thing that could be done now. Cheers, Wayne & Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron 'n Sue Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Hi Ron and Sue... You have the dates right. Actually, Monday the 25th will probably not work for everybody, especially those folks still working for a living; but we're all free to stay as long as we want after the weekend itself. Irene and I will be staying Sunday night and checking out on the Monday morning. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Around early June I'll put out a call and ask everyone to confirm their attendance and their campsite numbers ... just so we'll know for planning purposes. We'll use a similar format to last year ... Friday evening Meet and Greet ... Saturday evening Pot Luck .... and Sunday just leave things loose and unplanned .... leftovers? Go to a local pub? (Crow and Gate in nearby Cedar is really good!) Wayne and Irene Hi Wayne, we are reserved at $190 again. Depending upon the budget we may or may not stay the Monday. See you soon! Sue & Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Good Deal with BC Ferries!! BC Ferries has just announced special rates for weekend travel between the mainland and Vancouver Island for the period between 5 May and 25 June. This will save our Vancouver Island Toy In visitors a good deal of money. These rates are based upon a 20 foot vehicle ... they may charge a small bit extra if yours is 22 feet, but it will still be a lot less than the regular rates. Check out the link in the attached notice and give them a call if you have any questions. BC FERRIES ANNOUNCES COASTSAVER FARE PROMOTION Make every weekend a long weekend VICTORIA – BC Ferries is bringing back its popular CoastSaver promotional fares for the three major routes connecting the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island from May 25 to June 25. Travel on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday during this time and save more than 37 per cent on a passenger vehicle and driver fare. The fare for a passenger vehicle and driver for the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen – Duke Point and Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay routes is just $39.95 one-way Friday through Monday May 25 to June 25. Adult passenger fares are just $9.95 one-way for the same period. "This is a great opportunity to make every weekend a long weekend during this five week CoastSaver promotion," said Janet Carson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Marketing and Travel Services. For even greater savings, BC Ferries is offering guaranteed free room upgrades on selected accommodations when travellers book a BC Ferries Vacation and sail on a CoastSaver day. For more information regarding the CoastSaver promotion, BC Ferries Vacations packages or reservations, visit www.bcferries.com, call 1-888-223-3779 or drop by BC Ferries Vacations in downtown Vancouver at the Fairmont Pacific Rim at 1010 Canada Place. - 30 - Media Contact: BC Ferries, Media Relations Victoria: (250) 978-1267 Customer Contact: Victoria: (250) 386-3431 Toll-free: 1-888-BCFERRY (1-888-223-3779) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YVR Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Hello Wayne and Toy home fans. We are definitely planning on attending. However we won't be able to commit until we return from vacation in early June. It was a great time last year and hopefully we will be able to attend next month. Ron & Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Hi Ron and Rose Great to hear that you are planning to attend this year's get together. I understand that you may not be able to commit right now, but you might want to make a reservation soon because the spots are filling up. Check out Living Forest's cancellation policy in case you have to cancel out ... if you let them know in time you won't lose any $. Hope to see you there. Wayne & Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YVR Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Hello Toy fans, we have booked site 186 for the Toy in. I think it's a good idea when checking in to let the staff know that your are with the Toyota Motorhome group. When I made my reservation I told them their campground is well publicized on the Toyota motorhome site. In mentioning the free advertising they are getting from our site perhaps they may give you the group rate. In other words if you don't ask for the group discount you won't receive it! Ron & Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Group Rate? I checked with the LV staff about the possibility of getting a group rate. They do offer a discount to groups who actually use their group area. We looked at the group area last year and decided we didn't like it nearly as well as simply booking individual sites. The group area sites are very small and half of them have no cable TV. On another note: I understand that there is another group booked into the same general area as we are using, and that this group wants to use the covered patio area. I talked to the staff about this and was told that the patio could not be booked but was "first come, first served". I plan to talk to the other group members and suggest that we take turns with the patio ... one group could use it onill the Friday evening and the other group on the Saturday evening. Additionally, there is another covered patio area just a bit farther away ... towards the Tent camping area. (Check your park camp diagram to see the one I mean.) I'm hoping this other group will be reasonable folks and we can come to a fair arrangement for using the two covered patio areas. We will have a Meet and Greet BBQ on the Friday evening and a Pot Luck on the Saturday evening. (We will provide hamburgers and salad for the BBQ for $5 per couple just to cover the cost of buying the food.) Bring your own drinks. The Pot Luck on Saturday evening will give you a chance to let your imagination run wild. There is a good grocery store within walking distance of the campground if you need any last minute items. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Cheers, Wayne & Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Latest News We now have confirmed reservations for the covered patio area adjacent to site 214 which we will use for our Friday evening Meet and Greet and our Saturday evening Pot Luck. It looks like we will have about a dozen Toys in attendance, so plan your Pot Luck dishes accordingly. For the Meet and Greet we will provide hamburgers and salad and ask everyone for a nominal donation to cover that cost. Liquid refreshments will be up to each person to bring their own. We don't have anything planned for the Sunday evening meal, but last year we got together on an ad hoc basis and had great leftovers from the previous two evenings. The weather here has been slow to warm up but the long range forecast looks encouraging for our event weekend. Keep your fingers crossed! There had been another group event which was using some sites in our general area of the park. The Living Forest staff informed me that they have now cancelled that event .... so there are some last minute sites which are now available in our area. If you haven't booked yet and still want to come ... mention the Toyota group and ask for a site as close to the covered patio near site 214 as possible. If you have any last minute questions or concerns feel free to email me directly at carnwini@shaw.ca. See you all at the Living Forest!! Cheers, Wayne & Irene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galvanized Knight Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 He is our route and tentative schedule to the 2012 Vancouver Island Toyin. Maybe we'll run into some of you on the road. We'll be camping for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th. If anyone wants my contact info please PM me, May be easier to "run in" to each other that way. GK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I strongly urge you to reconsider your route. Hwy 3 through south eastern BC is a terrible road. Lots of twisty, turny climbs and very few gas stations. When you do find gas it is considerably more expensive than urban areas which are already about $1,40 a liter ... about $5.25 for a US gallon. You would be much much better off coming west on I90 or US Hwy 2 until intercepting I5. I drove your proposed route once ... from west to east ... 2 years ago and said "Never again!!!" Just saying ... Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galvanized Knight Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Are plans have changed. My girlfriend and I and our friends are not going to be able to make it this year. Hope it all goes well and drive safe everyone! GK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Sorry to hear that you and your friends won't be making it to the Toy In. Perhaps if we do this again next year, we may see you then. Have a great summer. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geologizer Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Hey All, Just found out I would be able to make it to the rally. Please let me know if anyone will be canceling reservations that I may be able to take over! Would love to be able to camp with the rest of you, but will make it up for a visit regardless! Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geologizer Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Scratch that, figured out how to recognize dates on the calendar now! Will see you all there, so excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Leaving this morning and moseying our way toward Vancouver Island! We'll be there Thursday. See you all then! Gail, Jon, and Toto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne & Irene Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Have a safe trip and we'll look forward to meeting you on Thursday. Wayne & Irene ps. Don't forget to fill your gas tank on the US side just before crossing the border. Our gas is 137.9 per litre. There are 3.8 litres in the US gallon. The dollar is about the same, so that works out to $5.24 per gallon. Even Washington state is considerably cheaper. pps I hope you saw the posting about reduced fares on BC ferries. In effect until 25 June. W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chattycat52 Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Only three more sleeps .............yaaaaaaaaaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tika Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi to everybody at the Vancouver Toy-In today. I sure wish we could be with you. It's just that it is a LONG way from Southern California for a weekend! So I'm thinking of you all and imagining your activities, and hoping you will give us a link to some pics so the rest of us can enjoy it all afterwards. Tika '86 E-Z Ryder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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