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Fourth Annual Vancouver Island Toy In??


Wayne & Irene

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We've had a few informal chats with some Toy campers on the west coast and the topic of a possible 4th annual Vancouver Island Toy In has come up. Irene and I have acted as a hosts for the past three events and we would be happy to do so again if that is agreeable to everyone and if it appears that there is some interest in getting together again this coming summer. At this point it would seem reasonable to look into a few basic questions such as:

1. What is the level of interest in having an event this summer? Please let us know if you would be interested. Perhaps you would like to review the threads on previous Vancouver Island Toy Ins to help you decide.

2. How does everyone feel about the Living Forest RV park where we've had the last three Toy ins. It has a number of advantages over most other local parks: proximity to the ferry, ocean side location with large, beautifully kept sites, a covered pavilion we can book (without additional cost) to provide shelter from the rain, a choice of full hook ups or un-serviced sites if preferred, walking distance to grocery and drug stores, close to Nanaimo (which has all the shopping and amenities of a medium size city). In short, a very attractive location.

3. How about dates? In the past we have held the event in late June. This time period is often quite rainy on the Island. Perhaps mid to late July would be better (i.e., July 12, 19 or 26 weekend). We do want to steer clear of holiday weekends ... 1 and 4 July and the first weekend in August since the ferries, border crossings and campground rentals will be very busy at these times. We should remember that choosing a date in July, however, means that the park will be busier then since school is out by that time and more families will be going camping. Therefore, we need to accept that we would have to be prepared to make our own bookings earlier in order to get our preferred locations adjacent to the covered pavilion. Last minute decisions would be more difficult to accommodate in July, but the better weather at that time is a big advantage.

So, let's have your thoughts on this possible event. If there is enough interest we will be happy to do some planning for this event. If not, we'll be out enjoying our Toy and hoping all of you are doing so as well. Cheers to all, Wayne & Irene

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  • 2 weeks later...

We hoped to make it this time but unfortunately it isn't meant to be even though we will be up there from July 3rd through the 17th and part of that time we'll even be on Vancouver Island. Very fortunately though, we'll be cruising the islands on a 47 foot yacht. I talked to the other two couples about extending our itinerary to Living Forest to stop in and say hi but at 18 gallons per hour it would cost another $600 in fuel. Oh well, maybe next time. Have fun!

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Wayne and Irene: You do such a great job organizing the Vancouver Isl Rallies. The Vancouver Isl Rallies have been great fun and it would be wonderful to see everyone again this year. Almost anytime this summer works for me: I prefer the end of June, the first couple weeks of July or anytime in Sept. I cannot be there July 25-28 or the last week of August. Looking forward to hearing from others. Sue

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We're in also, had a great time last year and would like to see everyone again. We have limited times though. I have a family reunion 7-26 and a 50th year class reunion on 8-15/17. Damn how did that come up so soon. So our dates would be the 1,2,3rd weekend of July and 1&2nd weekend of August. Really hope to get together again.

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How's about the 2nd weekend in July? It would work well for us. Would keep us away from the busy July 1st traffic perhaps and the weather should be perfect!

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Hello Toy Owners.

Wayne has always done such a great job organizing the Van Isle Toy In, and we certainly appreciate his efforts. As for us Wayne, just pick a date and most likely we will be able to make it.

Ron & Rose

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We are up for it! The time sounds just a out right, and all the rest sounds great. We are anxious to make a run from way south here in California up the coast to Vancouver Island; it will be our first trip to the Northwest in our 1992 Minnie Winnie, and are really looking forward to riding on a ferry!

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Vancouver Island 2014 Dates

Hi to everyone. If you look on the Living Forest website for the summer months of June, July and August you will see that the park is already very heavily booked for this time period. The sites that are currently available will also fill up quickly in the next few weeks. I'm thinking that when we consider the current quite limited availability and the tendency for people to delay making a firm commitment and booking, we may well have missed the window for a July or August event. As an alternative, which might work out very well for timing, how would people feel about taking the weekend immediately following the Labour Day holiday weekend? This would mean Friday 5 September and Saturday 6 September for our event. Naturally people could stay for the Sunday and later if they wished. Vancouver Island weather in early September is typically very nice and normally better than the rainy late June weather we've encountered for our Toy Ins here in previous years.

Please post your responses to this idea in the next short while so we can see where we are at in planning a 2014 event on Vancouver Island. Cheers to all, Wayne & Irene

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Hello Toy Oficiando's For us the new dates of the 5th and 6th of September will work out just fine. We usually have the Toy on the road during September as the weather is usually very nice, and the campsites everywhere are not crowded. Thanks very much Wayne for organizing this annual outing - it is appreciated.

Ron & Rose

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September 5-6 works for me.... I plan to join you in Sept---good weather, less crowded seems like a nice time. Sue

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Do we have a date yet? Here it is mid July already and we miss y'all! Hopefully September will be a good time to meet, although if suspect some people might b back to school

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Vancouver Island Toy In 2014

The dates are the weekend of Sept 5-7. As I recall, in past years there were very few children attending this event, but locals should still be able to bring their kids for a weekend if they wish.

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Gun and I will be there. We both are looking forward to seeing everyone again. Our plan is to be back in Washington by the 11th to attend the Western Washington fair in Puyallup. If anyone else can join us that would be great. Darrel and Gun

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  • 2 weeks later...

Reserve Your Site Soon

If you look at the campground map you will see a covered picnic shelter between sites 212 and 214. I will be reserving this shelter for our group for the Friday and Saturday evenings and Irene and I will book our own site beside the shelter itself. I recommend that you all try to get a site in this general vicinity unless you prefer an unserviced site, in which case you might have a short walk to the shelter for our group evening get togethers.

In past years we have had a BBQ meet and greet on the Friday evening and we'll do that again this time. (we will provide the food for a small cost to cover expenses and you can bring your favourite beverages.) and a Pot Luck on the Saturday evening ... here's your chance to show off your culinary skills. For rough planning, consider that we may likely have around 15 or so diners. Other than that we have really had just an open schedule that allows lots of time for socializing, checking out each others RVs, etc. There is also time to enjoy the harbour area of nearby Nanaimo and/or any other nearby Vancouver Island activities which may catch your fancy. Some folks have taken a day and visited Butchard Gardens near Victoria. It's a bit of a drive from Living Forest but it's a world class garden display for those who enjoy beautiful flowers and plants. There is also a particularly nice English style pub close to the Living Forest. It's called the Crow and Gate ... google it if you're interested. They have a really good Sunday market from 10 to 2 which can be combined with a delicious lunch at the adjacent pub and would make a pleasant departing event after our Toy In.

Check out the BC Ferries and Washington State ferries websites for schedules and costs. The "Duke Point" ferry terminal is only about 15 minutes from Living Forest and is very convenient. Reservations may not be required by our event time, but it's not a bad idea to reserve for any weekend in the good weather time of the year.

For our American friends: be sure to fill your gas tanks on your side of the border. Our gas prices are even more ridiculous than they were last year. Also, be sure your medical insurance covers you in Canada. We will have our car with us in case we need to quickly transport anyone to the Nanaimo hospital.

There is a good grocery store, drug store and a couple of reasonable restaurants in a shopping plaza that is only about a 15 minute walk from the campground.

Please leave a message on this site after your make your campsite bookings indicating your site number and number of folks in your party. This would be useful for planning the BBQ food quantities.

Please let me know if there is any other info that you might be wondering about. I'll check this site daily from now on and try to answer any questions you may have.

Looking forward to seeing old and new friends again. Cheers, Wayne and Irene

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Hello to all those attending the 4th annual Toy In at the Living Forest Naniamo September 5th and 6th. We have booked site 211 for the Friday & Saturday. I did note that all the view sites adjacent to the shelter are reserved. Like Wayne mentioned it's probably a good idea to pick a site (much) sooner rather than later. Like the other attendees we're looking forward to meeting all the Toyota Motorhome owners.

For those who are contemplating attending this Toy In, it will not disappoint.

Here's the link:

http://www.livingforest.com/cmaster/vacancy01all.html

Ron & Rose

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Hi all. We just reserved site #212 for the 5th-6th&7th departing the 8th. Darrel & Gun

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Hi All: I thought I posted a note last week, but it does not seem to have "taken".

My current plans are to arrive Thursday evening, Sept 4 and leave early morning Sept 8. I have a reservation for site 201, close to everything. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Sue

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We are not newbies. Due to password problems, only way to get on was by getting a new account.

So, Ron 'n Sue in Toy-Rig is now Tuareg92.

Anyway, we'll see you this weekend! Looking forward to it!

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With the shorter days, and cooler evenings, perhaps the folks who live closer to the campground could bring some firewood. There's nothing like good conversation around a nice fire. For sure I'll be bringing wood from the mainland. Together we should have enough wood for a couple of nights.

YVR

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