Hi all
We looked at a number of private and public campgrounds and spent a lot of time on the web in the last week.
The following were eliminated:
Native camp (First Nations) in Brentwood is out - no alcohol allowed, and while that doesn't bother me it will bother most people!
Saanich Fairgrounds - not available for the 25 May, and not very good for a small group.
SVI Rangers, Langford - very nice location, but they want $300. per day for the campsite, and we can't use their function room to do slide shows unless a member of the SVI Rangers is part of our group. Anybody know any SVI Rangers members who would like to come along, otherwise its a no go.
Goldstream Provincial Park is perfect, and was our first choice - but it's booked solid.
Riverbend Resort, Parksville - nice location, campsites $16.00 each, but quite small sites and in the middle of RV sites. No function room.
Riverside Campground, Parksville - too small and no function room.
Other Provincial Parks either don't have group camping, are booked for that date, or are too far into the Interior to be practical for most of us to get to on a weekend.
After a lot of time and phone calls on this, we're down to TWO alternatives, and we need to decide by Sunday (tomorrow):
OPTION 1. Rathtrevor Provincial Park, Parksville, Vancouver Island. We looked at the group camping area at Rathtrevor P.P., BUT there are already 4 groups booked in there, and we would end up in the middle, which would be a problem if we had more people than expected. Alternatively, we can block off a number of adjacent sites in the main campground. Big advantage is that they have an ampitheatre which we could use for slide shows, which is indoors and has electricity, and no charge for using it. Other big advantage is weather should be good. Disadvantage for the mainlanders and the Americans is that a ferry is required, so that adds to the cost. We don't yet have a price on food catering for Rathtrevor.
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/exp...s/rathtrev.htm
OPTION 2. Nairn Falls Provincial Park, 20 minutes north of Whistler, which has ONE private group area - and we have it if we want it, but MUST decide by Sunday or it's on the block again. We can get delivered catering from Pemberton hotel for a reasonable price, or people can bring their own food. There is no electricity or covered area, but we could put up tarps for the slide shows and rent a generator. Or, we could rent a hall at the rec centre in Pemberton, 3 km away, but would need to book it soon, so need accurate numbers as soon as possible. The riding in the area is great too. Disadvantage for the Islanders is that a ferry is required. For the Americans, it is about 2-3 hours drive from the US border.
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/exp...kpgs/nairn.htm
We are leaning towards Nairn Falls, going with catering at the campground and doing the slide shows outdoors. Total cost for camping, dinner and slide shows would be about $20 Canadian per person going that route.
Question 1 - Which of these do you prefer?
Question 2 - If your choice wasn't the final one, would you come anyway?
Please let us know as soon as you can. Once we have booked the location, we will post a form to register, so we can accurately estimate numbers, food requirements, whether to book the hall, etc.
Thanks
Grant & Susan
[This message has been edited by Susan (edited 14 April 2002).]
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