Another (Mini) Bucket List Adventure – Youbou, BC. – Retirement Reflections

About four and a half years ago, my intrepid adventure buddy Deb (a.k.a. The Widow Badass) stumbled upon a quirky little article in The Globe and Mail. It claimed that Roosevelt elk were known to wander the streets of a blink-and-you-miss-it town on Vancouver Island–Youbou, BC. The article itself is behind a paywall, but here’s a free video version that is worth watching.

From that moment on, “We really should go to Youbou” became our unofficial mantra. It’s not far—just 125 km from my house and a bit less from hers—but somehow, year after year, it stayed on the “Someday List.”

Until now.

A few weeks ago, in a moment of determination and calendar alignment, we finally circled a date and made it official: we were going elk hunting (cameras only, of course).

With all that anticipation, we half-expected to be let down. Youbou is a tiny town, after all—and there was every chance the elk would be off doing mysterious elk things somewhere else that day.

The Food

With no detailed plan, we began at Arise Cafe. Delicious breakfast sandwiches (served on brioche croissant rolls), friendly staff who shared local tips (and a complimentary map), plus an attached artisan gallery and gift shop gave our adventure a fantastic start.

The Walks

Youbou is small in terms of population (just 1,450 residents), but it’s big on natural beauty. The area is rich with scenic walking and hiking trails, all offering postcard-worthy views. We stuck to the short, easy paths—Price Park, Arbutus Park, and Sword Fern Trail—saving the moderate and more challenging hikes for a future visit.

The Selfies

It’s not a true Deb and Donna adventure without a selfie (or seven)! If you’re familiar with the area and some of the photos seemed out of place, we extended our adventure to include the nearby town of Lake Cowichan (just 13 km away).

The Main Attraction

But before we moved onto Lake Cowichan (which was also a blast and is included in some of the photos above), we were blessed by the presence of these two beauties–who seemed more than happy to smile for our cameras.

What made this adventure so special? It’s hard to capture in words—but the magic was definitely in the mix. Included in the recipe were generous helpings of anticipation, adventure, kindness, stunning scenery, wildlife appreciation, true friendship and play (we all need more of that in our lives). Finally, there was the deeply satisfying feeling of pulling an adventure from the “one day” pile onto the “we finally did it” list! ❤

What’s been on your calendar lately?
Have you taken any recent mini adventures?

My cohosts (Sue, Debbie, Jo) and I would love for you to join us here.

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