It is cool and sunny when we finally come to this morning. We take it easy and enjoy where we are. Carolyn packed an ice chest with a few breakfast supplies before we left. So we take advantage of the coffee maker and the microwave, fixing some breakfast in the room to enjoy out on the balcony.
The sun is out when we first get up, but by the time we leave it has clouded up and looks like we might get some rain later.
The hotel provided us with a map of the area. There is a road that connects the two villages, Tofino and Ucluelet. It runs about 40KM though the Pacific Rim National Park. The park is beautiful. Its motto is” Where the rain-forest meets the sea”. The road is almost tunnel like though a dense stand of huge cedar trees, some with trunks 3 feet in diameter. Then there are all types of fern, moss and other plants you would expect to see in a rain-forest area. All along the road are turn-outs down to the beaches and the trail heads. Most of the hikes are from 0.5KM to 5.5 KM long. Some of the trails lead to remote beaches that include steep stairs down a cliff face to access the water. Carolyn looks over the possibilities and picks a few stops that don’t require too much walking or climbing.
Our first stop is Long Beach, famous as the longest stretch of surf swept sand on Vancouver Island’s west coast. Today the wind is blowing up a sea mist and the clouds are beginning to roll in. It has almost a surreal look. We find a small group of people getting surfing lessons in this very cold water...they have on full wet suites!
We move down to Wickaninnish Beach, This is another long stretch of beach. The huge pile of tree trunks at the high tide mark is testimony to the force of wind and water along this wild coast line! There are a group of about six people riding the waves and waiting for the perfect one.
The Kwisitis Interpretive Center is located on a rock outcropping overlooking this beach. We check it out. It is interesting and tells of the First Nation history on this once remote island. The west side of the island was also a magnet for shipwrecks from the mid-1800's to the early1900's; at least 34!
From here we drive to Ucluelet at the south end of the road.. There is a lighthouse located on the point that Carolyn must see. This is also the beginning of the Wild Pacific Trail, a famously scenic trail that traces the dramatic rugged coastline in two sections, a 2.5KM lighthouse loop and a cliff side trail of 5.5 km one way from Big Beach. There is also a short trail into the Ancient Cedars. We check out the Ancient Cedars and a little of the lighthouse loop. The scenery is beautiful...well worth doing
It is now starting to mist and rain. Since it is a three hour drive back to Nanaimo and our B&B for tonight we call the sight seeing quits and fix some lunch out of the ice chest. We drive back through Ucluelet and take a couple more pictures of the village.
By 1PM we are ready to face that terrible drive back to the east side of the island. Of course, it is raining again. At first we are stuck behind a slow car. Then, after we get around it, we hit an eighteen wheeler going even slower, but he soon pulls over in one of the many wide spots and lets us around. After that we seem to have the road to ourselves and it never really rains hard. The trip back is 100% better than yesterday’s trip! Guess it was just the weekend traffic and the heavy rain.
Tonight we have a B&B on Long Lake near Nanaimo. It is a little tricky to find. It also is vertical! The drive and parking are on the forth level...there is a fifth level. When we pull up to the house, it looks like a two story home. Actually there are three levels going down to the lake on the cliff face we can’t see. So, after two flights of steps down from the entrance. we are shown a nice suite of rooms with a small kitchen, sitting area with fireplace and bedroom all with a wall of glass facing the lake. One more flight of steps down is a lake side patio and dock area with several small water craft for guest use.
The host helps Dick with the few things we need to get down to the room. Then we turn the fire on...it is a bit cool and enjoy a cocktail in front of the fire while watching the lake. There are a few people out kayaking and playing with other small water craft. The host offers us the B&B’s kayaks if we would like to get out, but we politely decline!
It is another early night for us, the time difference still has us a little out of sorts. We pick a steak house for dinner tonight, but when we get there, they are closed. Plan B is to drive around until we find something open other than McDonald’s! On the main drag in town we find the “local senior citizen hang out”......Monday is half price night for 60 and older. It is packed when we walk in about 6:15PM and we have to wait. All of a sudden there seems to be a mass exodus and not long after we are seated. OLD people eat early!
Actually the food is good and fresh. We share a half liter of house red wine and a simple tasty meal. Back in the B&B we enjoy the fire and go to bed
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