Tofino and beyond

Today was the day to drive to Tofino. I watched as the mountains approached and began the climb.
Wow! The first part of the drive was between Nanaimo, Parksville, Coombs and Port Alberni.

The highway goes up through the mountains as it works it's way over a ridge of small-ish mountains and down to Port Alberni.

Twisting and turning it's way up, up, up to reach a point almost in the clouds. Cathedral Grove, a park, is a very old growth rainforest that is partway there.

So incredible. Truly the Mecca of trees.

The emeralds of the mosses, the blacknest of the wet trunks, the chilling mist and damp of walking in that forest is awe inspiring. A very magical or mystical kind of place. I felt very tiny amongst those giants.

Then, going down, down and down to Port Alberni and there it is. A Starbucks. A bit of a breather.

Only another 130 kilometres to Tofino.

And only more wows!

What a drive. The first part was hills and valleys, the second part was a paved logging road. Very narrow in many places with overhanging cliffs and soft shoulders on the down side. It was a bit of a jaw clencher. The speeds posted varied between 80kms and 30kms, with good reason.

Of course, it rained on and off during the drive to Tofino. There will always be the tailgaters to add to the stress of slowing down enough to do hairpin turns that they are familiar with but that I am not.

Pullovers were a lifesaver. A lot of traffic coming out of the Pacific Rim Park, but not as much going in. It is a Monday and I was not expecting much. The whole 170 kilometres took me (with stops for gas, coffee, photos at Cathedral Grove and the Tourist info place outside Tofino, from about 8:45 to 12:15 or so. Okay, I'm a Granny driver when it comes to roads like that.

Tofino is at the end of a penninsula going into Clayoquot sound. I passed turn offs for three or four large beaches that are the spots of choice for all the surfers. I'll see those tomorrow.

The hostel I am staying in is right on the dockside in downtown Tofino. Very nice, very clean, great views. I am in a female dorm, for four. Easy walking distance to all the amenaties. I skope out where I'm going to have dinner and where I'm going to have breakfast. Food, second only to coffee.

This whole area must be such a zoo in the summer. I am here the week before the May 24 long weekend and I'm sure that though the weather might not be as warm as it could be, it's certainly a lot quieter now than it will be in a few days.

With the evening came clear skies. At last!

I went to one of the beahes on the Pacific side and saw an Osprey! I was thrilled. In the harbour, I saw harbour seals, eider ducks, a kingfisher and of course, a bald eagle. More inland, there were wilson warblers, that I at first mistook for goldfinches. The beaches also had sandpiper flocks that would swoop around in a group and land running.

I sat and watched a gorgeous sunset before repairing to my room.

The next morning, I stopped at one of the Pacific Rim park beaches that was nearer Ucluelet. Watching a small flock of ducks skimming along just above the surface of the water when there was a geiser that shot up into the air. It was several gray whales! Tail splashing and all! There were either seals or otters bobbing around too. All of this was attracting gulls. There must have been a school of fish to keep them in the area for so long. I stood transfixed for about 40 minutes till my arms could no longer hold the binoculars. What a thrill. My dream came true. I saw whales. Of course, no pictures, but I was happy now.

A pretty cove in Ucluelet.

An Arctic Loon was doing a little fishing while I was there.

Because the day was a sunny one, the drive back seemed a breeze. I know I was only gone overnight, but the easy pace of Tofino and it's people made it feel like I was there for many days. The difficult road, the speed I had to travel it made it feel like I had come many, many hundreds of kms rather than just 170 kms. It's isolation from any city or other small towns makes it, literally, the end of the world. Same for Ucluelet.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and was amused, on the last leg of the journey, to stop at a place called “Goats on the Roof” a year round ourdoors-ish market. Very charming and, for a Tuesday, very busy.

In all, a very good day.