Surf Is Up, Gern is Down

We woke up to a dreary Tofino day, but the sun was making an effort.  We got ourselves packed back into the PT Cruiser and grabbed another of these fabulous breakfast sandwiches at Breakers.  Soooo goood!  

By the time we got to Surf Sisters, it was positively pouring rain.  After some brief instructions, we trucked off to Chesterman Beach to get ready.  Now getting into a wetsuit isn't the easiest (or most graceful/dignified) thing to do ever, but soaking wet in a parking lot takes it to a whole new level.  Our friend Tom was telling us about the new Speedo swimsuits they're using in the Olympics that take a half-hour to put on.  This cannot be a fun way to spend a half-hour.  All things considered, I got into the wetsuit fairly easily, but struggled with the little boots for quite some time.   The human foot simply does not bend that way.   At the beach we had a rainy lesson on tides, boards, and positions before heading into the water.  Now let me be clear on two points.  One, I had a really fun time.  Two, I totally got my ass kicked.  Hard.  It is rare that you have so clear a view on how you can simultaneously be oblivious and painfully aware that you have reached your mid-30s.  Made more difficult by the fact that I feel better now than when I was the age of most of my surf-mates.  In a nutshell, there was a wet suit, there was a surfboard, there were soggy pigtails, there was tremendous water up the nose, and there were some really fun waves.  I will do this again and it will improve.   Oh yes, it will improve :)

Laura had been a trooper watching from a rainy beach, so we headed to Long Beach to fulfill her sand requirements.  The rain had stopped and we had a lovely time for beach walking.  After some debate, she finally came to terms with the fact that she really needed to be in the water.  The ever cold-loving Laura put on her swimsuit and marched herself straight into the waves, while the rest of us were in sweaters on the beach.  The surfers kept a good eye on her and she giggled and crashed into the waves for a good half-hour.  Long Beach is pretty much nirvana for Laura.

(Meanwhile I took the opportunity to devour a ridiculously good sandwich we had picked-up from the breakfast place.  Seriously, you pay too much here but don't mind so much when it tastes this fantastic...)

We then hit the road for Cathedral Grove.  It is a beautiful forest of Douglas Firs and Redwoods, located in MacMillan Provincial Park.  It has a lazy path that takes you through a section of forest on either side of the highway and is a truly spectacular place to walk among huge, old, beautiful trees.

From there we headed back to Nanaimo to pick-up dinner and catch our late ferry back to the mainland.  It was a great day, full of things that Laura and I have always wanted to do.  The life lists just took a big jump forward :)