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 :)

The Bears Have Tuckered Me Out!

Our first day in Tofino was a pretty typical Tofino day.  The skies were grey and overcast, the early morning stoners were on the street, coffee was on offer all over, and rain was imminent.  We grabbed a couple of coffees (and perhaps the best breakfast sandwich ever) and headed for the Pacific Rim National Park.  The park has a series of phenomenal beaches, as well as a number of trails through different types of forests.  We made it to Long Beach and almost stopped there.  It is a massive beach, with smooth sands, very little seaweed, a great surf, and sweater weather.  I thought Laura might lose her mind with delight :)  

We eventually tore ourselves away from Long Beach and drove a bit further to the Rainforest Trail.  It is a, two-part, 3km trail along a wooden boardwalk that takes you through a lovely rainforest.  

Our next trail was through the Shorepine Bog.  It was a shorter trail, through a series of bonsai-like pines.  Very Tim Burton.  Very cool.

Now, somewhere between Long Beach and the rainforest, we saw a fair-sized black bear trot across the highway.  Very cool.  Also very disturbing, as it was clearly in the vicinity of where we were going.  Don't get me wrong, I love bears.  I'm in a very "go in peace" place with them.  They're cute, they're powerful, and I like to see them from my car.  I do, however, have a deep fear of encountering them in person.  The prevalence of bear-alerts (ranging from sightings to bears frequent here), combined with very vague instructions for an encounter, don't really help matters.  Also, being a sometimes new-age type, I fear that what you fear often comes to you.  This equates to a long day of being scared of bears and somewhat certain that this very fear will lead you directly to one.  It's all very tiring.  

Free of bear sightings, we headed south to check-out Uclulet.  It is a much smaller place than I expected, but it looks like a really nice alternative to staying in Tofino proper.  We took a quick tour and found a little restaurant for lunch.  No sooner had we ordered, than the rain that had been threatening let loose.  We couldn't have timed it better.  Lunch was the best seafood chowder I've had so far on this trip, and a huge salmon burger.  Yum.  

After a little souvenir browsing, Laura and I headed back up for Tofino.  Just outside town, we remembered the little botanical gardens we had wanted to see, so we pulled in to do a rainy tour of them.  It is a small garden, tended by locals, and filled with wacky sculptures made from different materials.  The back paths weren't for us, as the rain had made the boardwalk quite slick and the darkness falling/bear watch combo wasn't for us.  The gardens had clearly posted that bears frequent them, so we chose to steer clear.  Of course, they had also posted signs for alligators and deadly pot holes...  It was a short stop at the gardens, but a nice place to see.

Once back in Tofino, Laura and I continued our souvenir browsing and got some fantastic coconut shrimp at an outdoor fish hut.  We finished our night with a walk down to the docks.  

I'm so glad to have finally had a chance to see Tofino.  I can certainly see why some people are sucked into the lifestyle and enjoyed the local colour.  It's a quirky little town.

Sometimes It Takes Just Exactly As Long As It Takes

Alert Bay to Tofino was a bit further a trek than either of us expected.  We grabbed a morning ferry to Port McNeill and set about some errands to improve the quality of our road trip.  I resolved some banking issues, we found some coffee, and tracked down an elusive, but well worth the quest, audio cable that would connect our ipods to the car stereo.  Vancouver Island has some lovely scenery, but a drastic shortage in radio stations!  

Those things resolved, we spent the day driving down the island to Parksville and then across to Tofino.  A slight detour for an Information Centre lead us to the ocean front of Qualicum, which turns out to be absolutely lovely.  Seriously, Nanaimo has nothing on these great little ocean side towns.   

Our next stop was in Coombs to check out the local market that has a grass roof and a goat family living on it.  I'm not kidding (groan).  There is a mother, father, and three ridiculously cute baby goats.  A plus is that the market is actually quite a good one and not just a cheesy gimmick the locals suffer through.  

We then drove through Cathedral Grove en route to Tofino.  We really wanted to stop, but the nightmare tales of the road to Tofino seemed to emphasize a need to be off them before the sun sets.  The road itself is actually not that bad, with surprisingly accurate speed limits.  I can see, however, why you wouldn't want to be on it for the first time in the dark.  We had asked the woman at the hotel in Alert Bay how long it would take to get to Tofino.  In true island style, her answer was "well if you've already decided to go, it will take as long as it takes."  A 6.5 hour drive ended up taking about 9 with pit-stops and sightseeing, but it was a beautiful drive and certainly took just as long as it took :)  

Mid-way across the island, we found a group of cars pulled to the side of the road.  We slowed down to discover that there was a mid-size black bear picking berries along the side of the road.  We watched for a bit while he lumbered around and eventually disappeared into the trees.  Only slightly further down, we found a baby black bear picking berries all by himself.  At one point he took a small run down the road and it was about the cutest thing ever. 

We arrived in Tofino about 9pm and found our last minute hotel to be in a fantastically handy location and in fairly decent condition.  We took a stroll down to the dock, listened to some drunk kids play the guitar, and grabbed a yummy pizza to take back to the hotel.  Trees, ocean, lakes, goats, pizza, Pomtinis, cable tv, my sister, and Tofino - a banner day!

We Be on Island Time & Everyt'ing Be Ire

Incidentally, I started talking with an island accent as soon as we arrived at the ferry.  Not all the time, just randomly.  It adds a certain something to a long car drive, no?  If you're not sure, ask Laura :)

A Whale of a Time

From Campbell River, we headed further north to Telegraph Cove.  This is a tiny town (with a population of 20), that is built on stilts along the water.  I'm sure it has historical significance, as there were plaques everywhere, but Laura and I had come for the whale watching.  

Stubbs Island Tours took us out on a four-hour tour of the area, giving us the opportunity to see Orca whales, dolphins, and porpoises.  We were warned that it would be cool out, so Laura and I trucked out in every layer we could find.  It was freezing!  I was seriously wearing three sweaters and a hat.   We were on a great little boat, with less than 30 people, and a really friendly tour guide.  For a little boat, there was lots of space, some shelter from the wind and sun, a bathroom, and warm beverages.  It was a good little set-up and far nicer than the bigger boat that left at the same time.  First car-camping and now this.  How civilized!

We started our tour by following a group of spotted dolphins.  They were in a little group, just swimming along together, popping above and below the surface.  What a great way to start a tour.  Both Laura and  I were hoping for dolphins, but they seemed less likely to find than the whales.  We then spotted a family of three whales, made up of a brother and sister who take care of their baby sister.   The tiny little fin would follow the arc of the brother orca, at times nearly glued to his side.  Adorable.  Next up were some porpoises that were traveling at quite a clip.  You can just see their tiny fins flying by in a little group.  Apparently very little is known about these guys because they travel so quickly.  Our tour ended with a male orca swimming up much closer than they would usually encourage.  As a result, we killed the engine and let him swim around us for quite some time.  The fin is huge on an adult male and arc is very graceful.  All in all, a beautiful way to spend an afternoon.

From Telegraph Cove, we headed further north to Port McNeill to catch ferry over to Alert Bay. In planning, neither of us quite realized how far north this would be or how in the middle of nowhere we would find ourselves.  Port McNeill was another super friendly small town.  We got our car into the ferry line-up and walked back to get some of the best fish & chips at McNeill's.  So tasty :)  Our ferry ride was forty minutes and got us to the Nimpkish Inn with just enough time to grab an adult beverage and see the very last of the sunset over the bay. Strangely, we also saw a perpendicular moon set shortly after.  Seriously.  We both decided to sit out and watch the moon rise and instead watched it fall behind the fence.  I don't begin to understand this, so if anyone has any insight, please let me know.  Following this mystery, we walked a short distance on the boardwalk, then tucked in for a beverage and some Flight of the Conchords.  

The Best Thing About Nanaimo is The Bars

Our departure for the island started with a very confused car rental.  It started when I called for a pick-up in an hour and they asked me to call them back in 30 minutes to remind them.  Hmmm....  Then I said to pick me up on the side street and found the guy blocking traffic on the main road.  It turns out it is his first pick-up on his very first day of work.  He, it would seem, was quite nervous but trying really hard.  

We eventually got everything sorted at the rental place and I left in a shiny red PT Cruiser.  This is Laura's dream car, so I was quite excited to get her into it.  She has since spent a lot of time in it and has determined it is even better than she hoped.   

We loaded up with luggage and caffeine and hit the road for the Horseshoe Ferry.  I've decided that there is just as much variety with the BC Ferry system as there is with European trains.  You simply never know what's going to show up for you each time.

Our first stop was Nanaimo.  I don't get it.  I hear so much about this place and it really holds very little appeal for me.  We were only in Nanaimo because of the ferry, but felt we should see it while we were there.  We stopped in a couple of shops, found a few used books, Laura scored some 50 cent antiquities, and we ate some yummy fish & chips on a floating, dock-side, restaurant.  This is also where the car company phoned to tell me our PT Cruiser had been sold and they were wondering if they could swap it back.  I explained we were on the island until Saturday and that it simply wasn't an option.  Have I mentioned this was a very strange rental experience?  That seemed about it for Nanaimo.  Nice harbourfront and plenty of strip malls, but nothing quite like I was expecting.    We met with really helpful and friendly people, but not much for tourist activities.

We then headed up to Parksville, which has both a great name and a lovely beach.  Laura and I finally made it into the ocean and spent quite some time in surprisingly warm water looking at snow capped mountains in the distance, the ocean around us, and the island.  We didn't expect to find swim-able water so soon, so it was a happy surprise.  Fantastic.

Next we headed out for Campbell River's Rustic Motel.   It was a quiet small town, frequented mostly for its ferry services and fishing (it's Canada's Salmon Capital, don'tcha know).  We arrived in the evening so dinner in the Wendy's parking lot was about as much activity as we saw there, but the people we spoke with were very friendly and helpful.  

It was a good day that saw a lot of changes from town to town and a wide variety of services. Things clearly work according to "island time" here, but everyone seems quite happy to chat and help at their own pace.  A good day :)

This Little Light of Mine...

So, in the spirit of the West Coast (and our quest for quirky travel), Laura and I spent her first Sunday here at The Centre for Spiritual Living.  Laura had read about this is a Science of Mind magazine and thought it might be interesting to see.  We started the morning with a very tiny group meditation, lead by a lovely grandmother type.  Not a meditation I could get into, but not a bad way to spend half an hour either.  We then went upstairs to peruse the books and step out on a gorgeous patio that looks out to the mountains.  The service itself was interesting.  Lots of positive readings, some lovely music (with hand clapping!  I love services with hand clapping!), and an awkward moment of handholding.  Also, I heard "This Little Light of Mine" four times.  Lovely sentiment, but that is a whole lot of light shinning...  The lady playing the guitar was leading a chakra tuning workshop in the afternoon, so Laura and I decided to give it a whirl, naturally.

The chakra tuning was actually a really nice experience.  Lots of chanting in Sanskrit and some good old sit in a circle guitar singing.  Not something you'll often find me doing, but when in Rome...  Corrine Champigny has worked with Deepak Chopra for quite some time and leads yoga retreats in India.  She has a lovely voice, is cute as a button,  and provided a really relaxing two hour seminar.  Laura and I both felt a bit recharged afterward.  I was ready to take-on the third leg of my travels and Laura was a bit more able to leave the stress of Toronto behind and immerse herself in Vancouver.  Lovely.