Tofino, BC (52 degrees, misty rain, grey skies)
 |
Garden walk leading to beach
|
Our most challenging road as fulltime RVers lied ahead as we traveled from Nanaimo to Tofino across Vancouver Island. We had read there was an 18 percent grade upon approaching Ucluelet, but it didn't prepare us for how narrow and windy the roads would be or that a huge mountain was on one side and a very large lake far below was on the other. John and Barry were amazing and I think they really enjoyed the challenge. I tried hard to keep my mouth shut and not scream. We arrived without a scratch and the boys had big smiles on their faces.
Tofino, our home for five days and was once a remote outpost and hippie town. Now it's a resort town with first class surfing, great restaurants, and is especially known for storm watching. It' must be quite an event to see huge waves crash ashore during winter storms. Here are a few photos taken from a Tolfino website. We have heard the waves can crash over the lighthouse.
 |
| Barry and Jann's site |
Crystal Cove Resort and Campground is our new home. It's beautifully landscaped with full hook ups. Sites are tight to get into but after tackling the road here it seemed like a piece of cake.
 |
| Jimmy, Jann and me |
This beautiful tree was next to Barry and Jann's site. We found out this "hobbit cave" is caused by the tree initially starting to grow on a fallen log. The new seedling starts to grow around the dead log (called a nurse tree) and eventually the fallen log rots and disappears and this "cave" is formed. Isn't nature amazing.
Our resort is beautifully landscaped and has it's own calm beach. We liked this place very much. The free Starbucks coffee in the morning sure was nice too.
 |
| Beach at resort |
In the late afternoon on our only blue sky day we suddenly saw some islands enveloped in a huge fog bank. It was really breathtaking to watch and only lasted a little while. In our previous post our zodiac boat went by these islands.
 |
| Fog Bank |
The next morning we drove out to the visitor center and got some information from a ranger about the Pacific Rim National Park. It's a huge park with a very extensive trails system in Tofino and Ucluelet. We decided to hike the Wild Pacific Trail and it starts at a lighthouse in Uclulet and runs along the coast and thru a rain forest (approximately 2 miles round trip). We saw some dramatic coastal scenery and our guidebook told us to be careful during a storm or you might be plucked off. Wow! There can be some crazy surf here but it was pretty tame during our hike.
 |
| Lighthouse in the distance |
In the afternoon we chose the Rain Forest Trail. This took us within minutes into a quiet old growth forest filled with ferns, plants, and huge trees. The entire time you walked on an elevated boardwalk. It was magical but a little scary to navigate. At one point, I missed a step and fell off. My fall was cushioned by a huge pile of soft ferns and leaves. It made for a soft landing and only my pride was injured.
Tide pooling is my new favorite hobby and Barry found a great beach (South Chesterman) for us to explore, It was very easy to get close to all the action. The Sea Stars were huge and very colorful and we saw huge piles of mussels and lots of unknown things. The anemones were seen in and out of the water and my favorite.
 |
| Slot Canyon (check out my awesome waders) |
 |
| Razor Clam |
John and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary while here. I love him so much and some of our best years together have been as fulltime RVers. He is such a blessing in my life.
So, we are now on our way traveling across Vancouver Island and back up the 18 percent grade. Oh boy! Then we will head north on the east side to Campbell River for a few days of relaxation and maybe some whale watching. Say a little prayer for us as we drive the tricky road again. :)
 |
| My favorite picture of John |
J
Tofino, our home for five days and was once a remote outpost and hippie town. Now it's a resort town with first class surfing, great restaurants, and is especially known for storm watching. It' must be quite an event to see huge waves crash ashore during winter storms. Here are a few photos taken from a Tolfino website. We have heard the waves can crash over the lighthouse.
The next morning we drove out to the visitor center and got some information from a ranger about the Pacific Rim National Park. It's a huge park with a very extensive trails system in Tofino and Ucluelet. We decided to hike the Wild Pacific Trail and it starts at a lighthouse in Uclulet and runs along the coast and thru a rain forest (approximately 2 miles round trip). We saw some dramatic coastal scenery and our guidebook told us to be careful during a storm or you might be plucked off. Wow! There can be some crazy surf here but it was pretty tame during our hike. 
In the afternoon we chose the Rain Forest Trail. This took us within minutes into a quiet old growth forest filled with ferns, plants, and huge trees. The entire time you walked on an elevated boardwalk. It was magical but a little scary to navigate. At one point, I missed a step and fell off. My fall was cushioned by a huge pile of soft ferns and leaves. It made for a soft landing and only my pride was injured. 
Tide pooling is my new favorite hobby and Barry found a great beach (South Chesterman) for us to explore, It was very easy to get close to all the action. The Sea Stars were huge and very colorful and we saw huge piles of mussels and lots of unknown things. The anemones were seen in and out of the water and my favorite.
No comments:
Post a Comment