Week 13

Week 13:

Day 85:
Got up and checked out and made my way to the ferry docks. Having gotten off to a slow start, I arrived just after 11:00am. Unfortunately, the next ferry to the island didn't sail until 12:30. On top of that, that weather was delaying the ferries. so we didn't actually get under way 'til 1:10 - quite a long wait. The trip across was okay, although its was a bit windy. We arrived in Nanaimo on schedule.
From the terminal, I grabbed some lunch and headed across the island to Tofino. The rain kept up on and off as I drove and still continued at my first stop, Cathedral Grove. It gave me a chance to try out my 'Outback' hat - it does a good job keeping the rain off my head, but I had to take it off to look up to those towering cedars.
As darkness fell and I climbed the mountains, the rain turned to snow. The road got a bit slick, but the weather turned back to rain as I descended to the west coast. The road got a bit twistier, too, and I didn't realize until the next morning that it was also quite hilly - something I hadn't really experienced since being in northern Ontario (you know, the kind of hills you drive over fast and feel close to losing your lunch).
I had dinner at the Schooner restaurant in Tofino and settled at a motel for the night.

Day 86:

I woke up to mostly sunny skies and started my tour of the Long Beach section of Pacific Rim Nat'l Park. I started with an abandoned radar hill and then hit the beach. The park is stretched along the coast so I could hit a few places to watch some waves. The best one was South Beach where they were the most spectacular. I also went on a few trails into the lush temperate rain forests, since they were there.
I drove to Ucluelet for lunch and stopped in again at South Beach on the way back to Tofino. I had some salmon for dinner and a great raspberry-topped cheesecake for dessert.

Day 87:
Slept in a bit and headed back across the island. Had to stop again at South Beach but the tide was low so the waves seemed pretty calm. The drive over the mountains was a bit more enjoyable but still quite rainy. I grabbed some lunch in Port Alberni and stopped in at Cathedral Grove to tour the other side of the highway. They had a nasty wind storm on New Year's day, 1997 and a lot of the trees were toppled - pesky nature!
My destination was Duncan, where I stopped in at the Cowichan Village Gallery to do some souvenir shopping (window again, only). I ate at Boston Pizza (Air Miles!) and stayed at the Duncan Motel.

Day 88:
Another sunny day - this must be a record! I packed up and headed down to Victoria. First stop was the Royal British Columbia Museum which was featuring an exhibit on Leonardo DaVinci. Quite interesting, seeing his inventions and a nice copy of the Mona Lisa.
I took the 'Scenic Drive' around the peninsula and headed to my cousin's place, David Morgan, for dinner. We (me, him, and his son, Eric) went out to The Pantry and then they went to a school pageant while I saw the movie Elizabeth. We met back at his place and I enjoyed a cheap night sleeping on his couch.

Day 89:
My cousin starts his day early, so I was on the road by 7:45am. I grabbed a hot chocolate and headed north. I stopped in Nanaimo to replenish my trail mix supply and took a break at Englishman's River Falls for a short hike and a nap.
Arrived in Comox and stopped at the Queenish Village gift shop where I actually bought some souvenirs! From there I did a driving tour of the place and had a late lunch at McD's. I registered at a motel and the headed off to see the Courtney, BC premiere of Star Trek: Insurrection. Not bad, although some the joke went a bit too far.
At the motel, I had a kitchenette, so I made some dinner after the movie and watched a bit of TV before hitting the sack.

Day 90:
Took my time getting up, since my ferry had been delayed a day (Sun instead of Sat) and I had heard the wind whipping up the rain most of the night. It was still windy and rainy as I packed up and headed off.
I stopped in Campbell River and took a bit of time to watch some of the waves rolling in. On the east coast things are pretty sheltered, so the waves weren't as dramatic as those at Tofino. From there I stopped in at the local museum where I enjoyed the exhibits as well as a few short movies. One was a documentary on the removal of Ripple Rock, a rock formation just below the surface of a local waterway that was playing havoc with shipping. The engineers decided to drill down from the bank, drill under the river bed and then drill up under the rock. From there, they carved out a network of tunnels and crammed them full of explosives. With the CBC on hand, the detonated it - causing the largest non-nuclear peace-time explosion at the time (1958).
After all that excitement, I stopped at Boston Pizza for lunch and headed north to Port Hardy. The road cuts in from the coast and I was able to see a bit of snow on the road side as I drove through the rain to my destination. I found a Bed & Breakfast and settled in for the night - having the opportunity to update some of my travels.

Day 91:
Enjoyed a nice breakfast - kinda came with the bed, you know - and then headed off. I had about 9 hours to kill before the ferry sailed, so I needed some time intensive activities to pass the time.
On the northwestern tip of Vancouver lies Cape Scott Park. Quite scenic and a little remote. To get there, I travelled along a logging road for 65km, which took just over an hour. The network of trails out to the coast take between 6 and 12 hours, one way, so I decided to just take one of the shorter trails out to an abandoned settlement attempt from the early part of this century. The trip only took an hour each way but the waves weren't very impressive, so I didn't take the trail any further along the coast. I was also experiencing hail along the trails so I headed back.
After the hour drive back to Port Hardy, I grabbed some lunch - half a sub with the other half for dinner on the ferry - and a few snacks at the grocery store. With a few more hours still to occupy, I headed to the ferry docks and wandered around the rocky shoreline for a bit. After a short nap, I headed in and got in line for the ferry.
We loaded on at around 5:45pm and got underway around 6:15pm for the 24 hour voyage. The first part of the trip was on the open ocean - not protected by surrounding island - so I braved the wind to watch the boat crashing thru the swells. The sky cleared up, so I was able to enjoy both the surf and the stars without getting drenched. I also took a few breaks to enjoy some soup and hot chocolate - the cashier was quite taken by my recipe for the best cup of HC.
As I tired, I found a dark corner on one of the decks and set out my blanket for a few hours of shut-eye.