Ucluelet and Tofino, BC, Canada 8/19/2013
AUGUST 19, 2013 (Monday)
We set the alarm for 7:15 AM so we could be on the road to Tofino and Ucluelet by 8 AM, but Dylan (Bonnie’s cat) cried for over an hour last night. Michael and I agreed we’d get up at 8 AM and be on the road by 9 AM, which we did.
We drove to the Old Country Market in Coombs and had lunch. It was kind of fun eating lunch in the deli portion of the market, knowing that the goats were up above us having their lunch too. The market was fun to go inside and see all the different things they have – goat-radish (like horseradish), goat coffee, chocolate bars, etc.
After lunch we were off to Ucluelet. The road was very curvy and you could see where chunks of the road had been replaced. Not sure if the missing parts of the road were due to earthquakes or road slides. It was a challenge at times to try to avoid the big potholes and chunks. Once we got to Ucluelet, we drove down to the end of the road and walked to the lighthouse. What a beautiful view. Reminded me somewhat of the Big Sur, Pebble Beach area, down to the lone cypress, in California. Loved it.
Next we drove to Tofino. I think I was surprised that you could not easily access the beaches.
We went exploring. We saw the beach area near the Best Western. Loved seeing all the little islands out in the water. Reminded me of what I’ve seen in movies of Thailand. Beautiful. Lots of people out in the water. The weather was perfect all day.
We had been told on the night of Victoria Splash, by Anna, Thorne, and Donna, that we should have a meal at the Wickaninnish Inn. Michael and I got there around 3 PM so we thought we might be able to afford a dessert. Just barely were we able to afford it but it was so beautiful just to sit, eat the delicious food, and look out onto this stunning scenery. Saw Long Beach we think. The dessert was around $30.00 CAN. Glad we did it but glad it was a one time thing.
We went to Chesterman Beach. That was an adventure. We parked in the parking area for Chesterman Beach, then we walked down this long, dark jungle type path that opened up right onto the beach. Fun going from forest darkness into beach sunlight. Michael and I walked on the beach for awhile and enjoyed looking at the shells.
After that we left and headed to Port Alberni to our AirBnB place we got for $50.00. All the places in Tofino and Ucluelet were so very expensive, $300-$400+ a night. We thought Port Alberni was close enough, and also we could wake up and explore that area. We stopped at Dolce Vida, near our AirBnB place, for dinner. It was an okay place, decently priced. Michael got a steak salad and I got some Thai spring chicken rolls. I also got a banana split martini.
We went to our place and were pleasantly surprised at how cute it was. It is the entire upstairs, the attic. Michael and I would walk and bump our heads and laugh. Quite the experience. The hostess, Sara, was very sweet but busy with her little five month old son, a real cutie pie. The room was set up with a queen size bed, a futon, dvd/tv, and a bathroom with shower for us. Nice.
That was our day. Hope yours was wonderful.