Cat in a cupboard!
The sun comes out! After a rainy night, we had a glorious day on thursday. We walked towards Tofino first along Chesterman Beach, then on the walking/bike path beside the highway. Stopped for lunch at Tacofino and then onto the Tofino Botanical Gardens, which is beautiful and worth the visit. They offer a $1 discount to entry if you arrive on foot. There’s a nice little cafe there, altho we were denied afternoon coffee by a power outage! The 12-acre property has many types of gardens to explore, most with a coastal temperate rainforest theme. There is a wonderful boardwalk trail through the woods which leads to a small secluded beach with a wonderful view.
http://clayoquotbiosphere.org/web/
The duck pond at the Tofino Botanical Garden with a hut made by local artist Jan Janzen.
Looking out to a couple small islands, with, I believe, Meares Island in the background.
K and R in the garden.
One of our adventure days was spent exploring a small portion of Pacific Rim National Park. We began by walking the short 0.8 km boardwalk path at the the Bog Trail. The saturated soil has created an other-worldly landscape of stunted trees, mosses and interesting plants. We moved onto the Kwisitis Visitor Centre which provides an overview of the cultural and natural history of the region. Lunch was eaten at the Wickaninnish Restaurant located at the centre. If you can, wait for a window table. The ocean view is amazing; the fog rolled in and created the most incredible light while we were there. We also spent a bit of time on Wickaninnish Beach and South Beach, a smaller pebble beach accessed by a trail behind the centre.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/natcul/natcul9.aspx
Wickaninnish Beach. The day we were there was a backhoe on the beach clearing invasive grasses.
The conditions at the Bog seem to create trees that grow in a twisted fashion. Many of these bark-less trees dot the landscape.
Another twisted tree.
The snuggle
I thought I’d have more to report on the local Tofino food scene. There are many amazing restaurants in Tofino, but our little kitchen at Gold Coast was so welcoming, so we ate in every night. We did have a pretty good lunch at Tacofino, a Mexican food cart in a funny little complex of shops on the way into town (also now in Vancouver, BC). We also stopped at that complex a couple time to buy fresh produce at the tiniest little grocery store called Beaches. The last time we were there we had intended to check of the coffee shop and the chocolate shop at the same complex, but a seven-hour power outage had closed everything down. We were very thankful for our gas stove that night. GJ and I intent to make a return trip to Tofino soon when we will attempt to eat at as many of the local establishments as possible! Sobo is one place I’m particularly curious about.
http://www.chocolatetofino.com/
Some beautiful local mussels which GJ cooked deliciously!
We weren’t lucky enough to see any large wild creatures during our week in Tofino, but lots of smaller ones were plentiful. Especially birds! My favorites were the little sandpiper shorebirds which moved almost comically along the tideline. Our little yard at the cottage attracted a bunch of Steller’s Jays who liked to hang around in the mornings. They are highly inquisitive and very pretty. We also saw eagles, ravens and many varieties of gulls. Most of the sea life we saw had washed up on the beach, shells and such, but we did see one brilliant orange star waiting for the tide to come back.
A small bunch of Sandpipers.
Orange Starfish on Chesterman Beach.
All kinds of weather and unexpected moments of delight: this is what to expect of this beautiful part of our province. We had fog and lots of it, which is fine with me! It made it’s way peacefully across the beaches and through the trees around our cottage. And we had some sun, which was an unexpected treasure. Perhaps my favourite moment of delight was stumbling into The Carving Shed, just on Chesterman Beach below the Wickaninnish Inn. The former studio and home of the late Henry Nolla, the shed is now occupied by local carvers. The day we were there, we met George Yearsley with whom we visited for some time. His delicate carvings of Eagle feathers as well as his gentle welcoming nature are delightful. Another beautiful place to visit in Tofino is the Eagle Aerie Gallery on Campbell Street. The building is a work of art, and the beautiful work of Roy Henry Vickers grace the walls.
http://www.tofinotourism.ca/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=11
http://www.youtube.com/user/WickaninnishInn#p/u/0/yCeqiKL0hpQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxJXB43pud0
http://www.royhenryvickers.com/
A little fog won't stop the surfers.
A beautiful grey day in Tofino.
Feathers carved from yellow cedar by George Yearsley.
Eagle Feather carving and box by George Yearsley.
I know she's in there, I can hear her rummaging.
There she is!
What a lovely week on the west coast! We headed for Tofino last monday with dear friends K & R and enjoyed a perfect week together. We had every kind of weather and a seven-hour power outage, but even that couldn’t dampen our spirits.
K & R were kind enough to drive us all, and we took our time and enjoyed the scenery. A stop Coombs for a few groceries; sadly we saw no goats! We stopped at Cathedral Grove for a walk through the ancient forest and then onto Sproat Lake for a picnic lunch. We pulled into our delightful cottage at the Gold Coast Retreat late afternoon and headed straight for Chesterman Beach, accessed just across the road. The clouds had rolled in, but it was still very beautiful.
http://www.gotofino.com/sproatlakemarsbombers.html
http://www.goldcoasttofino.com/
The sand between our toes on Chesterman Beach, Tofino BC
A hot sunny day at Sproat Lake with a view of a Mars Bomber float plane.
Somewhere new for me to be, so be there I must.
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