July 15th 2011 Finally, a weekend to ourselves! Tofino and Ucluelet... we've heard these names over and over for years. Friends and family who've been there, they always speak of these places like they're sacred. And maybe the are. Nestled along the far western edge of Canada, these little fishing towns are home to some of nature's most precious and spectacular sights, and one of the largest swaths of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve... (Wikipedia) The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a Canadian national park reserve in British Columbia made up of three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The entire park encompasses 511 km² (197 sq mi) of land and ocean. We've always wanted to get here, but it's a 10-hour drive from our house, and flying into the tiny airport near Tofino isn't very economical. But, we finally figured it out. We drove up to Surrey to drop the kids off with Grandma and Grandpa (thank you sooo much). Then it was a 45-minute drive to Tsawwassen, a two hour ferry to Nanaimo, then about 4 hours across Vancouver island to the misty, magical, and distant place we dreamt of. We'd rented an awesome two-bedroom house in Ucluelet, with a gorgeous view of the inlet and Kvarno Island 4 long days and 3 nights of total bliss...
-Rob and Nicole
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BC ferries. Sooooo much nicer than the WA State ferries.
The beautiful vacation house we rented in Ucluelet.
The view from the house in Ucluelet.
Yes, we went here twice and loved it.
The "Rain Forest Trail" in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Yes, raised cedar plank walkways really are this cool. We need to make one for our yard.
A powershot S95 panorama of the "Rain Forest Trail", Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
Stairs through paradise.
Taking a few minutes to stop thinking about stuff and just appreciate things.
Moss clings to everything in the, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
Nicole hears a sound: the hard click-clack of a shutter echoes through the mist, and she realizes that once again she's been caught unawares by the camera guy.
This massive douglass fir log crosses a river in the Cathedral Grove Park
Nicole jumps into this old fallen douglas fir trunk in the Cathedral Grove Park.
Hanging out at Mackenzie Beach.
Picking her way along the rocks at Mackenzie Beach.
Surfers brave the misty weather at Long Beach.
Kelp flowers on Long Beach.
"TACOFINO" such good tacos. Fish tacos. Chicken Tacos. We were hungry and the taco dudes abided.
Checking out the pretty awesome coves around Mackenzie Beach.
Sunset at Black Rock Resort. There was a rainbow into the ocean, a whale flipping its tail into the air, and this sunset all at the same time. Epic by any definition.
One of the crazy-awesome zipline runs down the Somass River.
Here we are, just before zipping down another wire.
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Nicole surveys the horizon for icebergs.
The Botanical Gardens in Tofino.
Awesome drift wood pagodas at the Botanical Gardens in Tofino.
Nicole stares up at the towering cedar and douglass fir trees in the "Rain Forest Trail", Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
700-900 year-old cedar tree in the "Rain Forest Trail", Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
Taking a few minutes to breath some of the cleanest air on the planet.
Another beautiful old cedar giant.
Misty raindrops.
A delicate pair of deer fern fronds.
Everything grows on everything.
Banana slugs! Awesome...
Nicole watches the surf near Long Beach.
Nicole checks out the bald eagles which seem to be a dime a dozen around Tofino. We've never seen so many before.
Long Beach local.
A friendly star fish near Crystal Cove.
A fish taco from the Tacofino van. So good.
Our appetizer at Black Rock Resort restaurant in Ucluelet.
We decided to go ziplining through the insane gorges of the Somass river. WestCoast Wild Adventures was our answer, and they were the bomb. Professional, fun, and unquestionably-rad.
Nicole sizes up the cable that stretches into the misty distance.
Ziplining!!! |
