As we had two weeks in Vancouver Meghan had recommended that we go to Vancouver Island for a few days, and was able to take some time off work and go with us. Actually, in reality that meant ‘take us’, because we were headed quite some distance away and wouldn’t have been able to go without her for which we were very grateful! She has spent many summers in Tofino which on the west coast of the island, and the journey entailed an hour’s drive to get to the ferry, a 90 minute crossing, and then another drive of about 3 hours through beautiful scenery to get to Tofino. [wpvideo e18lltkY] We made a stop to take a walk in what Dani described as a ‘green Narnia’. Cathedral Grove has trees that are about 800 years old and measure 75m/250 ft in height and 9m/29 ftin circumference.
We arrived in Tofino mid-afternoon and were able to check into our cabin which overlooked the beach and sheltered bay.
It was very cosy inside, and needs to be as BC is not known for fantastic weather. Somebody in the marketing department came up with a very clever description for the winter season; Storm-Watching season!
We spent lots of lazy time walking on the beach, scrambling over rocks, and just relaxing.
One day we had a wander around Tofino itself, which was less than a 10 minute drive away. It has many cafés and quirky shops, many of them selling anything to do with surfing.
Although we’d seen the grizzly bear on Grouse Mountain I particularly wanted to see wild bears, so Dani and I went on a bear hunt! Just like the whale watching trip we chose to go in an open boat and had to get togged up in survival suits.
It was a 7.00 a.m. start and the most beautiful clear and sunny morning. The scenery was stunning and tranquil.
Our guide spotted an eagle which most people were keen to photograph and we spent some time watching it, with Dani and I muttering to each other – “OK, we’ve seen it now, let’s go and find some bears!”
Finally – a mother and two cubs were spotted on the shore. They were turning over rocks looking for food and it was fantastic to see them. We coasted slowly and quietly towards them and had plenty of time to watch and take photos. The mother bear picked up some big rocks with an ease that looked like they were made of polystyrene.
It was a lovely few days, made much more enjoyable by spending time with Meghan and the bonus of beautiful weather. Even Meghan said that she’d never had a holiday there before when it didn’t rain at least some of the time!