Day: January 31, 2010

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Whaler’s On the Point Guesthouse

Since I had no intention of driving Miranda to Tofino, I needed to find a place to stay. Research on my own revealed a serious lack of affordable options, so I turned to Trip Advisor. There, several people told me to check out Whaler’s On the Point Guesthouse, a hostel that is part of the Hosteling International system. The rates of $32 per night for non-members made the thought of sleeping in a dorm with strangers again quite palatable. But then I discovered that they have an amazing deal until February 11th: stay three nights (paid in advance) for just $60, taxes included! Staying three nights is feasible since I have four day weekends. Perfect!

When I found out about the deal, I emailed with the dates that I had off to ask if there was still space for those periods of time. My email was never answered. I called this morning before taking off and the guy pretty much brushed me off, telling me to ‘just show up’ and not even telling me that the office is closed from 2 to 4pm (thankfully I’d seen that on the website). So, I didn’t expect a warm welcome here, until I met the gal from Germany who checked me in. She was super helpful and patiently answered all my questions.

I haven’t hosteled since, oh, Chicago in 1999 I believe, and have only limited hosteling experience in Canada. So, don’t believe me, just believe the reviews, when I say that this is probably the nicest youth hostel in this country. It’s built like a mountain lodge, with lots of wood and stone. There is a lounge with a fantastic view of Clayoquot Sound and a huge, clean kitchen filled with everything you could need to cook. Some hostel kitchens in my experience are best avoided, but this one was a joy to cook in. I had packed a cooler this morning with vegetables and pasta sauce that would have spoiled by Thursday, so I made a big pot of that for dinner and will have left overs for two more meals.

There are quite a few people here, and my four-room dorm is full, but it’s definitely more relaxed than I imagine it would be in the summer time. Travel in the off season has its advantages.

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The Pacific Rim Highway

Today, I drove the Pacific Rim Highway, which starts just north of Nanaimo, all the way to its end in Tofino, where I’ll be for the next three days. More on that later. 🙂

By RV, the PRH would suck. It is a narrow, winding road with one steep downhill after another. In a subcompact with a manual transmission, however, it was like being on a rollercoaster. Wheeeeeee! 😀

While the distance between Campbell River and Tofino is small, just a couple hundred kilometres, the time is great. It took me over five hours since I made a few stops and often could drive no more than thirty or forty klicks an hour.

Donna suggested I visit Little Qualicum Falls, so that’s where I pulled over first and did a little bit of hiking. I didn’t dare stay long since parking for an hour was a dollar and the only coins I had on me totaled seventy cents.

My mother suggested my next stop, Cathedral Grove. This is the site of one of the last old growth Douglas Fir forests on the west coast. Some of these trees are more than 300 years old. Some are at least 800 years old.

This place had an ethereal quality. I stood there, craning to see the tops of this handful of trees that has survived logging, disease, storms, and fire and I wept. It was a profound experience. I challenge anyone to stop at Cathedral Grove and not be moved.

Next, I discovered Sproat Lake. It was so clear that, well, it brought to mind a quote from Forrest Gump:

… that mountain lake. It was so clear, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other.

I pulled into Tofino around 2:30, but could not check into my accomodation until 4, so I parked and walked around a bit, covering the entire, tiny, community. It’s the off season, so very little was open. I dabbled with the idea of having a dinner out instead of cooking, but the only options within walking distance would have cost over $50, more than my budget could cover, especially when I know I could get an equivalent meal in Campbell River for half of that.

You’ll need to come back for the next post to find out where I’m staying. 🙂

stairs to the lower falls

stairs to the lower falls

lower falls

lower falls

lower falls

lower falls

footbridge over the lower falls

footbridge over the lower falls

path near the lower falls

path near the lower falls

lower falls

lower falls

lower falls

lower falls

footbridge seen from further up the falls

footbridge seen from further up the falls

lower falls

lower falls

lower falls (I like that pool of standing water)

lower falls (I like that pool of standing water)

picnic shelter

picnic shelter

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tundra-like vegetation

tundra-like vegetation

looking up towards the upper falls

looking up towards the upper falls

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a national tragedy...

a national tragedy…

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western red cedar is in no way related to eastern white cedar

western red cedar is in no way related to eastern white cedar

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There was no Devil's Club out today, but I saw plenty of it on the Alaska side of the Chilkoot trail

There was no Devil’s Club out today, but I saw plenty of it on the Alaska side of the Chilkoot trail

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'the big tree' more than six feet wide and taller than the tower of Pisa!

‘the big tree’ more than six feet wide and taller than the tower of Pisa!

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a nurse log

a nurse log

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(unfortunate name for a disease)

(unfortunate name for a disease)

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I like how they just took a chunk out of the tree instead of removing it entirely.

I like how they just took a chunk out of the tree instead of removing it entirely.

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Cameron Lake

Cameron Lake

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idiots in the 70's set fire to this magnificent, centuries old, tree

idiots in the 70’s set fire to this magnificent, centuries old, tree

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idiots in the 70's set fire to this magnificent, centuries old, tree

idiots in the 70’s set fire to this magnificent, centuries old, tree

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this stunning lake teased me for several kilometres until I could find a place to pull over and take a few shots of it!

this stunning lake teased me for several kilometres until I could find a place to pull over and take a few shots of it!

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Clayoquot Sound

Clayoquot Sound

Clayoquot Sound

Clayoquot Sound

church on Main Street

church on Main Street

Clayoquot Sound

Clayoquot Sound

I laughed so hard at this restaurant sign. My dad's name was Gary and he loved 'Canadian & Chinese Food' restaurants.

I laughed so hard at this restaurant sign. My dad’s name was Gary and he loved ‘Canadian & Chinese Food’ restaurants.

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Somewhere on Vancouver Island…

Today, I’m having a case of déjà-vu.

When I went to Scotland in 1998, I did a crazy day trip to the Orkney Islands from Inverness. It involved a very long round-trip bus ride (six hours total, if I recall correctly) and two jaunts across a very choppy and grey North Sea. This trip resulted in two of my clearest memories from my month in Scotland. The one that’s relevant to this post was when we were going up the west side of one of the islands and the driver stopped to let us look out at the stormy conditions over the water. He said to us, in all seriousness, “To the left is the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop, Newfoundland, Canada!”

Tonight, I’m sitting on the west coast of Vancouver Island, staring out at a wild blue ocean crashing onto a rocky jetty and all I can think is that all that lies ahead of me is the Pacific Ocean. Next stop, Japan.

More to follow…