Restaurants

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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

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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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Travels Without Miranda, #8: Tybee Island, Georgia

I finally made it to Savannah in the spring of 2008, six months before I left Ottawa with Miranda. This harried road trip featuring bad motels and restaurant food convinced me that there had to be a better way to travel.

After spending a sticky day exploring Savannah’s historic district, I decided that the next day should be spent visiting the environs, my expedition culminating at Tybee Island, Savannah’s ocean playground.

It was the first week of April and still bitter cold back home, but on Tybee the sun was shining and it was hot. The Atlantic ocean beckoned me and I heeded its call, wading in carefully, then plunging in head first when I discovered, to my delight, that the water was warm!

Tybee Island lighthouse

Tybee Island lighthouse

view of Tybee beach from the top of the lighthouse

view of Tybee beach from the top of the lighthouse

Swimming opened up my appetite and I went off in search of lunch, finding it at a shack-type restaurant right on the beach called the North Beach Grill. I decided to take a chance on it since it was packed. It was a fantastic experience; a cruddy little restaurant open to sea breezes, salt shakers rusty from the sea air, rum flowing liberally, and Caribbean-style music booming from speakers. I ordered ‘grilled shrimp’ which was nothing like what I expected. I got whole shrimp, still in the shell with the legs on ’em, swimming in a cajunny-style sauce with a helping of freshly cut fries. It was one of the most undignified, delicious, and fun meals of my life. It took forever to peel those suckers using my fingers! It was there that I realised that coastal Georgia is a world unto itself where sweet tea runs freely, huge mountains of sweet shrimp big as a thumb cost less than a burger, and the people know how to take the time to breathe and enjoy a moment. It’s not paradise, but came pretty close to that for a sun and warmth-starved gal who had just fled winter!

That day in the water reminded me that when I am drained, water can renew me. I remembered this my first day in Edmonton.

(As a side note, that night I received an email that changed my life forever. But that’s another story, part of which you read whenever you visit this blog.)

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Home Sweet Coffee Shop

This could be my last time posting from the Mount Currie Coffee Shop in Pemberton. I would have spent a lot less money buying a month’s worth of wireless service from the local ISP, but computing from the car is a pain. At least the coffee shop is warm and comfortable. I’m addicted to their coffee and cranberry scones. 🙂

Last night, I found surprisingly decent Mexican food! I’m still not pleased with the state of Mexican food in Canada, but this was some of the best I’ve had north of the 49th. In Pemberton, BC, where there are practically no other restaurants, of all places! The place was quiet last night and the server let me indulge my desire to practise my Spanish. I must have done okay because at first she would reply to me in English but by the end of the evening we were conversing entirely in Spanish. It was a little surreal, especially when I discovered that I can say ‘It is getting dark’. I had no idea that I had the vocabulary for that!

The brake repairs were completed yesterday and Miranda was taken for a short road test. Today, she will undergo an oil change, a few more mechanical checks, and a longer road test. I was told to expect them to be done by about 10. The mechanic says that by the time I pull out, I can have the same confidence in Miranda’s truck components as I did when I left Ottawa. I sure hope I will. 🙂 So, will be arriving in Campbell River with the knowledge that all I’ll need to do in the spring is put air in her tires… and that her tires should be good for another BC/Yukon round trip before I need to get them reinspected. Some good news at least!

It’s super foggy out and getting worse, so I now doubt that I will be doing any mileage today. Croft’s home from his own adventure so I expect to be parked in his driveway by tomorrow night either way.

The adventure continues…

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Good-bye, Farewell, and Amen

It’s a strange atmosphere here this week, frantically busy even as the tourist season is shutting down. We’re hosting the road crew paving Front Street, so the motel is bursting at the seams while the RV park is eerily empty. Nights are cool and days are sunny.  People are leaving in droves by RV, helicopter, motorcycle, truck, car, even horse. No one’s left by garbage truck yet, though. Points if you get the joke/reference on that last one. 🙂

Dawson is quickly shutting down. My favourite restaurants are closed, including the ice cream parlour. It’s very sad to go into town on a sunny afternoon and not be able to get a cone of Rolo ice cream to eat while I watch the ferry go back and forth across the Yukon!

At work, the staffing calendar marks Saturday as my last day, with a big frowning face with tears running down its cheeks; the manager’s attempt at making me feel guilty even though I stayed three months longer than planned!!! I’ve had four jobs since I left last year. One failed miserably, one was tolerable, and two were winners. I have high hopes for my winter on Vancouver Island.

I still have some preparations to make, but for some reason detrenchment this time around is feeling very easy.

Today, I took advantage of the manager’s very generous offer of the industrial washers to wash all my bedding. While that was tumbling around, I cleaned the ‘bedroom’, getting rid of a mountain of books and magazines, dusting, vacuuming, mopping up water on the sills with my Bissell carpet cleaner (for which I have discovered another purpose), and getting rid of the curtains seeing as I discovered that the window-side of them was mouldy!!! I’ll do without proper curtains for now seeing as a complete makeover of that area is in order this winter. The cats were delighted with the new open space and spent the afternoon spread out on their blanket enjoying the 180 degree view of the park.

The generator is probably fixed; a fresh tank of fuel will confirm this. I’m ecstatic!!! Learning how to do proper maintenance on this thing is making me eager to learn how to do the oil changes on my vehicles as well.

The next big RV chore on my list is to flush out my water system with chlorine and then fill the onboard tank completely seeing as I hate the water in Watson Lake. 🙂 It’s pretty bad here (overly chlorinated) but that’s better than the iron-rich water down south that stains everything!

Inside, I’m doing a major cleaning and purging so I can take advantage of the Free Store. I already have a huge bag of clothing and sundry items to take there. I’ve been donating extra books to the RV park book exchange seeing as I’ve made full use of it this summer.

Sunday, I’ll pull out when I pull out. I hope to get to Whitehorse, but I won’t push myself. I’ve been working six hours a day seven days a week and I’m beat. I might make it to just shy of Whitehorse on Sunday, allowing me to get into the city early enough Monday to run errands and be on my way again. There won’t be another decent grocery store until Prince George, so it would be wise to stock up especially since I’ll be in Watson Lake a couple of weeks.

My bank account is much too lean for the journey ahead, but I will make do. Things will be so different next year when I leave Vancouver Island knowing just when my next pay cheque will be. I can finally budget properly.

This new life of mine is slowly coming together. My Klondike summer might be drawing to a close, but a new adventure is not far ahead and this satisfies me greatly.

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Forgettable Gestures

I went to Gertie’s tonight for pizza and beer and wound up staying for the 8:30 show. Just as I finished my beer, the server came up to me and said “I have a free drink for you if you want it. It’s a vodka 7-up.”

I gratefully accepted it (and handed her a one dollar tip). The room was packed, so the only reason I can fathom that she picked me to get the free drink is that I gave her a big tip for the beer. This was probably a forgettable gesture for her, but for me it was a very much appreciated favour. I wouldn’t have ordered this drink on my own, but it was a real treat and a perfect cap to a perfect anniversary.

If someone had told me a year ago that I would have spent today on the Dempster Highway, came home to Dawson City, and spent the evening at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s, I would have called them big dreamers. And I would have said that after that, my cup would be running over, there’d be nothing more I’d want. I would have been wrong on both counts.

*raises a glass to Year Two*: Inuvik, here I come!