Day 34: Nanaimo to Tofino, BC

 

After a very good night of sleep, we are back on the road pretty early in order to reach Tofino as soon as possible. We stop at Cathedral Grove, to hike a couple of miles among the 800 year old Cedars and Douglas-Firs.

 

 

We then drive through Port Alberni, “Canada’s Ultimate Fishing Town”, surrounded by snow-peaked mountains. Again, we have to cross a coastal range, and again – it seems to be a habit in British Coumbia – the road is narrow and windy. And steep. After the 15% decline of the Lillooet area, here we get an 18% slope. Fortunately, not for 5 km. But we will have to come back this way.

We finally enter Pacific Rim National Park. Our first stop is, again, a forest with very old trees (up to 800 years old), but this one is different. The Rainforest trails are leading us in the midst of a forest filled with gigantic western Red Cedars and Hemlocks. The trails are going up and down, crossing some small ponds inhabited by small salmon waiting for the heavy rains of the fall and winter to transform their ponds into rivers so they can reach the ocean. The trees are covered with moss and mushrooms, and sometimes growing out of fallen trees. The whole cycle of life of this forest is right in front of our eyes, it is stunning.

 

We finally arrive at Crystal Cove Beach Resort, in Tofino, BC, in the middle of the afternoon. We will stay there for 2 nights, our 2 most expensive nights so far, and probably the most expensive ones of the whole trip. Tofino style. The fog, very common in the area, is still around. After a late lunch, we walk to the beach (direct access from the campground: resort perk) before settling down at our campsite. For the first time, we install the full hook-up to the RV: electricity, water and sewer. Luxurious. And very handy to do some cooking: Spanish rice for the dinner and tortillas (enhanced with some ground green beans) for our next lunches.

In the evening, we catch a glimpse of the after-sunset on the beach. Beautiful colors, but it’s pretty chilly. After many unfruitful attempts to connect to the free Wifi (another resort perk) from our campsite and from the office area, we decide to harass the receptionists again tomorrow. Maybe they will be a little bit more helpful than today. Frustrated, we don’t even take advantage of the free firewood to make a bonfire. Tomorrow maybe…