Tofino Beaches

We have been extremely lucky with the weather, just a morning of rain and after that it cleared up so we were able to see more of Tofino, including the pretty Tonquin Park where we even saw a wedding party in action.  Tofino was quieter in late September, I was told, so we didn't have to fight hoards of tourists to take a leisurely stroll through the main strip.  

Tonquin islet in Tonquin Park

Tonquin Park

Beach wedding at Tonquin Park

Tofino - This bench was carved from the Western Red Cedar Tree that grew on that spot for over 100 years before it was taken down in 2014 because it was too decayed to be saved.

Totem pole at the waterfront

We were lucky to get an early seating at the renowned Wolf in the Fog for dinner and I was able to taste one of the most delicious oysters I ever had wrapped in a taro batter - a first for me.  The rest of the dinner was outstanding.  We were able to make it for sunset at Chesterman Beach.

Chesterman Beach

The five days we were on the island, we went back and forth between the beaches and every time was rewarded with captivating images, whether we could see the sunset or not.  

Wickaninnish Beach sunset

The last morning, a Sunday, we went to Wickaninnish Beach to see the surfers in action and I also learned a lesson in identifying the highly skilled versus the mediocre surfers.  You could probably tell too from the images I took.

It's awesome to face the towering wall of surf coming in

Aerobics on the waves?

 

This one's a little better

Voilà, here comes the pro

We were treated to a beautiful sunset on the ferry crossing back to the mainland - a fitting end to a memorable trip!

Stay tuned for the upcoming posts on the Canyons in the Southwest

Wildlife Cruise through the Broken Group Islands

The wildlife cruise was one of the highlights of this trip.  We lucked out with a beautiful day that started out with a mist which helped give the islands an added ambiance.  The mist cooperatively disappeared at the right time to allow the boat to go through!  There were ample sightings of wildlife, starting with a great blue heron near shore, a couple of bald eagles, ample sea lions, seals and sea otters with cubs, even a bear with two cubs and a bonus whale sighting without even needing to chase it.   

The boat cruise started in Ucluelet and cruised through the Broken Group Islands to the south of Ucluelet.  These islands looked magical in the mist and when the sun broke through, we saw some beautiful rock formations on the islands.  It was a relaxing five hours on the boat with the occasional excitement from wildlife sightings.  A delicious gourmet lunch was served on board - a perfect break after the excitement over then whale sighting.  It was then a leisurely cruise back to Ucluelet, wrapped up with a black bear and cubs sighting - a perfect end to the cruise!

This was what greeted us at the beginning of the cruise

This Great Blue Heron was waiting for us beside the dock

Then another one flew by the boat mid-cruise

We saw two bald eagles on different trees, lots of sea lions including what is considered a rare sighting of a Steller Sea lion in these parts.

Steller sea lion

The beauty of the seascape often took my breath away - it was sometimes Wow! at every turn and almost impossible to put the camera down.  I had two cameras on me - one for landscapes and one for wildlife.  It was a constant scramble to pick up one or the other!

Then came the cute sea otters cuddling the cubs!

Seal and pup

The Humpback

Mama bear and her two cubs

The mist was gone and these beautiful rock formations were revealed

Between Tofino and Ucluelet

The 40 km between Tofino and Ucluelet is occupied mostly by the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, with stretches of long, beautiful beaches along the coast.  We stayed in Ucluelet, a ten minute walk from the Wild Pacific Trail.  I hiked the Lighthouse Loop of this trail for several hours in the morning.  It was a relaxing, leisurely hike, no steep inclines or descent. At one point, I pondered whether I should descend to a steep rocky incline to get a better perspective with my camera but thought better of it.  Another photographer was considering the same descent - his wife was hanging around to call for help if needed...;-)

There were so many spectacular viewpoints together with some amazing trees along the trail it was almost impossible to put the camera down.  Every turn brought a new angle of the coast, with little inlets and islets all along it.  Take a look at the photos to see for yourself.

Sunrise in Ucluelet

An unassuming lighthouse but it's the namesake for the trail so I have to include a photo

Looking south with the Broken Group Islands in the distance

All along the trail were trees in all kinds of shapes, trunks bent into beautiful curves - I'm guessing it's caused by the wind on these coasts but I could be wrong.  It's not hard to imagine what it would be like on a windy day though!  

Here is an interesting tree on a tree!

Yes, this is the spot where I considered climbing down for a better view, but didn't.  It turned out to be unnecessary anyway as every turn yielded a different perspective. 

The same islet from two different angles.

Close to the end of the loop trail is Little Beach in Ucluelet.  It's small but picturesque.

Little Beach

Wickaninnish Beach is much bigger and popular with surfers.  There was not much of a sunset that evening because of low clouds and impending rain in the area.  But the beach is still beautiful.  I was able to catch some surfers packing it in for the day.