November 13, 2015. Crashing waves in Tofino

CAMPGROUND:  A 3rd night at Crystal Cove Resort

LOCATION:  Tofino, British Columbia on western side of Vancouver Island

WEATHER:  Only occasional rain. Cloudy. Highs about 50

We joined others by the fire in the resort's office, warming up with free Starbucks coffee and using their internet. We browsed through the  DVD library for tonight's entertainment.  We walked down to our beach, where the tide was out, but the waves were crashing.

We hiked one of the Tofino trails hugging the coast, through a rain forest. It was 2.6 km which sounds more strenuous than 1.5 miles. :-)

It is a bit "jungly" with lots of huge, old trees.

Mushrooms thrive here.

Then, back into town for lunch.  Tofino attracts a variety of people......aging hippies, fishermen, European ecotourists, Canadian storm-watchers, surfers and native First Nationers.   It has an outstanding choice of restaurants, one with Canada's top chef.  We ate lunch at Sobo, quite nice.  A cozy outdoor fire greets you at their entrance.

Then, we drove along some beaches watching the surfers and  stand-up paddle boarders.

Even with wet suits, it must be cold.

Then we went to the island's poshest inn.  It won the award for Canada's best inn.  Their staff-to-guest ratio is 1:1.  We sat at their bar that juts out over the rocks.  The view was spectacular.  We tried to be real Canadian.....I had a Caesar's, Canada's national drink, and George had a Canadian Club whiskey. 

Back at the camper, we invited Albertan neighbors over for a drink.

DINNER :  Leftover gumbo and garlic toast.

November 12, 2015. Storm-watching in Tofino

CAMPGROUND:  2nd night in lovely Crystal Cove

LOCATION:  Tofino, British Columbia, on western side of Vancouver Usland

WEATHER:  Downpour and windy. Highs in 50s

During the night, the weather prediction came through.  It started to rain hard.  We listened to the morning news on the radio, where they reported ferry cancellations due to the storms.  Some parts of the island have lost electricity.

We donned our rain gear and walked to the office.  Another plus for this place....free Starbucks!  My brother should come here!  Another nice touch is that they lend out growler jugs for guests to fill at the local brewery.  We passed on that, as we have 3!

We picked up information about the best places to watch the crashing waves, then jumped in the car to explore.  The first place had about 30 wet-suit clad swimmers bobbing in the waves.  I think it was a surfing class as there are many surf schools here.  Then, we pulled into several beach areas that are part of the Pacific Rim National Park.  The 2 towns of Tofino and Ucluelet  book-end the park.  We headed first to Ucluelet.  There, along with several other intrepid hikers, we walked along the Pacific Wild Trail.  

The waves put on a show.  The 100-year old lighthouse was blowing its horn in the fog.

We found a little pub for lunch.  From the window, we watched sea lions frolicking.  Indoors, we watched women's curling on TV.  So Canadian!  

Then, we retraced our steps and headed back to Tofino, literally at the end of the road. It is the end of Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway that crosses the entire country of Canada.  We had seen the eastern end in Newfoundland 2 years ago.

Tofino is a really cute town, with lots of restaurants and shops.  We saw the shuttered whale-watching trip store from which the whale-watching boat sank during a month ago, resulting in several tourists' deaths.  I had heard about the accident on the radio, but didn't realize it sailed out of Tofino. They are investigating the cause.

We found the Tofino Brewery (of course) and joined lots of other wet people and dogs.

Back at the Airstream, I made chicken broth from last night's chicken, to make soup later., 

DINNER:  Leftover curry and rice, to which I added more veg.  We paired it with a sour beer, which turned to be an excellent combination.

November 11, 2015. Off to Vancouver Island!

CAMPGROUND:  Crystal Cove RV Resort.  One of the best commercial parks we've stayed in.  Woodsy sites with picnic tables and fire puts.  Glorious bathrooms!  $55 Canadian/night ($44 US).  5 stars.  Really nice staff.  Free firewood, DVD library, wifi, showers.  Full hook-ups. 

LOCATION:  Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  On western side of island.  On the coast

WEATHER:  Sunny. Highs about 50. 

We got up early to get in line for the ferry to Vancouver Island.  It is about a 2-hour crossing.

 

Canadians seem to celebrate Veterans' Day more than Americans.  They call it Remembrance Day.  The captain slowed down the ferry and a sailor rang the bell when we all observed 2 minutes of silence about halfway into the crossing.

 Since we had been first in line, we were the first vehicle to disembark.

We arrived at about 12:30 in Nanaimo and we immediately hit the road so that we could arrive on the other side of the island before dark.  Tofino had been recommended to us by our Nova Scotia friends and is featured in my book "1000 Places To Go Before You Die".   We hadn't realized that the center of the island is a mountain range.  The road was pretty narrow, windy, and with downgrades of 18%!  We passed by 6000-foot mountains with fresh snow on them. 

 

The provincial park is closed so we decided to stay at this  resort.  It is really nice.

It offers sheltered RV sites and cozy cabins.

 Tofino is a popular summer destination, but also attracts lots of visitors in the winter for storm-watching.  That is what we will be doing starting tomorrow.  Torrential rains and wind gusts of 50 MPH are predicted.  The big rollers crash into the rocks here and put on a show, we have heard.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed the nice evening.  We watched the sunset and walked on the beach at our resort.

DINNER:  Since tonight will probably be the only night that we can have a campfire, George built a good one with the firewood that was provided.  I grilled chicken thighs.  Side was rice and peas.   

November 10, 2015. To Canada, then USA, back to Canada

CAMPGROUND:  Parkcanada RV.  Electricity and water.  Lots of permanent sites, so junky.  Decent bathrooms with good showers.  $34.  2 stars, but excellent location

LOCATION:  Next to Twassen Ferry Terminal in Vancouver, British Columbia suburb

WEATHER:  Scattered showers. Cloudy.  Highs about 50

We wanted an early start, but the only other camper in the park flagged us down to help him with his dead battery.  It took a while, but we got his truck started.  Then, on to Bellingham.  We drove through the cute historic district, then bought cheap USA gas in preparation for our trip to Canada.  Since it was cold and our trailer battery was dead, we ate breakfast in town.  We stopped at a grocery store and ate in their cafe, with lots of "regulars" interested in talking with us.  

The Canadian border was just a few miles away.  The immigration people were only interested in whether we had weapons, so we sailed through without having to disclose our liquor supply or clandestine potatoes.

The terminal is not far from the border.  We found the adjacent RV park.  We have reservations for tomorrow morning 's ferry to Vancouver Island.  We unhooked and drove about 5 miles to Point Robert.  It is an interesting piece of US land only accessible through B.C. George wanted to go to a bar there where you can stand in both countries at the same time.  Alas, the bar no longer exists.  So, we drove around a bit, looking for a lunch place.  Everything was closed for the season so we drove back to Canada.  

Quiet evening.  

DINNER:  Pasta with parsley pesto I had made in Portland.  I added some leftover pork and onions.  

November 9, 2015. Camping adventures in the cold and dark

CAMPGROUND:  Larrebo State Park. Woodsy, with good firepits and picnic tables.  Decent bathrooms with pay showers.  $20/ night dry-camping.  $30 hook- ups available.  On a beautiful bay.

LOCATION:  Near Bellingham, Washington, near British Columbia border.

WEATHER:  Rain most of the day. Highs around 50

We decided to take the ferry, rather than navigate the busy interstate through Tacoma and Seattle.  The ferry was about an hour from my cousin's house.  As soon as we arrived, we boarded.  No line.  They slammed the gate shut, and off we sailed!  What luck with timing!  The crossing was only about 30 minutes.  We landed in Edmonds, just north of Seattle's busy traffic.  What a good decision!

We immediately drove to Bothell, Washington, home of McMenamins newest properties.  They bought a middle school and converted it to a destination.  We walked around its 3 restaurants and 5 bars, including a tiki bar next to theschool's old swimming pool, now a spa.  The hotel rooms are converted classrooms.  All done very tastefully.  We had lunch in the school's former wood shop.

The only problem is that it is very popular, due to its newness.  Consequently, the parking lot was packed.  We found a quasi-parking space in the back, then realized we were trapped. Our Kane had become a one-way parking area, with no exit.   After lunch, we went back to the airstream and tried to figure something out.  George talked with some construction guys and they offered to move their gate,  then he precariously backed up into the construction zone from which we were able to exit.  It  was dicey!  About 5 construction guys stopped working to watch the show.

Our destination was the Bellingham area, featured in my book "1000 Places To Go Before You Die".  We found a deserted state park campground.  After setting up, in the mud, we took a hike to the beach.  We watched a beautiful sunset over the water.  Then, it almost immediately turned dark.  We hadn't brought our flashlights.  George thought he knew a shortcut through the woods.  It turned out to be a dead-end with the trail ending  at a steep cliff down to the rocks below.  Meanwhile, darker and darker.  It was getting hard to see the exposed tree roots and rocks in the trail.  I sat down  several times to slide down inclines rather than risking a fall.  Finally, we made it back to civilization.  Yay!

George made a great fire and we got nice and toasty.  I cooked dinner in a skillet over the fire.  Then, we went into the camper to eat.  The lights began to dim; the battery started to die.  We ate by candlelight.  Then, it died altogether meaning the fan that runs the propane heater stopped.  It got very cold.  We jumped into bed, cuddling to keep warm, and listened to a good Canadian public radio show.  A real adventure!  

DINNER:  Sautéed potato slices with green onion, zucchini and pork slices.

November 8, 2015. Chihuly Museum of Glass

LOCATION:  My cousin's house in Gig Harbor, Washington in western part of state

WEATHER:  Mostly sunny.  Some showers.  Highs in 50s

Our destination today was the Chihuly Museum of Glass in nearby Tacoma.  My guidebook "1000 Places to Go Before You Die" recommended it.  We had to drive over this beautiful bridge over Puget Sound.

The museum is right on the marina.  An outdoor glass sculpture overlooks the yachts.

The Bridge of Glass is a pedestrian walkway between the museum and shops.

Back home, we had dinner and watched PBS.

DINNER:  My cousin Danna made bean soup and served some oxtail soup someone had made her, with grilled polenta.

November 7, 2015. Visiting cousin on Puget Sound

LOCATION:  Gig Harbor, Washington.  In western Washington

WEATHER:  Rain all day.  Highs in 50s

During the night we heard waves crashing on the rocks.  Neat.  We awoke to rain.  We were glad we had hooked up last night, so didn't have to do much in the rain.

We drove north and east, stopping in Centralia at a McMenamins property to get our passport stamped.  This was an old " gentlemen's club".  

It is now a historic hotel, with the "working girls' rooms" now hotel rooms.  They have a movie theater set up to serve food and drinks.

We drove on to Gig Harbor, to visit my cousin.  She lives on an inlet.  When the tide is in, it is a salt-water environment; when it is out, fresh water.  

We drove into town to a brewery.  Tasty!  

DINNER:  I repurposed some leftovers.....lasagne, spaghetti sauce, spinach/artichoke dip. Good!