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.