Part 3 – Bella Pacifica Campground, Tofino, Vancouver Island

Monday, September 16, 2024 – Bella Pacifica Campground, Tofino, Vancouver Island – site 26

Because we were informed that we must be out of our campsite by 10:00 am, we got an early start. We actually left at 9:56, which believe me, is not easy for us.

We like a leisurely beginning to our day. We read the paper online while slowly sipping our coffee, followed by a good-sized breakfast to tide us through to lunch. But with an early departure deadline, I skipped reading the paper and went full speed ahead into breakfast preparation. Quickly followed by getting the inside of the trailer ready to move on down the road. While Andy secures the outside. (Unhook water and electricity etc. etc. etc.) After 32 years of trailering, we pretty much have our individual duties down to a science. Which is good, because I am not a morning person. By 4:00 pm I can accomplish great feats of daring. But at 9:00 am, I am basically worthless.

Once out of camp, we turned west on highway 4 towards Port Alberni and on till we reached the shores of the mighty Pacific Ocean. And I must say, the road all the way was not the best road we have ever encountered. Not the worst either. (And yes, we had been warned by our dear friend Tim that the road was rough.) Lots of up and down, a couple 18% grades, around more curves than I ever would have dreamed possible, past two big lakes, large growth forests, and mountains with bare, vertical pinnacles. But an absolutely lovely, unparalleled ride in terms of natural beauty. In terms of smooth and easy to drive, not so much!

Arrived at the “T” in the road. (Going straight would have landed us in the ocean.) Turning left would have taken us to Ucluelet – pronounced you-clue-let (just like it’s spelled) (how often does that happen with “first nation” names). But even with its pronounceable name, we turned right. Our campground was just a few klicks south of the teeming metropolis of Tofino which just happens to be at the very north end of highway 4.

Point of interest: Tofino has grown 58% in the last 20 years. It is no longer a sleepy little village. Several huge resorts are now occupying vast stretches of prime coastal land. Beautiful facilities, but it’s very costly to stay on their hallowed property. But a great place to get away from it all.    

Andy had received a text on his phone while we were driving towards Tofino that provided us with our campsite number and informed us that we were now officially “checked in” and didn’t have to stop and register at the camp office. Great! So, to our site we proceeded. Well, the sites are so close together with very little place to park your pulling vehicle, that we had to ask the kind gentleman across the road from us to move his truck so that Andy could back into our site. He was most accommodating and even helped me guide Andy as he backed our trailer into a site designed for a Volkswagen Beetle. But we made it work.

But what a site. Probably one of the best in the camp which had 265 sites from which to choose. Of course, we wouldn’t fit in 98% of the sites, but here we were for 5 nights with our back window looking out at the ocean, small offshore islands, and a lot of beautiful sandy beach. Lovely.

After getting set up and a enjoying a bit of lunch, Andy decided to take his camp chair and go sit on the beach and read while I typed up the first part of today’s trip report.

While he was down on the beach, he witnessed an episode (presumably) of Canada’s Ultimate Reality Challenge (who knows what that is) being filmed.

For this challenge, each team had to fit 10 pieces of material together to make the rectangular banners and then get them into place on the frame. As you can see from the size of the man standing to the left of the frame, these banners were big and probably quite heavy. It took a great deal of teamwork to accomplish this task and about an average of an hour to complete.

20 people (5 teams of 4) swam to our beach from a barge that was anchored right offshore, then worked in teams to complete different tasks. The above being just one of the assignments.

Some required a bit of strength, but none where anyone was in real physical danger or being asked to eat raw rutabagas or anything that disgusting! The tension was high and screams between teams could be heard. So, it was definitely a serious (at least to participants) competition!

Andy thought it was kind of fun to watch and stayed down on the beach until he got too cold. Then it was back to the trailer for a shot of heat and a couple shots of bourbon in his cocktail of choice this evening – a Maker’s Mark Manhattan.

And oh, the sunset this evening. Magnificent!

After dinner it was the usual. We each read our respective books for a little while before taking those few short steps that afforded us blessed horizontality and a chance to get a good 10 hours of sleep.  Another delightful day in Canada.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 – Bella Pacifica Campground

Well, the guys predicting rain were not wrong. We woke to a wet world with big old drops of rain. Not a gently little mist or a charming little sprinkle. The ground may have been sodden, but nothing could dampen our spirits. Until Andy tried to light our oven. No way was that sucker going to be lit. So fine! I decided if I couldn’t bake the biscuits for our breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy with an over easy egg on the side, I would just have to improvise.

The sausage gravy I had made at home and was currently residing in our trailer freezer. The biscuits, in the form of a package mix, were just waiting to be mixed up and baked. But with no oven I had to get inventive. So, I “baked” them on my griddle. I used low heat, flipped them several times, and the result was nicely done biscuits with a crust that was even crispier than if they had been baked. Hurray for me. And since I had made enough gravy for 2 breakfasts, I now had the biscuits in our freezer for the next round of biscuits and gravy. Score 2 for Patti, score 0 for oven!

After finishing breakfast (about 10:30 am) and doing the dishes we decided to take a ride and see what this area had to offer. So, into Tofino we drove. And boy oh boy has Tofino changed since the first and last time I visited this part of the world.

About 25 years ago, my dear friend Linda invited me to come along with her to stay a couple of nights in Tofino and attend some kind of local sculpture garden event. And Linda suggested staying in a hostel. (I had never stayed in a hostel before.) (Or haven’t since and never will again!) Anyway, we got to our hostel and found out that the 4-person, 2 bunk-bed rooms were co-ed. What? Wait! I am not sharing a room with a man. Period!

I was ready to spend any amount of money to get us a room in a hotel/motel or any reasonable accommodation that did not include a strange man listening to me snore! But we had brought all our own food to prepare in the hostel kitchen, so I put on my big girl panties, plus every other article of clothing I had brought along and decided to just go with the flow. But the bottom bunks had already been claimed when we got there. And with my arthritic body I wasn’t going to climb up to the top bunk. So, the delightful young man, as it turned out, who was one of our roommates, offered me his bottom bunk but I declined. So, he helped me move the top bunk mattress to the floor where I slept for the couple of nights we spent in hostel hell. (And no there was nothing we read or were told about the hostel that referenced co-ed in the reservation process. So, be advised, if you plan to stay in a hostel, you might want to call before booking and ask a few pertinent questions. Better to be informed than gob smacked like we were!)

The only good part of staying in the hostel was cooking in the community kitchen and feeding anyone who needed an extra little bit of sustenance. (I do so love to feed people.) But stay in a hostel ever again? Not even if Mark Harmon was one of my bunkmates! Or, I should say, especially if MH was one of my room mates. Yikes! How horrible would that be to have to confess to him that I would be getting up at least 3 times every night to go to the bathroom! These are the things of which nightmares are made! But enough about hostile hostels and back to our exploratory drive.  

In order to not bore you more than I already have, I’m going to make this next part short and sweet. We drove through Tofino, bought fresh fish (halibut and scallops for dinner), drove down to Ucluelet, then back to camp.

Back in camp I wrote up this trip report until it was time to cook dinner. (And yes, it was still raining.) But who cares. We were dry, warm, and had plenty of provisions to ward off hunger or alcohol deprivation. For dinner I made a big salad and fried up the halibut and scallops we had bought in Tofino. I’ve never had better halibut. I simply sprinkled seasoned salt and pepper on one side and fried the fish in half olive oil, half butter and served it with a simple fresh lemon and mayonnaise aioli. Absolutely yum!

Then I read some of my book, wrote up this day’s report, and luxuriated in another early trundle off to bed. Another wonderful day in Canada.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 – Bella Pacifica Campground

Well, we decided today was going to be another quiet day in camp. It wasn’t raining, and the sun was trying its darndest to break through the clouds, but to no avail. So, after a late breakfast we decided to try and find the hostel where I stayed all those years ago. But nothing we found looked or felt familiar at all. (I have a suspicion that some other unsuspecting guest might have burned the building down years ago. Of course, I’m sure that didn’t happen. And no, it wasn’t me! I didn’t do it!)

Next, we searched out where we were going for dinner that evening. That we found. Then into the sculpture garden parking lot that I immediately remembered from all those years ago. Yes, we found the place, but it was closed for the season. Then we decided to check out where the other half find lodging when they visit this area. In other words, the posh resorts. And oh my, there are some pretty fancy digs in this area now. Big money has found its way to this remote spot.

And I sure as heck can understand the appeal. This unbelievably beautiful area with its rugged coastline, numerous offshore islands, abundance of wildlife, surfing opportunities, and lush forests is just such a restful place to leave the hustle and bustle of life behind. It is simply, a nature lovers paradise. And for all you biking enthusiasts, there are biking trails everywhere you look.

After our drive we came back to camp for Andy to take a beach walk and me to do some writing.  Some views from the back of our trailer.

After Andy returned it was time for us to go back into Tofino for dinner. But first a bit of a walk around the many shops and galleries.

For dinner we chose The Schooner Restaurant and had a first-class meal. Had a chance to talk with a charming couple from Alberta that were sitting next to us. Every time we begin a conversation with any unknown person or persons, usually a couple, especially when we are traveling outside the US, I want to start by apologizing for what is happening politically in our country. And inevitably, they just smile and wait for us to bring the name of a certain former president into the conversation. Then they just shake their heads and empathize with us. Because what is happening in America is adversely affecting their nation as well as making America look like a country of unintelligent jerks. So, we do our best to let them know that we aren’t all idiots. And that those of us with half a brain, absolutely hate what is happening to women’s rights, immigrant status, civility, humanity, empathy, and all the other bedrock tenets of democracy. And that hopefully in our upcoming election, good will win over evil.

And then they tell us that their country is also having problems. And I don’t care what country you care to mention. There are seemingly problems everywhere.

After our lovely dinner, it was back to the trailer for another few chapters in our respective books. Which reminds me, I am currently reading Harlan Coben’s second published novel, Miracle Cure. And I especially loved reading the note Mr. Coban wrote about this book many years after it was first published, which BTW was in 1991 when he was in his early twenties.   

He wrote, “Okay, if this is the first book of mine you’re going to try, stop now. Return it. Grab another. It’s okay. I’ll wait.” (BTW, I’m loving the book.) But then, I love Mr. Coben’s writing.

Then it was off to bed to be rocked to sleep by the sound of gentle waves washing up on shore.

Thursday, September 19, 2024 – Bella Pacifica Campground

Took our time waking up and getting started on our day. But soon we had happy tummies and were ready to set off for another day of adventure.

First stop – the Ucluelet Aquarium in (you guessed it) Ucluelet (or as the natives refer to their town – U-kee). And what a nice aquarium this turned out to be.

Hanging on the outside of the aquarium

This is a non-profit aquarium. It opened on June 1, 2012. The aquarium exhibits marine plant and animal life (invertebrates and fishes) native to the west coast of Vancouver Island. The aquarium fosters an “up close and personal” visitor experience through their educational approach, which encourages active participation with staff and volunteers in learning about the marine life on display.

All the specimens in the exhibits, with the exception of freshwater juvenile salmon, are collected from the nearby Pacific Ocean, specifically from Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound, and are seasonally released back into the ocean.

After our visit to the aquarium, we stopped for some fried calamari and cod and chips. Then a few provisions at the local Co-op (grocery store) and back to camp to bask in the lovely afternoon sunshine. Well, bask might be a bit of an exaggeration. I stayed in the trailer to write up this report. Andy went for a short beach walk and came back and got his down jacket so he could stay outside to read.

Then it was time for me to start dinner.

After a late dinner we did the same thing we do most evenings whether we are at home or on the road. We read until we can’t keep our eyes open.

And I know, for some of you, reading every evening puts us in the “boy are these two boring individuals” category. We will gladly accept that assessment. Because we also go to a lot of plays, concerts, opera presentations, dinners at friends’ homes, etc. And don’t forget the 3 or 4 trips we take every year. Or all of Andy’s gigs. But for us, being in our golden years, there are still hundreds of books we want to read before we pass on to never-never land. And I don’t have any idea where or if there is a never-never land. But if there is, mine will be filled with wonderful books and an eternity to read every single one of them! And to never-never again have to go to bed before finishing my current book. And I’m pretty sure Andy feels the same way. Except in Andy’s case, our Bösendorfer piano would have to go along with him. (That would make me happy too.) But enough about the afterlife. We are content to stay a while longer on planet Earth just for all the natural beauty that surrounds us. And it doesn’t get much lovelier than where we are right now.

Friday, September 20, 2024 – Bella Pacifica Campground

Woke to sunny skies. Delightful.

After breakfast we decided to take another drive to see what we could find. First stop – Grice Bay. And wow, was that a beautiful place.  

Then we tried to go to the visitor’s center for the Pacific Rim National Park. But it was closed for a cultural event. So, we went in and out a few other offshoots of the main highway, until we decided we had seen everything we wanted to see.

Before returning to the trailer, we went to the same fish market where we had purchased the wonderful halibut and scallops, we had dined on three evenings before and bought the same combination again. And I’m going to cook them exactly the way I did that evening. (Can hardly wait for dinner.)

Then back to the trailer for a small lunch and Andy to take a walk to Tonquin Beach.

While Andy went for his walk, I took my book outside to catch a few rays and hopefully not freeze in place.

Well, as it turned out it was too bloody cold to sit outside, so I stayed inside and wrote a bit and read a whole heck of a lot.

When Andy returned, I cooked dinner, we played 4 or 5 rounds of Bend Dominoes, then it was off to the land of nod for both of us. Our last night at this perfect location.

End of part three. Two more to come.