Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 8 Author #76 Share Posted July 8 Day 3 in Tofino - we woke up to rain. My son decided he wanted to do the hike to the site of a crashed plane (in 1945). I read the trail reviews which said it was a very muddy hike so I gave it a miss. Instead I wandered the shops of Tofino buying souvenirs and gifts and visiting the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery which was definitely worth a visit. Finished up at the Harbourview Coffeehouse (inside the kayaking centre) and enjoyed a nice coffee & cake overlooking the water. We had an early dinner courtesy of the popular Tacofino van. Unfortunately, it started to pour just after we placed our order and there was no shelter and we only had one umbrella but the tacos were tasty. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 8 Author #77 Share Posted July 8 UCLUELET Started the day with a lovely circuit coastal walk that passed by a Lighthouse 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 8 Author #78 Share Posted July 8 More photos from the lovely circuit coastal walk 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 8 Author #79 Share Posted July 8 Then visited Ucluelet Aquarium which was overpriced and underwhelming. Enjoyed a tasty light lunch at this cafe nearby though. My photos don’t do it justice on an overcast day but the area near the Aquarium is very scenic. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 8 Author #80 Share Posted July 8 (edited) Then it was time to hit the road again, the return drive from Ucluelet to Port Alberni had a different beauty this time in rain Edited July 8 by aussielozzie18 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 8 Author #81 Share Posted July 8 Our next accommodation was a very modern 3 bed apartment in Parksville close to the water. After we settled in, I went for a lovely pre-dinner wander along the pathway on the waterfront. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted July 9 #82 Share Posted July 9 9 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said: UCLUELET Started the day with a lovely circuit coastal walk that passed by a Lighthouse I guess that after a few months in hibernation, things may need to be loosened-up a bit. Good to know that it helps a bear sh!t in the woods. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted July 9 #83 Share Posted July 9 Stunning, serene, majestic! Thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted July 9 #84 Share Posted July 9 (edited) following on and enjoying your adventure in my back yard. Did you see the big flying boats sitting on the shore across Sproat lake? They were built during the war and until about 8years ago they were active as waterbombers. The "Hawaii" Mars will be having her final flight very soon as she comes to here new home as part of the collection at the BC Aviation Museum here in Victoria. I was in awe watching her work on several occasions. She could scoop up 27,000 litres of water on a 22 second touch and go run and each drop would cover 1.6 hectares in a single drop. If you happened to see them there and wondered "what was that" now you know. It will be nice to have one close by, even if she isn't flying. Edited July 9 by Blackduck59 typo 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted July 9 #85 Share Posted July 9 Speaking of Hawaii Mars, they put her in the water today. She has some public events in the coming weeks and we expect to see her here in August. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted July 9 #86 Share Posted July 9 Absolutely gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing with us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #87 Share Posted July 9 2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said: Speaking of Hawaii Mars, they put her in the water today. She has some public events in the coming weeks and we expect to see her here in August. Excellent. No, unfortunately we didn’t see Hawaii Mars on Sproat Lake but I’m sure after her public farewell events, she will be a popular aircraft to see at her new home in the museum. Have seen the helicopters fly over our home carrying water for bushfires in the past but the Hawaii Mars obviously had a much greater capacity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #88 Share Posted July 9 From Parksville, we visited Englishman Falls. We did the loop walk. My photos don’t do it justice but we really enjoyed our walk here. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #89 Share Posted July 9 Then we visited the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre. A sanctuary for injured wildlife to recuperate in a nice quiet natural setting. My family were reluctant to go here as they thought it would be boring but afterwards they thanked me and said it was very interesting and they were glad they went. Raptors, Owls, Bear, and others. Each enclosure had a sign advising why they were there and if they were to be released back into the wild. Staff were friendly and informative. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #90 Share Posted July 9 Next morning, it was sadly time to leave Vancouver Island. We drove to Nanaimo to catch the B.C. ferry to Horseshoe Bay. We decided to book an early ferry to give us time to do some more sightseeing before driving back to Vancouver Our first stop after exiting the ferry was Shannon Falls. It was more impressive in person than my photos show. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #91 Share Posted July 9 (edited) Next stop was the Sea to Sky Gondola. We had the gondola to ourselves and the views were stunning despite the overcast weather. It was freezing when we exited the gondola at the summit. There were snowflakes falling but the views from the viewing point were worth it. We then did one of trails and got even more beautiful views and I saw my first chipmunk and a bald eagle soaring over the tree tops. We would have liked to have done another hike but it just wasn’t the weather for it. Would love to go back on a sunny day and make a day of it. Edited July 9 by aussielozzie18 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #92 Share Posted July 9 Next we decided to drive up to Whistler Resort as family wanted to wander the shops. It was FREEZING and wet. Lots of shops. I ended up in a coffee shop with a large hot chocolate to try and defrost 🥶 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #93 Share Posted July 9 Having spent up on our Vancouver Island accommodation, I went budget for our night before the cruise accommodation in Vancouver. I booked a basement apartment in the suburbs. A family lived above in the main house. They were real estate agents so the 2 bedroom basement space was modern, spotlessly clean and had everything we needed including welcome snacks. The next day, I visited Queen Elizabeth Gardens. It was out of season so not much flowering but it was nice to wander the site in the sunshine and take in the city views. Also paid to have a look in the small conservatory. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 9 Author #94 Share Posted July 9 Next morning, two of us headed to the the cruise port via Uber. Our Uber was a Tesla and because I hadn’t been in one before I couldn’t work out how to open the passenger door 🤦♀️ My son drove to the airport where he had booked his car in long term parking whilst we were on the cruise. The initial process was pretty straightforward of dropping off our luggage and then heading inside but then we hit the queues…..there were queues and people everywhere. Unbeknownst to us, there were 3 cruise ships boarding… 2 1/2hrs later we were finally on board the Grand Princess. Phew! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted July 9 #95 Share Posted July 9 7 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said: Next morning, two of us headed to the the cruise port via Uber. Our Uber was a Tesla and because I hadn’t been in one before I couldn’t work out how to open the passenger door 🤦♀️ My son drove to the airport where he had booked his car in long term parking whilst we were on the cruise. The initial process was pretty straightforward of dropping off our luggage and then heading inside but then we hit the queues…..there were queues and people everywhere. Unbeknownst to us, there were 3 cruise ships boarding… 2 1/2hrs later we were finally on board the Grand Princess. Phew! I am not a fan of Vancouver cruise terminal. Very tight on space, making it hard to get in & out. We have had a 90 minute wait to get out of terminal onto our Rockies tour coach, as the terminal scheduling is so damned tight and falls over when one coach is not where it is meant to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted July 10 #96 Share Posted July 10 On 7/6/2024 at 11:59 AM, aussielozzie18 said: Sorry, have been busy reading the books I purchased during my trip. Enjoyed them all. A season on Vancouver Island by Bill Arnott was by final read and it was my favourite. A collection of short essays gently detsailing his days spent holidaying at various places around the island during a road trip with his wife, interspersed with loving and humorous memories of childhood summers spent by a lake and with beautiful painted photos of places he visited. Will continue with my TR tonight. What a great collection of books! After a number of bear killings en route to Vancouver Island, I searched out books on bear killings. I was told it was cougars we needed to be on the lookout for, not bears. In newsagents, I discovered a library or such books on cougars. Why do we not hear about cougar stalkings in Australia? Every American I meet can tell me about all our dangerous animals! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 10 Author #97 Share Posted July 10 I have never read anything online about cougars either. I was surprised to see the signs warning of (sea) wolves whilst we were in the Tofino area. Knew about the risk of bears but not wolves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 10 Author #98 Share Posted July 10 (edited) On 7/10/2024 at 7:15 AM, arxcards said: I am not a fan of Vancouver cruise terminal. Very tight on space, making it hard to get in & out. We have had a 90 minute wait to get out of terminal onto our Rockies tour coach, as the terminal scheduling is so damned tight and falls over when one coach is not where it is meant to be. I think they need more staff and a better way of organising the queues. It was adhoc and there was confusion. They need signs rather than just one lady down a long crowded hallway yelling “if you are cruising with HAL come this way” etc Edited July 10 by aussielozzie18 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted July 10 #99 Share Posted July 10 We have only sailed out of Vancouver once. The set up seems so conter-intuitive; escalator up to check in, turn around and go back down for screening and US Border officials (easily the biggest bottleneck). Of course the water rules are so lame you end up dehydrated, and when you finally get on board there is sparkling wine but of course no water. Unfortunately it is what you are made to do before you get on the ship for what I believe is the superior route to Alaska and back. Cougars, wolves and bears are all formidable critters. We do have reports of cougar attacks on pets, and stalking humans but attacks are rare. There is a way better chance of being attacked by a cayote in Stanley Park (or any number of urban parks for that matter). Don't be that human that needs to get close to the little bear cub to get a selfie with the little critter. If you were to get between momma bear (who is always close by but often out of sight), it would be an unfortunate encounter. Don't under any circumstances approch a Grizzly bear, to them you are food, and they can run faster than you. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted July 11 Author #100 Share Posted July 11 (edited) Kindness of strangers. The couple behind us in the long queue that had stagnated were carrying 2 24 packs of coke cans in the crook of their arms. About an hour into waiting - 2 hessian type carry bags were passed along the lines from fellow passengers, so this couple could put their cans in a carry bag. It was much appreciated. Edited July 11 by aussielozzie18 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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