Vancouver Island: Rain forests, & The Pacific Coast

September 11th, 2018 we drove down to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry terminal in downtown Vancouver to catch the ferry over to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. The ferry travel time was only about an hour and a half long. We sat on the outer sun deck and took in the amazing ocean views as we watched for whales. Apparently, earlier that day orcas were spotted, however we didn't see any on our ride. What we did see, were spectacular ocean views, and the sun glistening off the ocean waters. We arrived in Nanaimo early afternoon, leaving us ample time to get out and explore. Our first stop in Nanaimo was to Ammonite Falls, located just a few minutes from the ferry port. This was a stunning trail, through the rainforest along all sorts of little creeks. A perfect hour long walk in the woods. Can't beat the

tranquility of that! After our hike, we treated ourselves to a movie, with it being a Tuesday, it was cheap night after all. Movie of choice was Meg. Not bad! We were lucky to find a rest stop only 10 km from the theater, and city center. It pretty well rained throughout the majority of our time in Vancouver Island, which was to be expected. However, we embraced the rain and continued to explore. Our first full day on the island was spent driving towards the famous towns of Ucluelet and Tofino. About halfway there, we stopped at Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park for a little lunch picnic, and a quick leg stretch. To our surprise, this park was stunning and worth the stop beyond a little driving break. The short and easy hike, talks you along 2 sets of waterfalls, and if visiting in the fall time like we were, you'll enjoy all the fall foliage. The water pools, cascading into

the waterfalls were such bright blue, clear waters. This was such a hidden gem. Only an hour later we arrived in Ucluelet, with a full evening ahead of us. Those of you familiar with Ucluelet and Tofino, you know these towns are known for their stunning beaches. So, our evening was spent exploring some of Ucluelet's beaches. We started off at Terrace Bay Beach, although to this day we're still not exactly sure if this beach was open to the public or just for the hotel guests, but we found our way and loved this small quaint beach. The sandy shore was littered with unique rocks, and the BIGGEST shell I have ever seen! There are plenty of rocky boulders that offer such a scenic landscape. We walked the shoreline up and down, and took in the views before

heading off for a nice scenic hike along the Wild Pacific Trail. We chose to hike the lighthouse loop trail, and were not at all disappointed! In total the trail was a short 5 km return hike FULL of beautiful overlooks of the ocean, crooked trees, an old lighthouse. This rainforest to sea trail offers plenty of opportunities for marine life viewings, on a clear day its typical to watch the whales or sea lions. Unfortunately for us, it was a cold foggy day. We were unable to see very far out into the ocean. However, we were lucky to see three little fawns. They were the cutest little things, that we got to walk right behind along the trail. Our final

stop in Ucluelet, and for the day was at Little Beach. The name really speaks for itself. It was a very small beach, but it held a lot of beauty. We cooked dinner in the parking lot, then sat along the sandy shore and watched the sun go down. Then the search for the rest stop began. We lucked out. About 20 km back down the main highway we found a rest stop! Nice and clean, with no signs stating no overnight parking. It would do! The roads leading to the rest stop were mountainous and windy, not roads you want to be driving at night. So we were really happy to have found this pull off just as the last bit of sunlight disappeared. We got to fall asleep to the sound of the rapids flowing just beside the truck. Day three on the island, was spent exploring the best beaches in Tofino, surfer town! With a quick coffee pit stop, we were en route to spend the day beaching. Although it was raining pretty good when we started our drive, when we arrived at our first beach "Cox Bay", it had stopped. Perfect timing! To get to Cox Bay Beach from the parking lot, it a short trail through the woods of wolf country. Once you reach the end of the wooded trail, your

greeted by the most beautiful sandy beach. There are people surfing, and enjoying the waters, while others are enjoying combing the beach for all sorts of treasures. We decided to partake in the beach combing, and boy am I ever glad I did. I found my first sand dollar!

It was a very exciting moment. My grandmother and I used to do crafts and such with Sand Dollars, and I just so happened to find my first sand dollar the day before her birthday. Next on our agenda was Schooner Beach. Getting to this beach, required a bit more work. It required a 2.5 km hike each way through the rainforest, along a very badly maintained, narrow boardwalk. The hike was stunning, aside from the boardwalk, and the beach was small, but still so beautiful, in a rustic kinda of way. We didn't spend much time on the beach just because it was so small, and we wanted to check out more beaches. We hit Long Beach next. This

was the busiest and biggest beach, and for obvious reasons. It's Stunning, and a surfers paradise. The beach really is never ending, its incredible and absolutely worth stopping for. We spent a good amount of time here walking up and down the shoreline searching for shells, and sand dollars. We found a few special pieces. The final stop in Tofino, was yet another beach! Combers beach. Again, to get to this beach a short hike through the rainforest is required and totally worth it. The beach is beautiful and full of driftwood tepee's. This beach had a huge sandbar,

making it pretty unique from the other beaches we saw. A beautiful sunset complete our perfect beach day. If you love beaches, and the ocean. Tofino and Ucluelet should definitely be put on a list to visit. You really couldn't be disappointed. Back to Nanaimo! Once we were back in Nanaimo we decided to check out Rathtrevor Beach. The set up of this beach was great, there was one side of rocky beach, and another of super sandy beach. And all above the beach were graveled pathways through wooded forests. But this wasn't your typical beach. At one point, someone had just dropped off their rabbits there, and now there are dozens of black rabbits who call this place home. They are super friendly, and seem so out of place. It was an interesting find.

After our interesting beach experience we took the scenic drive called the scenic ocean route all along the coast. That night we actually were able to park the truck right along the water. Falling asleep to the crashing waves was such an incredible experience. But better yet, waking up and opening our back doors to the pacific ocean was priceless. What a view to wake up too! Once we started driving up along the coast again, we noticed thrashing out in the waters, so we pulled over. Within minutes we see something surfacing. We believe it was a porpoise with how

close it was to shore and how it continued surfacing. It was amazing! We spent our last night in Vancouver Island at a rest stop playing Yahtzee before catching a ferry back to Vancouver the next morning. Then crossing over the border from Vancouver to Seattle to begin the second half of our wild adventures.