Far West

Hello every one, it’s the Travelling Newf coming to you live from beautiful Vancouver Island. Travel so far has been exceptional. I actually left Slave Lake last night, drove down to Edmonton and crashed at a hotel by the airport. That way I could get a decent sleep before the flight and drive across the island. The weather in Edmonton this morning was less than impressive with yet more rain and cold temps. However things couldn’t have gone more smoothly. Dropped my Jeep off at the valet park and after a little breaky at the airport, it was time to board. Although this flight was with a discount carrier, I still opted for priority boarding and seating. I actually was the first one on the plane and was gifted the double delight of seeing my bag loaded on the aircraft and the closure of the cabin door with no one in the seats next to me. Ahh yes, the ultimate relief for any one flying. With an on time departure, we climbed up through the clouds with the occasional little bump until we go up over the rockies. It then opened up and presented us with a first class view of the majestic Rocky Mountains. For any one who hasn’t been to Western Canada, I encourage you to visit. Once you see those mountains, you will be hooked. My job aside, it is most definitely the mountains that keep me on this end of the country. Looking out and down at those snow capped mountains with emerald green and blue lakes, while music playing and making notes on my MacBook, I was in my element. It’s the reward at the end of endless stretches of overtime at work. 

The descent into the Victoria area was nothing less than spectacular. I took a few pics but I assure you, they don’t do it justice. We even landed early, how is that for the perfect flight! From there I picked up my rental car and hit the highway. Traffic in Victoria was quite heavy as there was some construction so things were slow moving at first. Once I was was able to head North, it opened up quite a bit. That being said, highway 1 (Trans Canada highway) goes through every town along the coast so it has a lot of traffic lights and traffic. I was able to look past that since the drive was just amazing. The amount of scenery and jaw dropping landscapes around every turn truly boggles the mind. My first stop was Duncan where I had a quick bite. I then carried on North through Ladysmith (home of Pamela Anderson), Nanaimo and Parksville. I had planned to stop in each town for a few pics but I decided to head on to Tofino and make those stop on my way back through in a couple days. From Parksville, I then headed west to Port Alberni. It is from here the highway gets extremely narrow and winding. It remains this way right to the Uclulet/Tofino intersection. It was 200 kms of twists and turns with nary a straight stretch. Although beautiful, it does get a little tedious after a while. You have to be 110% alert to say the least. Once the roller coaster of a highway ended, I had reached my destination. Beautiful Tofino. The most westerly point of Canada. Another check on the ol’ bucket list. I checked into my hotel, then headed out to get a few groceries and familiarize myself with the town. I also grabbed some supper at a walk up hamburger joint called The Shed. While waiting for my order, I chatted with a few other people. Great vibe in this town. Tofino is hard to describe, its a beach town, yet surrounded by mountains with a small town feel yet it is quite busy. As the surfing Mecca of Canada, every other car you pass has a surfboard strapped to the roof. After dropping of my groceries, I decided it was time to check out a couple beaches. They did not disappoint however it was getting late in the day and it had clouded over so I wasn’t getting favourable shots. I plan on starting early tomorrow so hopefully tomorrow is my day of great shots…….fingers crossed! After a little more exploring, I figured I’d call it a day and settle in to write this post and upload a few pics. I am still getting used to this MacBook so I am slow to say the least. It has been a busy day and I now feel the exhaustion setting in. I will end it here, proof read and get it posted. Good night from Beautiful Tofino.