Surfs up!

Hello again. It is day 2 of my Vancouver Island adventure. I am currently sitting at a ocean side cafe watching sea planes take off as I write this. Today could not have gone better. I got up early to make the most of my day and that I did. I started with a very early morning hike of the Canso Bomber plane crash site trail. A Royal Canadian Air Force Canso 11007 that crashed shortly after take off in February 1945. It has now become a popular hike in the area. Approximately 2.5 kms into the wilderness, the trail flip flops from easy to quite challenging. It is a trail I have been wanting to do and I am so glad I did. A good way to get the heart pumping and start the day. 

After cleaning up from that hike, I headed over to Long Beach to watch the surfers for a bit. It was cloudy but the waves were alive and the surfers were in their glory. It was quite cool to see, not cool enough for me to try it but cool none the less! I decided to head on about my day and if the sun came out, I’d return for a few more pictures. 

From Long Beach, I headed over to nearby Ucluelet. Once again I was at a loss for words. The insanity of the beauty and rugged landscapes escape description. After stopping at a couple local beaches, I hiked a section of the Wild Pacific Trail, stopping every 17 seconds to just stare in awe at the coast line. There were a lot of wild roses along the trail so it you are treated with a combination of smells from the Pacific salt air and wild roses. I actually ran into a couple people I had chatted with on the plane crash hike that morning. I wandered around the area, sat in different locations to enjoy the views for a while and then headed back into town for lunch and more exploring. Ucluelet does not disappoint,  its is an absolute gorgeous town. I feel like I am saying that a lot but Vancouver Island thus far has been nothing less than eye candy. I walked around the harbour area for a bit, checked out a local gift shop and a coffee shop for a tea. One great thing about Ucluelet and Torfino is that there are no chain coffee shops or restaurants. Every thing is local and locally owned. A little more pricey yes but a much better experience. Any one who has spent time in such touristy hot spots would be aware that everything is on the expensive side. 

With the sun now shining, I headed back to Long Beach for a few more pics and then onward to Tofino. It was much warmer and sunnier on the beach this time around yet strangely enough, much less people. 

 That takes me up to now, sitting at a local coffee shop, posting pics, writing and enjoying several teas. There is a nice patio oceanside but it is a little windy to sit with my laptop and gadgets so I am just inside in front of the giant window for now. When I am done here, I will go outside and enjoy the ambiance. It is still rather early so I will wander around here for a bit and hit up another local beach just a few minutes from here. Tomorrow I will head over to Nanaimo to get a few pics and see where the day takes me from there. No schedule so no disappointment. I spend tomorrow night in Victoria so looking forward to checking out the waterfront area there. For now, I will go forth and be a tourist. Enjoy your day and hope you return to my site again soon. Cheers!!