Vancouver Island - 'A home away from home'

Bed Count 10/11/12

Ok so I have decided to shake things up today by writing this blog on another form of public

transport…a plane!We are currently jet setting above the clouds on our way to Sin City…Las Vegas!As I look down (and it is a long way down!) I can see the tip of downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park and a vast array of Islands leading out into the Pacific…the biggest of which is Vancouver Island.

After getting thoroughly wet through in Vancouver, we were pleasantly surprised to get a spell of sunshine as we boarded the ferry.We decided to travel by bus with a company called 'Pacific Line' as Melissa has had her fair taste of the Greyhound services for this month!We were actually pleasantly surprised that they accepted us as students (thanks to our ISIC cards) and decided to knock a third off the fare…not a bad start really.The bus was also on time, not too full and actually had folk that reassembled normal society which is something we had forgotten even existed on a bus ride these days!We left the downtown bus terminal after receiving a free ride from Clint our landlord…jolly nice chap!To explain, we were going to catch a ferry over to the neighbouring Vancouver Island to visit our friends Steve, Jules and Eliana.Like the name suggests, this is an Island off the coast of Vancouver and it takes ~1.5h by ferry to get there.To give some scale, it is about 6/8 the size of the UK, so it's by no means small and by far the biggest island off the coast.I should mention that there are also over a hundred neighbouring islands on the way over, most of which are inhabited to some degree.The ferry ride circumnavigates through these islands and actually gets pretty close at certain points!It's a beautiful ride however, especially when the sun's shining and even though I have done it a few times I never get bored of the trip.One recommendation is that it's even more spectacular from the air and you can catch a sea plane from harbour to harbour as we did on our last visit here.However as we are on a budget this time (and I need to buy some more pants) we gave it a miss, but if you feeling flush then it's a great thing to do.There is lots of North American history in these parts and first nation culture still runs thick here.As such, a lot of the port names, towns or landmarks are called names that are just about impossible to pronounce without pulling a stupid face!The first of which is the port of Twaassan that sits about half an hour out of Vancouver.Once aboard we had a smooth sail over to Swartz Bay, which is about 1h outside the capital of Vancouver Island, Victoria.As the name suggests, a bit of British monarchical influence here, with Queen Victoria a regular visitor over the years.The city is a delightful place, with a picturesque port and some outstanding buildings.One of which is actually a hotel, called 'The Empress' and it's probably fair to say that it certainly has royal prices!However it's a beautiful building with some colourful gardens and the price of afternoon tea is quite competitive.Anyhow I digress, as we actually passed through the city this time to be picked up by our friend Jules at the bus station.The last time we were over she was heavily pregnant with the now 22 month old Eliana.I'm not a massive baby fan as the last blog suggests, but this one was really friendly, cute and not willing to test my patience early on…I knew we were going to get on from that point forth!After the pick-up we drove out to a neighbouring suburb where Steve and Jules live called East Sooke.It is a true suburb as it takes about 30-45 mins drive, but it's in a lovely rural location.As it's a bit out of town, you get a bit more real estate for your money and there are some impressive houses along the way.This includes their house, which is located in the heart of the woodland within walking distance of lakes and parks…a distant cry from the hustle and bustle of Vancouver!

Steve is an ex-Pfizerite and we have known each other a reasonable time.Over the years we have done our fair share of adventures including scrambling down freezing cold streams (or 'gills') in the Lake District with little cause for a safety briefing.Needless to say that he has an adventurous side, but I had somehow convinced myself that parenthood would have stabilised him back to normality.He did lead me into a false sense of security by offering a cool beer only to kai bosh my normality theory by describing the next days events.Unfortunately they could not make our wedding due to a change in jobs, but they wanted to give us a belated present.How nice, maybe a bottle of wine, a meal out or even some worldly advice on parenthood….not likely!As 1pm the next day he would finish work early to join us in some adventure zip lining or 'the Adrenoline'!!Melissa seemed quite stunned by the announcement but curious all the same, as such we accepted the kind gesture but slept a little uneasy that night in the wake of what might lay ahead!For those who are not 'down with the kids' these days, let me briefly explain what 'zip lining' is….a big steal line attached to two stationary objects at great height, which you 'zip' down via pully wheels and a safety harness….I told you it would be brief!Neither of us had done this activity before, so there was a bit of nervous excitement on the drive down.When we arrived, the excitement dwindled and the nervousness increased as we witnessed a video outlining the course.We would be scaling seven 'zips' in total, each of which increased in height, length and distance as we progressed through the forest.The safety waiver didn't do anything to help ease the stomach rumblings, as the disclaimer proudly highlighted no company responsibility to 'bear, cougar or wolf attacks' during the activity!However our fears were laid to rest, as the tour guide notified us that bears don't attack large groups and that there has never been a cougar attack on anyone over 6ft 2ins!!Ok, everyone stick together, Melissa's riding on my shoulders and Steve is looking out for the wolves….all sorted…let's do it!!Joking aside, it was all very professional and the guides were good fun.Safety was paramount and the group seemed in good spirits.We went for our first 'zip' lesson on what would be the 'nursery slope' of a ski run.Not too high, not too long and not too steep.However, nevertheless it was still a bit nervy jumping off and relying solely on the harness for your wellbeing.One by one, we all stepped off, shouted a token obscenity and zipped to the other side.All with the exception of Melissa, who descended at good speed but stopped short at the other end!The next few minutes involved a mid-zip rescue and pulling her safely to the other side.Unbeknown to her, was that this was actually a purposeful set up to demonstrate to the group what would happen in such an eventuality….it's just they had failed to inform her of this information!!As such, after the ordeal she was buzzing frantically with excitement and adrenaline!I keep telling myself it was due to dangling helplessly above the forest floor, but we all know she secretly enjoyed a manly Sly Stallone like rescue not too dissimilar from a 'cliff hanger' scene!After we all conquered the first zip, we were loaded into our off road vehicle for the transfer to greater heights and more extreme ziplines.Well I say it was an off road vehicle, but my batman senses were telling me it looked distinctly like a golf buggy!However, I couldn't see a five iron in the back and the guide didn't mention anything about a round of crazy golf so we all hopped in and buckled up!Despite its wimpy appearance it actually made light work of some reasonable inclines and ten minutes later we were high up in the forest for our first real test.After exiting, we gingerly made our way to some wooden steps in the tree tops only to be greeted by an information point detailing the salient points about cougars!If you're not familiar with this species, it's basically an oversized mountain cat (come leopard) that has a reputation as a ruthless predator in these parts.The good thing is that sightings are extremely rare and they say it's pretty bad news if you do see one, as it has likely spotted you over two miles away and tracked you for the last hour!The fact that the guide had spotted one running from under our first zip line the other week did nothing to ease the nerves, but he didn't care as we had signed the disclaimer!

So after the first experience, Melissa was pumped up on adrenaline and made no problem of scaling the steps to the top.She didn't do a bad job of launching herself off with only a small shriek and I have uploaded a video to highlight this dismount (see 'video' section on the blog).This zip line was a bit longer and a bit faster, which set the tone for the next five zip lines.Each one seemed to get a bit longer or much quicker but I have to admit it was great fun.The tour guides were a good laugh as well and never failed to come up with a challenge for each zip line, including the 'superman' and the 'tree branch grab' challenges!As we were in the tree tops half way up a mountain the views were amazing and the thrill of the 'zip' just added to make the whole experience extremely rewarding….I would recommend this to anyone!After the thrilling experience we decided to reward ourselves with a stiff drink at the local pub located, conveniently next door.However this dream was quickly shattered as we were asked for identification for the very first time on the whole trip!Despite feeling like we had been 'flying' for the last few hours we had failed to bring our passports, so we would go thirsty!After this we headed back to reminisce on the day's events, but not before bribing Steve to go into a local liquor store…we wouldn't be defeated easily!

The next few days involved some administration, that's right it's not play every day for me!I am currently playing a game with the tax man, who blatantly doesn't want to give me any respect never mind any money! He keeps getting me to fill in a form, each one with a different letter randomly picked from the alphabet combined with an equally random number between 1 and 100.The jist of the game involves me completing the form and then he uses his random generator to invent another form.To confuse me it's very familiar to the last one but with some additional boxes that are totally unrelated as a deterrent.Of course the numbers are different, but that's obvious since he has used his random generator.I might be thousands of miles away, but I'm not giving in yet…I'm now addicted to the game….the rewards will be high…well that's what I keep telling myself!Administrative fun aside, we spent a sunny day in downtown Victoria.As described in the introduction, this is the capital city of the Island and a beautiful place to wander around.After a relaxing spot of lunch by the harbour we wandered into town in search of Melissa's favourite chocolate shop.However, before I move on, I should add that I use the word 'relaxing' loosely, as we survived a wasp attack in an outside area.Basically if you don't like wasps (and let's be honest who does?!) don't come to either the East or West coast of Canada…they are everywhere!If they were making honey or doing something useful I would be sympathetic, but these football hooligans of the insect world have obviously got it in for us…they follow us everywhere!I am pleased to announce that despite Melissa doing her best 'wasp dance' to date, nobody was stung!So after dancing we had worked our lunch off, so that meant that we could reward ourselves with further calories at 'Rogers Chocolates'.This is a fancy chocolatier chain that seems to be rife over here and I have to admit it's pretty impressive.However what was unimpressive was the service from the girl behind the counter.She was clearly having a bad day, as the wasp that Melissa had danced off had obviously flown into her mouth and she was chewing it like a bulldog!Ok I'm joking, but a well punished posterior would fairly describe her facial expression and she had some sharp attitude to boot.So sharp that Melissa walked out without any chocolate….yeah it must have been pretty bad!Not to worry though there are hundreds of bakeries, cafes and chocolate shops to choose from here, no harm done and we would soon be back on schedule!We still found time to wander around town and sample a coffee + an over-calorific confectionary item that I can't remember the name of!We headed home to recuperate and ready ourselves for a road trip the next day…

An early start was in order as we loaded the car, ready for a half day drive over to a little fishing village along the far west coast of Vancouver Island.More on that later, but first we had to do some tactical packing in Steve's 4 x 4 vehicle, as bags seemed to be raining from the sky!As I don't have any children myself, I am naïve to the necessary items required to keep a toddler happy for a whole weekend!Needless to say, every eventuality was planned for and all items packed accordingly.After we used a crow bar to get the boot shut, we hit the road with the sound of children's nursery rhymes echoing around our ears…as time progressed these would become gradually imprinted on my brain…forever!

To set the scene, the little village of 'Tofino' is extremely special to us both, as I proposed to Melissa on a little beach here over two years ago.Therefore we had driven the route over before and knew it was a very picturesque journey.First you climb a mountain range out of Victoria called the 'Mallahats', to enjoy some spectacular, yet ear popping views of the distant snow-capped mountains in the USA.After that it's a straight road onwards to the town of 'Ladysmith' where Pamela Anderson enjoyed her younger years...I think that's its only claim to fame!Then onwards to the fishing port/town of Nanaimo and onto a road west, to start a very aesthetically pleasing drive.First stop is an area called Coombs, which has a wonderful deli/grocery/fromargery…with a difference?!I'll give you a clue, it's called 'goats on the roof' and as the name suggests that's exactly what you get …a grass covered roof with a load of goats on it!Quite a tourist trap this one and for good reason, you don't see this kind of roof cleaning every day!We had stopped here before and picked up some delightful 'rosemary bread' and cheese for a picnic several years ago.Therefore for old time's sake, we bought the same again, although it would appear that the price of cheese has changed these days!It was only after we exited the shop that Melissa broke the news that our months budget had been blown on a modest slab of blue cheese!Forget investing in gold and spread all your money in blue cheese…Melissa is testament to the fact that people will pay anything for some mouldy smelly cheese.Buy now and you should be able to keep your investment for some time before selling on the stock exchange!Anyhow moving on, we hit the road again and passed by Cathedral Grove, which has some of the oldest red wood trees on the Island…very tall, very red and very old!After that it's a straight drive through the forest to take in some jaw dropping views along the way.However, as the sun started to set our evening was about to get a final shot of excitement.I was riding in the front and noticed a funny looking dog crossing the road ahead….however this was no pooch, it was a black bear!It will come as no surprise that this was spotted on the ground rather than a tree top (see Banff blog!) and it crossed right in front of us.It even decided to come back and pose right next to the car window and we got to see that it was actually quite a sizable chap.I had the camera in the front and with Melissa frantically shouting in my ear to get a picture postcard shot the pressure got the better of me and I only managed to snap it's behind as it headed into the bushes!Proud with our close brush with nature, we pushed on to our final destination, Ucluelet.Unfortunately, we were unable to secure a place at the little B&B we stopped at last time, but Jules had found a great place in the neighbouring village of Ucluelet.A beautiful little log cabin would await us with a hot tub on the balcony out the back for promising future use.After ordering a local pizza and sipping a few beers we hit the hay ready for the next day.

Apparently the log cabin we stopped in was advertised as the 'sunrise' lodge, but we missed that one completely and slept straight through! However, when we did surface and graced the balcony we had quaint views of the bay inlet and a fishing boat making its way out to sea to catch me some halibut for dinner!After breakfast, we were on a short road trip over to Tofino, but first made a stop off at 'Radar Hill'.This is the site of an old radar station (surprise, surprise!), but boasts a magnificent view of the mountains, inlets and broken islands.As baby Eliana had fallen asleep in the car, Steve was on a 'cranky wake up ' call, whilst the rest of us took in the views.However when we got down, Steve remarked that he needed to take in the sights as well.Being the complete maverick he is, he decide to scale the steepest rock face in sight in order to take a short cut.Not to be outdone, I joined him and we celebrated the accent like true men of the mountains by stripping off our shirts, much to the dismay of the passing German tourists in the parking lot!Melissa also scaled the same route, but her shirt stayed on this time!!After the wake up on the hill, we made haste to Tofino and parked up on the sea front.We revisited a little cafe where we enjoyed some fresh coffee many years ago.It also had the luxury of wireless internet, which allowed us to book our flights and accommodation to our next destination...Las Vegas!After that we took some photos of the pay phone booths where we phoned our excited parents after our engagement several years ago.Then we hot footed it to the little B&B where we stayed before and where the romance happened!However any further reminiscing was put firmly on hold, as it was clear that nobody was at home. The real problem was that the property had a secret and private beach, which is only accessible via the side of the house and through the garden.Therefore after knocking several times and receiving no answer, we did what every responsible adult would do….sneaked round the back and trespassed!We figured that to have come all of this way without revisiting the special spot would have been a crime unto itself, so we thought it kind of cancelled the actual crime we committed!To be honest the owner is really nice and I'm pretty sure she would understand our rationale and the trip down rekindled some special memories.After this excitement, we met up with Steve, Jules and Eliana for some supper….sushi!Some of the Pacific's finest fish is brought straight into the town every day, so it's about as fresh as it can be.This makes for some great sushi grade material and a very enjoyable eating experience.With the sun drawing in we headed to the nearest beach en-route back to our cabin and caught the end of a beautiful sunset with the waves lapping at our feet. Captivated by the moment, we also tried some inventive photography, which involved lots of jumping and arm waving!We then returned to the log cabin and enjoyed a lazy evening gazing at the stars within a hot tub with beer in hand…I'm not sure it gets much better than this?!

The final day would involve a filling breakfast in Ucluelet and then a lovely woodland hike round the Ucluelet peninsula.We heard the sound of sea lions and witnessed a couple of grey whales off the coast just to add to the experience.We then drove to a few scenic beaches, the last being 'Long Beach'.Due to the waves, it's a surfer's haven, but we didn't see many today as the weather was on the turn.However we still had time to make a short walk along the beach and observe some sea life up close before the rain set in.I guess this was a sign for us to make tracks and with a tear in our eye we bid farewell to this very special place.

The next few days involved a bit of a washing marathon and cooking for Steve, Jules and Eliana.On our final day, we drove to catch the ferry over to one of the neighbouring Islands called 'Salt Spring'.It's about a 20-30 minute ferry ride over and quite a pleasant journey.I had visited this island before and liked it very much.It has a laid back/almost 'hippie' like culture, loads of local farm shops and much to Melissa's delight a goats cheese factory!This is where we headed straight off the bat and I can confirm that the price of this pasteurised snack is very reasonable.After purchasing several different types, we had a lovely picnic in the adjoining flower garden with the only minor annoyance being the potential threat of another wasp attack.After this, Jules drove us up to the top of the biggest accessible mountain in the area for some amazing views.Well, to say it is accessible is probably a slight overstatement and I will commend Jules on her off-road driving ability here.After this we descended to the local town and a village market.Lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and other produce.Some strange people as well, but I did say it was a bit 'hippie'!Despite struggling to fit in, we did purchase a punnet of exceptionally sweet strawberries…very nice!After a rewarding cup of coffee, we did a quick ride round the rest of island and made it back in time for the ferry crossing.In the evening we visited nearby friends Debbie and Andy who have recently moved into a new house/mansion nearby Steve and Jules!Their place is unbelievable and the kitchen is probably the size of our house back home.We enjoyed a Thai takeaway here and watched Eliana dance to various Freddie Mercury records….she's going to regret that at her 18th birthday party!

On the last morning we packed our belongings and headed for the bus station.However, we had a stop off at the hospital on the way….but for good reason.We had some other wonderful news…Jules is pregnant again and this would be her 12 week scan.I'm starting to think we are some kind of baby omen, as Jules was pregnant last time we visited!Anyhow this is really exciting news and we kept Eliana, company whilst mummy and daddy had some time together.After this we had time for a coffee and the slowest fast food service to date….some people just don't do mornings!After this we said our teary goodbyes and it goes without hesitation that we will really miss those guys.Ah well, we'll just have to return on our next big adventure!!After this we sailed back to Vancouver and witnessed another whale, but this one breached fully and we even got the tail this time!When we hit shore, we got a bus to Vancouver airport and stopped in a nearby hotel to ready us for our flight the next day…Las Vegas….and the next chapter of our journey!!

PS: Lots of photo's from this leg, so check out both Vancouver Island (2) and (1) in the 'photo' section....

Comments:

Vancouver Island seems to have an interesting slant on their branding.One particular chain that you only find on the Island is the 'Serious Coffee' outlet.Make sure you go in with a stern face, slam your money on the desk and for pities sake do not crack a joke about coffee beans…this is a 'serious' establishment…got it?!Joking aside, I assume it's all to do with the coffee strength, but don't wear your clown outfit just in case!The second chain is called 'The Brick', which sells….you got it….beds and mattresses!!Not a masonry product in sight which made me laugh, I thought it was sleeping like a 'log' not a 'brick', but what do I know!!

Before you come to Canada/US, set your Sky box to record every rerun of the crystal maze to find the episode detailing the 'tap' or 'faucet' challenge!My undercover sources tell me that a simple twist and reward of water just doesn't work the grey matter or arm muscles these days.Therefore to help with the obesity crisis, the Canadian/American government have covertly introduced the 'tap challenge' - a combined mental and physical workout enforced in all eatery's! Duringmy time here, I have twisted, turned, pulled and pushed taps in order to wash my hands and each mechanism seems to provide a greater challenge than the last.However, whilst sitting in Starbucks the other day, it suddenly dawned on me what is actually going on here!There are different levels dependant on the coffee/fast-food establishment, for example MacDonald's is a mere 'level 1', where a single manoeuvre (e.g. twist or pull etc) will unlock you some hot water.However Starbucks, is clearly a 'level two' establishment which involves a random combination of two manoeuvres sequentially (e.g a twist followed by a pull).However, I went to a Tim Hortons the other day that had somehow moved into the upper echelon of the state government and boasted a 'level three' system (e.g a twist, followed by a pull, followed by a ???).Unfortunately the egg timer was running out and the music was quickening as I frantically tried to crack the final code.Also, like all good episodes of the 'crystal maze', there was a bald man banging on the door with overzealous excitement, so I'm afraid panic got the better of me and I had to get out of there!I think with a bit more training, meditation and coping self talk I will earn my 'level 3' watery stripes…watch this space!