The Pacific Rim is Where It’s At….

Some scenery along the drive in the center of the island

I’m headed from Victoria to Ucluelet on the Pacific Rim. I’d love to head west and up the island that way, but I’m advised not to do that. That south western part of the island is very undeveloped with the vast majority of any roads being unmarked and unnamed logging roads on which even the locals get lost. So, unless I wish to test my "lost in the wilderness" skills, I must go up the east side, half way up the island, then turn west and go past Port Alberni to the Pacific Rim coast on civilized, paved, marked roads. The drive was easy and once I turned to head west, there were frequent scenic areas to the drive, particularly west of the Port Alberni area.  Just about 3 ½ hours later, I roll into the rural town of Ucluelet. It reminded me of the little town in the old television show Northern Exposure. 

(My apartment is the 2nd floor balcony on the right)

I checked into the nicely appointed lodge and was told that I had the best balcony on the water in the place. Yay!  To think I only reserved this place a week ago. I went up to the 2^nd floor to my room. Oh. My. Heavens. I love this place. Now I’m disappointed I’m only here for 2 days. If they weren’t already booked at this point, I’d be staying another day.  The wall facing the water was nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire length of the apartment from the living room to the bedroom with a deck that spans that same full width of the apartment from one end to the other with access from both living room and bedroom. Beautiful kitchen and bathroom. I know I won’t want to leave this place.

 

The views from the balcony were just spectacular.

As with Victoria, I work with the front desk clerk to arrange my tours for the following days. There were several great options to see gray and humpback whales, bears, sea lions, birds and the natural coast. I tried to get into a sunset kayaking tour, but they were full and couldn't take even 1 person last minute. I did have options for the next day, and I chose a tour with a small intimate group on their private house boat yacht that would feature bears, whales, sea lions, eagles and everything that lived in the area, and was 2/3 of a day with  a gourmet lunch. It was an excellent choice. So, since my first night would be on my own with no tours, I get directions to the nearest grocery, seafood market and wine shop and head over for supplies. The seafood market had the most incredible fresh salmon and huge prawns and so many other things your seafood-loving heart could desire. I picked up the best spicy cocktail sauce I’ve ever had.  That night I cooked the most incredible dinner. My own cooking in my own kitchen, and dining on my own deck overlooking the water beats any restaurant. So, I just enjoyed the rest of my evening cooking, enjoying the fabulous fresh seafood in my incredible apartment with unbeatable views on the water.

It was another early morning start for my bear, whale & all other creature tour the next morning. While everyone was checking in for the tour, there was a bear on the opposite side of the inlet to the marina which created "hush hush" scurrying. As they were trying to hurry everyone on the boat, doing orientation later, we were informed of this "secret surprise." They were hoping that we could ease on over there to see him before he retreated to the forest. It was a great try...but unfortunately, by the time we got over there, we watched him as he headed back into the forest not to be seen again for that day. Oh well. Bummer. I really wanted to see a bear - and more than the small of his bum in an instant in the far distance as he disappeared into the forest.

 

From there, we motored down the inlet to the open water and saw so many bald eagles on the way it was amazing. Bald eagles hang out here on docks, beaches and tree limbs like cardinals do in my neighborhood. They were everywhere. It was fantastic …and I’m not even a bird person…but I do have to take pride in and appreciate the majesty and beauty of our country bird and the amazing natural wonderland that was this place where the bald eagles are such plentiful neighbors almost like lawn ornaments everywhere.

                                                              
The weather when I had checked in the previous day had been nothing short of perfect -  gorgeous and sunny. Unfortunately, as I’ve experienced in Vancouver Island already, the weather can change in an instant. A mere 12 hours later, it was cloudy, 40-degree-cold, misty and windy. It wasn’t downright raining, so that was the good news, but otherwise, there was nothing positive on the weather front. It was July, and I was wearing 3 layers of clothing, gloves and a hat. Luckily I was prepared for it, as were the boat tour operators with boxes full of these items as well as blankets. The water was a bit rough when we were outside of the protected inlet areas, but there were several whales out there in the open waters, so off we went, waves and all. The bad news is that few of my pictures turned out well enough to post here between the weather, the unpredictable moments of whale surfacing that didn't allow much time for aiming, let alone focusing, and the other people on the boat who inevitably got in the way of my shots. A few tails, backs rolling through the water and a few spouts were about all I could get ....again....This whale-watching is tough business to get decent views and shots. It's really cool though to think these enormous and gorgeous creatures are swimming just beneath, so close to us.

 

I did, however, get a few decent pictures of the sea lion rock, the eagles and some great scenery. The scenery was truly spectacular, and the poor weather did provide some intriguing clouded sky pics. Aside from those, it was a day of experiences, more than pictorial documentation.

 Of course I spent the entire day on the outside of the boat in the open air breathing the salt air taking in all that nature had for us that day instead of being in the warmth - but seclusion - of the boat interior. After the day on the water clothed in layers, hats, gloves and blankets, I enjoyed that luxurious bathroom with a long, hot shower followed by curling up in a nice blanket with a good glass of merlot and the remaining salmon and prawns.

I can highly recommend the Pacific Rim and the Ucluelet area. I had hoped to get up to Tofino, just 20 minutes up the road, but just didn't have the time or the ability to get another hotel room last minute. It was great that I could get the wonderful Whiskey Landing Lodge room with little more than a weeks' notice, but don't expect a last minute room at this time of year. I was lucky to get what I did. I will definitely be back and will plan to spend more than just 2 days.

To see more of my pictures see here: Pacific Rim Pictures

Can't say enough about the Lodge...check it out here: Whiskey Landing Lodge

The Great Northwest Vacation 2015 - Starting in Victoria, BC

The first 6 months of this year have been jam-packed with travel, long days and stress for me. I had returned from a month in Europe on business traveling all over and back and forth in Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Switzerland in mid-June and needed a vacation in a major way. Trips to Europe on business may sound fun, but the weekdays require 12-16 hour days keeping things running on 2 time zones that are 6 hours apart. If I get to bed before midnight, that’s a good day.  I was gone from mid-May to mid-June. I’m now home; I’m exhausted. It’s time to plan a vacation….

Without knowing when I would be able to take time off, and having therefore not planned a vacation, I had to plan something with a mere 2-3 weeks’ notice. I wanted outdoor adventure, animal sightings, incredible views mixed in with a little pampering. I wanted a 2-week vacation for the first time in 2 years. After realizing that an Alaskan vacation just couldn’t be planned at this late date, and after some internet research, I discovered Oregon had quite a bit to offer. I decided to wrap Vancouver Island into it as well. This was going to be a full-on adventure vacation with scenic views, animals and great times. I planned a few hotel stays with a general thought process of how I was going to proceed from Victoria to the Pacific Rim of Vancouver Island, to Oregon, down its coast, in to Crater Lake, up to the desert, over to the Painted Hills, up to wine country of Willamette Valley, over to Mt. Hood and Hood River and back to Portland. Generally, I was planning my trip a day or two at a time with the flexibility to go and do what I wanted when I wanted. This would be my first vacation that didn’t have a set itinerary with all details set in stone before I get on the plane. I packed up my large duffle bag on wheels (instead of my Briggs & Riley), shoved my computer in an oversized briefcase on wheels. This will be fun…

Victoria, Vancouver Island…Once is Enough For Me.

Arrival in Seattle, taxi to the port to catch the boat to Victoria, Vancouver Island and just enough time to grab some yummy brunch with a killer bloody mary – with bacon!! A great way to start vacation!  Brunch had...now onto what I later learned was the "vomit comet"...glad I didn't know that beforehand! I took the 2.5 hour Victoria Clipper large catamaran ferry over. It wasn't bad for those of us who are prone to sea sickness. I was told later that I was just lucky there were glass-water calm seas on the Strait between Seattle and Victoria. Grateful for that.

Two and a half hours later, we arrive. I’m staying just around the corner from the marina, so I grab my bags and walk to the hotel. The hotel is in a nice neighborhood that is part residential and part hotel and is right on the water. The views are fabulous and the neighborhood very quaint.

Now, to plan my 2 days here. Whale watching is my number 1 priority. I had looked at several options for these tours online, and upon arriving at the hotel, I asked an extremely helpful front desk clerk for some recommendations. One of the first questions he asks is whether I’m subject to getting sea sick…hmmm…in my excitement for the water and the prospects of seeing one of my favorite mammals on the planet, I seem to have forgotten about my vertigo and the hellish experience of deep sea fishing in Cancun about 15 years ago during which I tossed my cookies over the side of the boat every 30 minutes for about 4 hours (along with 3 of the 5 other guys on board). Well,... now that you mention it,... yeah,... kinda…depending on how rough the water is….The wonderful clerk suggested one of the groups that had the best boat out there for this…it was heavy, sturdy and had both indoor and outdoor options (given the weather is somewhat unpredictable out here, especially in the open waters).  Let’s go with that one…he calls, they have room for the morning. Excellent. Done. 

The next morning, the weather had turned a bit cloudy and misty with some light rain. I heard that the water was pretty rough as well but that there were several whale sightings…boy was I glad I was in the stable boat!  After arriving at the marina and talking more with the tour guides, I find out that this boat is the only one in the Victoria harbor that can withstand hurricane forces…good to know, but hopefully won't be testing that out today!  With the rough weather, most of the boats were heading out to the south towards the US and the San Juan Islands where it will be crowded with both US and Canadian boats the guide says, so we’re heading west where the larger whales are and the water is a little rougher. We’ve got the boat for it! Awesome!  We take off…I see some of those poor sots who were covered up in rain gear in the open boats which were little more than rubber dinghy’s with a jet engine. I considered that one… thank you again to my great hotel clerk who steered me right!

We’re heading out full steam towards the Pacific Rim side of the island. We stop off at a rock island where a large colony of sea lions were sunning through the clouds, swimming and male posturing. Enough of that…out to sea we go for the main attraction….

 

After about 30-40 minutes, we get bad news…water out there is very rough. Too rough. So rough that one of the sturdier boats (although not sturdier than ours!) is returning and is radioing us that it just isn’t doable safely. What?! No….!!!  Heck, we can withstand a hurricane in this thing, why would we let some measly 7-8 ft waves stop us?!  Of course, as I’m chiming in to keep heading out there, I conveniently forget that it was 7-9ft seas that produced such sea sickness in me while in Cancun several years ago that my fingers and tongue would swell until I tossed my lunch and what continued to remain of it every 30 minutes. So, despite my protestations, and while the captain agreed we COULD withstand the conditions, for the pleasure of the passengers (which included me), we would have to relegate ourselves to the crowds of San Juan Islands and the Orcas. Dang it! Oh well…at least I would see something…hopefully…and I was still on the water, so it can’t be terrible.

So, we get to the Orca area…along with about 10 other boats at any given moment at any given point. The weather is starting to clear a bit and the sun is coming out, so if nothing else, it is a nice boat tour in what has turned out to be a lovely day. We see plenty of fins and curved backs rolling through the water with water spouts in the air. One of the scenes included a mother and her calf. They would roll to the surface together and one after another. One of the pod members swam near and under our boat, but I missed it. Other than it being a nice day out on the water with scenic views, there wasn’t a lot of animal interaction to see on this trip. A little disappointing.

Later that afternoon, I walked around the quaint town of Victoria, had a nice lunch on an outdoor patio facing the marina.  The marina was lovely with a few nice restaurants and shops. Then, I went into the Fisherman’s Wharf area that is a popular and common tourist attraction. In this very small couple of dock blocks, there were cheap restaurants serving fried seafood, Mexican Food and a few huts that were little more than food trucks alongside cheap souvenir shops. The one and only worthwhile experience here was the walk down the few dock aisles looking at the house boat residential community. These boats reminded me of some of the most interesting and quaint villages in Europe, with unique door fronts and décor. This is worth the walk, but don’t plan to eat here or spend more than an hour (if that) here. There was one shop with some nice French country themed items. Otherwise, get in and get out. 

While Victoria is a very nice, quaint little village town, I had enough after a day and a half, so I made arrangements to pick up my rental car early the next morning and head over to the Pacific Rim earlier than originally planned. That was a great decision….

For more time in Victoria, however, I would definitely stay here again...Coast Victoria Harbourside Marina & Hotel (or hotels.com site here: Coast Victoria Harbourside Marina & Hotel).