September 4th: Canoeing and rainforests.

A day in Tofino! The mist had set in overnight, we’d planned to go canoeing in the afternoon, so headed for the rainforest in the morning – had another stroll round old growth rainforest, this time right on the ocean.
Then to the canoeing! There were 6 of us in the group, we all had double kayaks. The weather was just perfect, sunny, still, and warm, but not baking. After the obligatory “My name is and I have done … paddling before”, and the safety stuff, we headed for the boats. It was a paddle in the reasonably protected waters of the harbour, which was so clear, we could see right down to the bottom. No-one capsized, and we only went wrong once, requiring a quick circle. The views were stunning!
That evening, we headed for a restaurant called Wolf in the Fog, recommended by an American Couple we’d met on the canoeing trip. We ended up sitting next to a restaurant reviewer from Vancouver – and chatting to her.

September 3rd: West to Tofino.

A stunning start to the day – no books for breakfast, it was back to the bird, this time a heron. Then set off for Tofino. We found the first road that let us (legitimately!) do 120kmph. Then headed inland, across the island, stopping at Cathedral Grove, one of the sites of old growth rain forest. The trees were huge!
The road then got ever windier, (er, more bendy!); before we finally got to the West Coast, and Pacific Rim National Park, which, as the name suggests, runs along the Pacific coast. After a short paddle, we arrived at our hotel, yet another with a stunning sea view, this time west, so we arrived in plenty of time for sunset, having seen the early sun (if not rise) over breakfast.