Oct 29

Yesterday we woke up to sun and clearing skies. The weather forecast actually predicted this, at least for today. We bid farewell to Princess and Snickers and headed towards Tofino via Coombs, Port Alberni and Ucluelet. Even though it is the West Coast of the island, the locals like to call it the Left Coast.

It would be approximately 150km’s to get to Tofino, but anything we read didn’t indicate that it was a very slow and windy road once you left Port Alberni for the remaining 110 km’s. After many speed postings of 40 km or 60 km, due to switchbacks, hill climbing or steep hills, we made it to Ucluelet by around 2:30. We stopped for lunch and then walked around a few trails near Black Rock resort and Brown’s Beach.

Over the past couple of weeks, as we have depended on heating the RV more and combined with cooking and the unit being closed up, condensation was becoming a problem. After some research, I discovered that this was also an issue for boaters, and found a small dehumidifier focused for small spaces like RV and boats. I found a marine dealer in Ucluelet that had what we needed. We set it up last night and have noticed a big difference with the condensation gone and the overall damp feeling inside, gone as well.

We then continued on to Tofino around 40 km’s north.

This area has a rugged “wild” feeling to it. It is an isolated area only served by the road we came in on, by boat or by air. It is a well known tourist area especially in the summer months for camping, hiking, surfing in the fall, whale watching, fishing and storm watching during this time of year. The two villages of Tofino and Ucluelet are quaint but have several unique stores to shop at and many eateries.

Before going to our camp which is 3 km from Tofino, we went to town for a quick orientation “drive”. There are bike trails that follow the highway, so we hope to get to town either Thursday or Friday to explore as we are here until Saturday. Rain or shine, we are either walking the beaches or biking to town these days. The camp is called Crystal Cove and it has a small RV section and several cabins for rent. It is a very well kept park and well manicured. I haven’t researched the year round weather conditions here, but there are many tropical plants around that are thriving. Yes, I said tropical. See the palm trees in front of some of the cabins. It’s strange with all the evergreens around, then seeing “island trees”.

Happy Halloween!