View of Tofino Harbour from our cabin
Day Four, The Final Day on the West Coast of Vancouver Island
Once again, it was up at the crack of 8 a.m., looking across the Tofino Harbour to Meares Island (pictured above), the fish and crab boats leaving the dock for the open sea, seaplanes landing and taking off, and the fresh snow that has fallen on the mountains in the not-so-far distance. Today is our final day on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and we’ll miss it.
After a morning bath, followed by breakfast (toasted English muffins, yogurt and bananas, cereal and coffee), the packing of all of our belongings begins (except for the knife, which I seem to have lost), in preparation for our leave-taking. Once packed (around 9:30 a.m.), we stop by the Co-op grocery store for some bottled water, and a cookie (for sustenance on that two-plus-hour drive to the east coast of Vancouver Island).
On the drive out of Tofino, we stop by Chesterman’s Beach, one last time, where the weather this particular day is both stormy and foreboding …
Chesterman Beach, West Coast of Vancouver Island
After being blown around a bit in the pouring rain, we rushed back to the car, stripped off our wet outer clothing, and proceeded down Highway 4 to Long Beach, where we hoped the elements would prove somewhat more inviting.
And such proved to be the case. Weather on the west coast is as changeable as one’s dinner plans depending on the budget. By the time we reached Long Beach, the weather was much improved. We watch the wet-suited surfers for awhile …
Surfer riding the curl at Long Beach
and enjoyed our final (for this trip, anyway) sun-dappled, ocean spray view of Long Beach …
Raymond and Corinne’s final view of Long Beach
The twisty, turny Highway 4 road to Vancouver Island’s east coast was clear, although there’d been a fairly sizeable dump of snow the previous night (Corinne surmised that plow trucks had cleared the snow on the roads at some point just previous to the commencement of our journey home). The landscape was magnificent, one lake bigger than the other, the surrounding mountains covered in snow, the sky a brilliant azure blue. We drove and drove and drove, through Sproat Lake, through Port Aberni, through Qualicum Beach and along Vancouver Island’s coastal highway (not the relatively new, inland Vancouver Island Highway 19) all the way to Courtenay, which we reached about 1:30 p.m.
We drove around Courtenay for awhile (many, many years ago I lived in Courtenay, where I worked as the “drive-home” radio announcer at CFCP), as I pointed out landmarks and regaled Corinne with tales of past boyhood shenanigans. Then it was off to the Comox ferry, where we awaited the 3:15 p.m. sailing to Powell River, where Corinne wished to stay for night.
The Comox-Powell River ferry at port
We arrived in Powell River at 4:45 p.m. and found the Powell River Beach Garden Resort and Marina, registered, unpacked our belongings and set up camp for the night. Before driving back into town we spent awhile on the veranda outside our room, “nestled among the quiet pines with views of Malaspina Strait, Texada Island and Vancouver Island,” admiring the freshly fallen snow on Vancouver Island’’s coastal mountain range.
For dinner, we lucked out by finding Mexican food at Casita, where we shared a wonderful repast of chicken tacos, chicken chimichangas, beef and bean enchiladas, beans, salad and rice. Powell River has only a handful of restaurants, aside from MacDonald’s, A&W and Robins Donuts.
Only one other restaurant had food which looked at all appetizing, and the various decors left much to be desired, as well. Finding Casita was particularly fortuitous (although, to be fair, the people at Granada’s Greek Food Restaurant were very friendly, their menu expansive, and the surroundings pleasant).
After dinner, we drove out to the Powell River townsite, past the Norske Pulp and Paper Mill (the first mill on the west coast, and at one point the largest mill in the world), drove back into town, stopped by the Safeway to pick up a snack (this has been a surprisingly food-oriented vacation, not my usual wont, but a focus that seems common to Corinne — I should have read her Rio journal more carefully).
Then it was back to the Beach Garden Resort, to look at the stars, watch a little news on TV, snack some more (sheesh!), and finally … off to bed.
