Tofino 1/9/10

Left the camp site by the 1 in 4 exit road and travelled down the 14 to Port Renfrew where we brought provisions and stopped to have lunch at San Jean Point. Travelling along the Pacific Marine Road the rear suspension bottomed out more than once as the tarmac, although smooth, was rather wavy. All this took longer than expected and we made a dash along the 18 to pick up the 1 and 19 before turning into the 4 towards Tofino. It was getting late when we eventually pulled into the Sproat Lake Provincial Park camp ground having driven another 15 miles down the road looking for a camping spot that didn't seem to exist only to have to turn back to Sproat Lake. Jill cooked in the dark and we were able to offer 2 cyclist space on our plot for their nights camping as we took the last one available. We carried along the 4 the next day, the road was now a twisty up and down one, and pulled into the Green Point camp ground just set back from Long Beach We managed to get a place as somebody had just cancelled. The park is a rainforest as can be seen on our walk to the amenities. Having set up camp we travelled into Tofino, which is a fishing and surfing playground outside the national park. Everybody we met said we had to go to Tofino, it was nice but my socks weren't knocked off. On the way back to the camp site we stopped at Combers beach to see the surfing action
and visited the old early warning Radar site with it's wonderful views. That evening we had a walk on the beach as the sun was setting.
The next day we said goodbye to Tofino and Long beach, to it's driftwood makeshift shelters on the beach
where it's possible to search for peace, and headed back along the 4 stopping at Cathedral Grove to be hugged by some more big trees.

We had met Bernie and Helga at the Capilano RV Park and they had invited us to stay with them in Courtenay. We were so impressed with their open hearty smiles that this was one offer that we wanted to take up. They had arrived in Canada about 50 years ago from West Berlin not even being able to speak English. They had made Canada their home and Canada in return had rewarded them well for all their hard work. They showed us great hospitality, and that evening after a delicious vegetarian omelette followed by Helga's home preserved peaches from the Okanagan Valley, and her home made plum cake, we sat outside on their verandah, talking with their son Bernie and his partner Toni-Lee about their forthcoming travels, and all their amazing lives-aided and abetted by a few tots of fire water known as cinnamon whiskey, which managed to distract us from hypothermia as we talked into the night, observed only by the twinkling stars, nestled in the vast arms of the mountains. Thank you for your hospitality and a wonderful evening xxxx