12-6-18 When Right is Wrong
Tricky driving conditions in this country, how the hell did Henry Ford get it so wrong, or was it Karl Benz in Germany a few decades previous. Fortunately there isn’t too much traffic on Vancouver Island and by the time we realise that we are on the left side (the wrong side) we can get back into line and haven’t put any dints in Blairs car, to date. The size of the 4x4's is pretty over the top here though.
We left Victoria a few days ago and headed up the west coast of Vancouver Island mostly along the seaside to Port Renfrew. We stopped so many times between Sooke and Pt Renfrew we only managed 90 kms for the day. So many photos had to be taken. We ventured up a valley to look at some “old crop” trees. Old crop is a term used in New Zealand for the radiata that was first planted back in the Depression, most all cut now but generally the trees would be 60 years – 80 years. Here they are 500-1000 years old! Some are 2 metres in diameter so very impressive but hard to get a photo at 80 metres tall. The scenery along the coast was worthy of any jigsaw or biscuit tin lid but not a road all the way North. We turned inland and went across the island to Nanaimo, a busy little port town. Interesting seeing all the logs rafted together floating on river sides and lined up at mills. They tell us that the boom days of the timber industry are over but that is hard to believe seeing the number of trees and the tonnes of logs floating.
While travelling north along
the east coast we came across an interesting little town, a bit smaller than
Blenheim. Every blank wall in the town had a giant mural painted on it. We must
have seen 20 at least. Mostly scenes from the past depicting early settlers and
their industries. Brightened up what would have been just another non-descript
little settlement (was going to write Blenheim in there but thought better of
it!)
Our night in Nanaimo was
memorable for the wrong reasons. We stayed at the “Value” motel. I didn’t fully
understand what the definition of value was. They gave us the option of a smoke
free room…but that was a ruse. It stunk, maybe P, who knows. Rubbish bins not
clean, plastic cups for a quick beverage before heading out for dinner, a bed
similar to a half full wool pack, we were pleased to move on.
We stopped at Coombs for coffee
and discovered that almost all the other travellers on Highway 4 had stopped
too. Not because the coffee happened to be better than any on this island (and
it wouldn’t have to be very good) but because the coffee shop has goats grazing
on their roof! Simple attraction, grow grass on the roof, throw a couple of
nannies up there and in come the tourists…think I spotted a billy as well.
Further along this highway we came across Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial
Park. Somehow a small grove of trees dodged the axe and the chainsaw. I stood
beside an 800 year old, 76m tall D.fir tree. This was a magnificent tree in a
very impressive stand of massive trees.
Following a showery night at
Port Alberni we headed back to the west coast to Ucluelet, pronounced as it looks
(U-clue-let), Indian I think, or “First Nations”, as the tribes are known here.
Great wee spot we have here, a holiday home on the seaside, like Book-a-Bach at
home. Nice to be able to cook our own meals for a change. Ucluelet and Tofino
North of here are very popular weekend destinations from Vancouver in the Summer.
It was interesting today that we had to buy a $15.00 48 hour pass to park in
the National Park. We have been walking and driving, taking a guided walk in
the woods, all the touristy stuff but haven’t seen another Kiwi yet – nor a
bear wolf or cougar! The rainforest has similar ferns, moss and creeks but the
trees are very different. A couple more
nights here, then we will cross the island again and travel North to Campbell
River… driving carefully on the wrong side of the road – the right side.
