To Ucluelet
Back on the road, feeling refreshed and cleaned from the surfing, direction Ucluelet, Tofino’s sister. It’s supposed to be less touristic than Tofino, but don’t get it wrong, it’s still a surfer’s town. Houses do have their numbers written on surfboards.
I slowly drive through the town. Another place that seems to be expanding really fast, with everywhere newly built allotments taking over the forest. I’m trying to get a good spot to capture the sunset (which again is amazingly beautiful) but the tasks revels itselft rather tricky. I see signs on the road saying something like “pull of the highway to see the wildlife”. Sure, I’d love too! But each time I do pull out the ‘road’ (no way this is a highway) it’s to end up in the driveway of someone’s house. I just can’t seem to get close enough to the coast (well, unless I go to the port but I’ve already done that too many times).
As I decide to leave Ucluelet and drive to Port Alberni I see a sign “Sea View Properties”, as in, there is land to build your property on, and with that name, how could you not get a view on the sea? So I turn around and take that road which brings me where I’d never thought I could get, at least not by car, opposite Ucluelet, on the other side of the ridge. Now I can see the very spot I took the photo from, and I’m standing right where I was pointing my camera to less than an hour ago.
I continue driving and make a turn where the sign “Sea View Properties” goes. The paved road becomes a dirt road. It brings back memories from Iceland. Everything in the car starts to shake and vibrates. I am finally going find out what the Jeep is made of. Pretty good driving I must say. The direction is just perfect, not to stiff, which is tiring when driving for long periods, but stiff enough so that there’s nothing lost between the hand turning the wheel drive and the wheels. Anyway, I drive, drive, drive, and never get to see the ocean, only pine trees touching the sky.
The sun is setting down and the fuel going low. I give myself another 20m on that road and I’ll have to turn around and get back to Port Alberni. The further I go and the closer I think I’m getting to a fantastic view point, which in addition probably has yet to be seen by many. And suddenly I’m back where I started. Back on the paved road. So where is the sea view? I wonder.
And Im back on the number 4 road that connects the East side of the Island to the West side. And again, I have to repeat it, this road really is one of the best I’ve driven on.
I can see really dark clouds in front of me, so I know I have to hurry if I want to take some shots before the rain. I sometimes get to see the mountains on the other side of the lake, but by the time I stop (when I can stop) it’s gone. Or there is an horrible electric/phone/whatever cable spoiling the view. I climb rocks and sometimes manage to get high enough to get rid of the cables. And bang, the road gets white and it’s haling again. And the night comes.
I’m just starting to think that I’m now “just” driving, as in, to go from a point to another, rather than enjoying the ride, when, switching from the overheard CD to the radio, I get some really nice songs. Now you’re talking. And after a couple of really good songs, I switch the station to skip a crap one, and I end up on 105.7 (the locals from Port Alberni will now what station that is). They’re airing a concert of Jill Barber, recorded in Halifax, in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, with the Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra.
“A young version of Edith Piaf in english”, that the first though that comes to my mind. And songs after songs, I just love her music and can’t wait to get back home and listen to it again. Or maybe I’ll be able to get a CD in Vancouver, if there is one, and play it while driving.
I’m now a few miles from Port Alberni, where I stopped to listen to the rest of the concert, parked in the rest area where I’ll spend the night. I’ll go to Mount Arrowsmith tomorrow, enough driving for today.