Pixmin

My first surprise as we arrive in Whistler is its size. I heard so much about it that I expected something really big and buzzing. I drive through the town so quickly that I have to turn around and go back. I’m already out thinking it was just entering. I expected something big, what a surprise. I park the car and walk in town to check it out.

Second surprise, the size of the ski resort (Whistler and Blackcomb). Coming from Mount Washington, I can understand why this may seem like a big resort, but coming from Europe, and after hearing so much about it, the first word that comes to my mind is “small”.

On the positive side, being famous and all I expected Whistler to be crowded, not at all. Of course, it would probably be different during a WE and after a few days of snow, but today I find it rather quiet, which is great to stroll in the streets.

After a night in Vancouver (thank you again Valérie and Hugues for receiving us!!) we get back on the road, direction Whistler. Our first stop will be at Squamish where we’ll buy some food for the trip. And then, after a few kilometres and we stop to have breakfast with a great view on the mountains.

Everything worked out perfectly and after dropping off the car, we left Nanaimo on the 8h30 ferry, direction Vancouver, just as we hoped to. This will give us extra time to go riding to Cypress in the afternoon.

From the back of the ferry, I watch Vancouver Island getting smaller and smaller with a little bit of sadness. I somehow got attached to the pretty island. I’m also looking forward to starting the part 2 of our Rocky Road trip: the ski resorts.

But first, as soon as we get off the ferry, I need to get to Vancouver to get the car. And here starts my nightmare. My french credit card won’t work, and they won’t accept debit cards. We try to call the bank to get the problem fixed but 1. they won’t let me call France from their phone, 2. the bank is closed. Then they tell me I can’t go to Yukon nor to Alaska. And there’s a huge fee to pay to go to the Rockies (and I can’t pretend I’m not going and go as they’re tracking the position of the car via GPS and would charge me when I return the car).

Then, when everything seems to finally be solved, just as I am about to sign the rental agreement, they tell me they don’t have a car for me (it took us a few hours to get around all the problems and the car I had booked is gone). Fortunately, someone is just returning the car we need and I should be able to drive away with it in a few minutes.

Shared between the sadness of having my trip shortened and the excitement of going to the Rockies, I go back to pick Adrian and all our stuff to the ferry terminal and we head direction Cypress. Let’s forget about all those problems and let’s go riding.

PS: Thank you so much to Valérie and Hugues for receiving us in Vancouver and being so kind to us. We had a nice dinner and a really great evening. Thank you so much!

Today I wake up before the sun, which is good as it will make up for all the time I’m about to waste. Finding the road to Mount Arrowsmith isn’t an easy task and I’ll drive past it a couple of times, going back and forth between Coombs and Port Alberni. All the directions I’ll be able to get are that it’s right after the top of the mountain (when coming from Coombs) and there’s a wooden sign, but it doesn’t say “Mount Arrowsmith”. That’s it.

But I’ll finally find it:

Then it will be lots of small dirt roads. I’m not sure how I did but I ended up taking all the right turns amongst the maze of smalls logging roads. The road is getting steeper and I have to stop near a car parked on the side. I ask them if it’s the way to Mount Arrowsmith, which they confirm. They also let me know that they just tried to continue on the road but the hill is too steep and they started going sideways. I ask if they have four-wheel drive, thinking that they don’t and that I’ll be able to continue since I do. They smile and say they do, but without chains there is no way I’ll be able to go up. I slowly go down, half sliding half in control, park the car in a spot where it shouldn’t be in anyone’s way, get changed and start hiking up.

The fresh snow is deep and I regret not having snowshoes. But the view is great and I’m getting once more fantastic sunshine so I keep walking to finally arrive to a point where the snow is so deep that I cannot continue. So I look for a nice spot to have a break and get my thermos out for some welcomed hot tea. And what a great view.

I’ll spend a little while, resting and sun tanning, and just as I decide to walk down, clouds will appear.

Next stop is Courtenay to pick Adrian with whom I’m going to do the second part of the trip. Direction Nanaimo where we’ll spend the night before taking the early ferry to Vancouver Monday morning.

PS: Michelle, thank you so much for receiving us, thanks for the soup and thanks for the lovely breakfast!

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.

My lesson is booked for 2pm. I can’t go back, no chickening out. I’m told I’m extremely lucky to have such a sunny weather, which is very unusual. The usual being yesterday’s weather (mostly raining). I decided not to trust the Tofino Time this time and let destiny drive to me Bruhwiler Surf School. I’m the only one so I get 2h of private lessons for $100.

I climb aboard what seems to be an old army truck and go to the beach. First the theory about surfing, then a bit of safety and we head for the water. Well, I would have never thought that it would be so physical. I will definitely not ever compare it to snowboarding or skateboarding. Or maybe snowboard in an avalanche, but you’d have to strap your bindings in the avalanche before riding. Anyway, I drank a lot of salty water but I loved it. What surprised me is how warm the wet suit kept me. I’ve been colder walking by the sea in England during summer time than I was in the water here.

The two hours will fly by but I have to say that I’m quite exhausted at the end of the lesson. So I’m both happy to leave the water and get dry but also looking forward for more surfing!

Time for a treat now, I need something sweet and back on the road, direction Ucluelet.

Well, it took me some time but I think I found quite a nice spot to spend the night. It might be a bit dared but I’m willing to risk it. The view is just too good not to stay here.

I’m trying to think about where I should go tomorrow morning to catch the sunrise but the map isn’t detailed enough to find a good spot and from what I’ve seen of Tofino, all of the land seemed to be occupied, so I just watch the sunset and call it a day.

I wake up surprised that it’s already 7am and I missed the sunset. The car is covered of ice. The night was much colder with temperatures getting pretty close to -10c, if not that. I wake to a minus 7c.

First things first, I need to find a place where I can sit down and charge my batteries, all my batteries: laptop, camera, and myself with food. After ordering 2 muffins at the Common Loaf (voted best place to have breakfast in the local Tofino Time local paper) it appears that the wireless won’t place nice with macs. So don’t go there if you have a mac. Actually, don’t go their either for the muffins, they were not that good at all, nor felt very fresh. But do go there if you want to talk french!

I try a second place called Vicente’s café. $5 to have access to the Wifi for the day, but their Almond Crescent are just delicious, no regrets!

I have enough time to keep driving down the Oceanside route and decide to go by Qualicum beach. Slightly disappointed. It’s just another beach. I’m not sure what all the hype is about, maybe I missing something here but I just stop to take a photo and I get back in the car, direction Tofino.

I’m not sure if it’s me but just the fact to be on the road “to” Tofino and I start noticing Surf shops’ signs. The rain slowly turns into snow as I get more inland.  I’ve already said that, but this has to be one of the best road I’ve ever driven on, and yes it beats the road to Port Alice! Maybe the fact I’ll be following someone who obviously knows the road leading me ever so quickly to Long beach plays a part in it. And finally, a real big sandy beach!

Funny weather. It’s sunny, I could almost walk in t-shirt on the beach, then as I get back in the car, I get into a hale storm, minutes later it’s sunny again, and then raining, and again a hale storm that paints the road in white, and sunny again, and it will go on like that for a while. Crazy. I now need to find a place to spend the night, maybe get lucky and even book my surfing lesson but everything seems to be already closed.

I pass Sayward and Mount Cain without seeing much. It’s snowing and the visibility doesn’t give me a chance to see the surrounding mountains. But the weather gods will treat me with a great sunrise as the clouds slowly clear up reveling the snowy mountains.

I have to mention the great work the people taking care of the road are doing. They got the road cleared so quickly that I almost didn’t get to drive on snow, just enough to have fun :)

The road to Gold River simply is one of the best I’ve driven so far. I’m not sure if it’s along a lake or the sea, but it just looks so beautiful.

I pass Gold River and continue driving until I get to the end of the road and have breakfast here:

I’m looking around, taking photos, and the pilot of the seaplane comes to me and asks me if I want a ride. I first think he’s joking but he’s not. He says he just needs to check if there’s enough space on the way back for me. So I decide to hang around, watch the “wood factory” (can anyone let me know how this is called?) and have breakfast. This place is amazing. No network, at the end of the road, yet I don’t feel “claustrophobic” as I did in the other city ports I’ve just visited (Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port McNeill). Also, watching the wood workers is better than watching TV. They’re working in harmony like ants, moving wood around, dropping some in the water for the little boats to store them.

Anyway, I just gently wait 12h30 and times flies by. The pilot seems to be gone, another one arrived but isn’t offering me any ride, so I guess I missed my chance to fly in a seaplane and get great views. Never mind. Time to get back on the road, direction South.

My first night in the car and first impressions. Well, it feels much warmer than I thought it would be. I didn’t have to put 2 extra pairs of socks and extra layers, not even close the sleeping bag, so really it feels way warmer than in Iceland, yet the thermometer shows pretty much the same temperatures, just a few degrees below zero. I guess my survival guide David was right and my body is getting used to the cold thanks to the last few month I’ve spent sleeping either outside or near an open window. Just as in Iceland, it’s snowing when I wake up and the car is all white.

First impressions of the car (Jeep Grand Cherokee). It feels smaller than the Toyota Land Cruiser I had during my last road trip. The inside of the car also feels cheaper, especially all the plastic stuff. The back windows are all black and you can’t see inside, which is great for sleeping inside it discreetly. That wasn’t a problem while in Iceland since there was never anyone around the car, but here on Vancouver Island it’s different. I’ve also noticed the car is drinking more fuel than I’d like to, averaging 12.5l/100km.

Time to think about breakfast. The tea I prepared yesterday morning before leaving is still hot yet the bottle is freezing cold. I slowly sip it while checking the map and wondering what surprises today will bring. I think I’ll head to Gold River and have breakfast there.