Sunshine Coast.

When Ieda asked me if I would like to join her and her bf Cole on a road trip to the Sunshine Coast, I had initially refused, claiming that I was too busy with other plans. And I did have other plans! This was supposed to be the weekend where I had set aside some time for self development and catch up on personal work. But the better of me told me that I should go and have fun, and so I reversed my decision and went.

And I’m glad I did! We were blessed with another great day with sunshine on our shoulders. We boarded the ferry from Horseshoe Bay in the early morning and made our way to the Langdale Ferry Terminal on the other side. From there, we drove past Gibsons to Sechelt where everything was closed for the day. We found our own adventure further in at a place called Smuggler Cove Provincial Park. Over a century ago, this isolated place was the entry port for many illegal Chinese labourers, hence the name of the park. We took the forested trails to Welcome Pass which offered a spectacular view of Texada Island to the north.

Cole was demonstrating to Ieda and I on how he was able to hop over rocks half submerged in flowing water to get to get on top of a large bolder a short distance across and encouraged us to give it a try. But with my camera equipment on my back, I was hesitant to. As Cole was making his way back across, hopping on the same half-submerged rocks, his foot slipped into the flowing water, getting his shoes, socks, and the lower part of his jeans soaked. Laughter ensued.

We moved on along the Sunshine Coast Highway to Halfmoon Bay, took some scenic pictures of us and the Strait of Georgia behind us, and continued heading west to Egmont - Pender Harbour to look for a place to eat. We didn’t have a lot of choices in terms of where to eat, which is common for small outposts scattered about the island. We hung around Earls Cove Ferry Terminal debating on whether or not we should head onwards to Powell River, but the sporadic and limited ferry runs made it hard for us to see it all in a day trip, so we turned around instead.

It was a good thing we did as we nearly missed the last sailing back home to Horseshoe Bay.

Surfs' up!

All of what I heard about Tofino really applied to Ucluelet. The best beaches to go to for surfing is in Ucluelet. The hostels and other accommodations are in Ucluelet. The hiking trails and lighthouse on the coastline of the Pacific Ocean are in Ucluelet. The only thing we were able to find in Tofino were overpriced restaurants. The shorelines along Tofino were mostly private property not accessible to the general public.

Having said that, Tofino and Ucluelet are very nice places to visit, and according to a recent surfing editorial, it’s THE capital for surfing the world over. Now that’s a claim to fame these isolated towns should be proud of having.

Ieda, Jay, and I spent the weekend with about a dozen others at the Surf’s Inn and had a wonderful time exploring the island. Opting to rent a car, we traversed through twisty roads and found ourselves in the arms of mother nature and had a sense of freedom and carefreeness as we drove along. The sun’s rays were beaming with happiness and we couldn’t have been happier ourselves.

With my arm in a sling from the fall I took on Galiano Island a few months ago, I couldn’t head out to try my hand in surfing the roaring tides of the Pacific, but that didn’t stop Jay and Ieda. I paced myself on the beach taking photos of them instead, which I was more than happy to do.

In the evening, all was well except for a small detail that nearly proved fatal for my Canon 40D. Jay and another guest at Surf’s Inn went out to construct a log bench out on the beach, trying to get close to the tide that was going out. Their great intention was to watch the sunset while having the flowing and ebbing tides wash over our bare feet. Our attention was clearly diverted to the sun’s motion as it moved beneath the horizon, casting an orange glow in the sky while its reflection shimmered on the sea, that we failed to notice a rather large wave coming straight at us from the broadside. The four of us sitting on the makeshift log bench was caught by surprise and we all ended up in the water. My camera made contact with some water and sand as well, but was saved from fatality as I held it straight up in the air during the tumble. I, on the other hand, had wet sand in my shoes, socks, and clothing and was drenched on my right side.

On our way back the day after, we stopped by to see the goats on the roof at Coombs while grabbing a bite to eat before sailing home.