Long Weekend on Long Beach.

We Vancouverites really have have it all to enjoy the quality of life we’re so well known for in this part of the world. Over the long weekend from the 21st to the 24th, a large group of friends drove over to Tofino to see the edge of the world and beyond. We camped out at the Pacific Rim - Green Point campsite, pitched out tents, and cooked food over the fire while playing ‘2 truths and a lie’.

Access to the sandy beaches of Long Island was just down the trail from our campground and the weather was just terrific, albeit a little windy at times. This wind danced with the fine grain sand on the beach creating a spectacular silky and wavy pattern as it went by. It was like watching the aurora borealis on the ground.

Surfers were out taking advantage of the high waves while I continued exploring my surrounding environment with my camera. There’s so much here to take in and appreciate that I struggle to find words to describe mother nature. Against the reflection of the pale blue sky was a clear aqua-green oasis with algae on the rocks around it. A collection of sun bleached logs lay scattered along the boulders and tiny yellow flowers blossomed on the rocky crevasse, defiantly living life.

Walking back, I found a collection of rubber and plastic toys some children must have left behind on the beach. There were boats, a shark, a seahorse, and an octopus with a permanent look of sock on its face. Helena, Rebeca, Kimmi and I had quite a laugh playing with these sea creatures and giving dialogue to them. “I’m sharked!” said the Mr. Octopus while being sniffed at from the underside by Mr. Shark while Ms. Seahorse just couldn’t stop kissing everyone. With those lips, how could she not?!

There’s something to be said about adults playing with children’s toys.

The next day, we went to take a stroll along the boardwalk through the Shorepine Bog Trail. Again, words in the English language can’t do justice to how stunningly magnificent this place is. I did my very best to capture the feel with my wide angle 10mm lens. The gigantic broccoli forest of stunted trees is the result of inadequate nutrients and minerals in the acidic waterlogged soil. In an environment like this, I could do some really heavy thinking here and find my inner Qi, more than what any Buddist monastery can do.

Helena and I took a walk along the beach from the north end of Long Beach back to our campsite. The tide was so far out that we were able to make a b-line instead of following the crescent, making our distance that much shorter. With the tide so far out, it left a shallow sheen of water over the sandy surface which gave us the illusion that we were walking on water. The mirrored reflection that it bounced back was more beautiful than one could fully absorb.

We Vancouverites aren’t just close to paradise. We live in one. This was my long weekend.