Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park

Ann McRae

I was last in Tofino in 1983, and IFRC there was the original old hotel and bar in town, and a grocery store. (We were camping in the NP). Much has changed! Tofino is now a lovely town with many amenities and good restaurants, and a vibrant surfer and tourist friendly attitude.

My desire to take the kids to Tofino came from memories of my last visits and the lasting impression that the wild beauty of the place had on me. I very seriously considered taking marine biology at university, despite having grown up on the prairie and not having a clue how to swim.

It also came from a new need that I have, as I 'embrace' middle age, and that is to not wait to visit places - to start my bucket list now rather than after retirement or when necessary. This probably results from watching my mother wait for my dad to retire, and becoming too ill in the meantime to really enjoy that stage of life.

Anyway, we flew in to Victoria early Monday morning, picked up a rental van and had breakfast at a Whitespot (these used to exist only in BC). We then got comfortable for the 5 hour drive from Victoria to Tofino. Despite the mindset that the day was about the journey, not the destination, we only made one stop, in Coombes (this is a necessity) and I did not bring the camera out of the car.

The sun was shining as we approached Pacific Rim National Park, on what is one of the most interesting (approaching challenging) drives. We found our rental condo, which was very nice and very comfortable. The dh and I walked up the hill to get some groceries, barley snacks and check with the tourist info on a good choice for dinner and the time of sunset.

Early dinner at Shelter was fabulous. I totally grossed the kids out by having fresh, local crab. YUM. Then off to Radar Hill for dusk.




It was evident that I would not get the sunset shot I wanted from this lookout point, and so we made a mad dash back to Chesterman beach for sunset. Barely......


Notice the home on the right end of this shot. Imagine this view on a daily basis!


Sadly, this was the only evening with a sunset, and though I am pleased with these shots I was hoping for many more.

The next days brought some beachcombing, whalewatching and a walk in the rain forest. Photos to follow.

ann

dkoyanagi

Great photos Ann! I think the last time I was in Tofino was around 83 also. Looks like you decided to take the 24 TS-E. Nice panos.

GSPeP

Great pictures. The last I was there was in '89 with my brother.

I think I once stood on the same place where you took pictures 3 and 4.

Ann McRae

Hi Dan, Hi Peter

Thanks!

These are just 4/10 crops from shots with the 24 - 105. See that lens flare - that is the bane of my 24 - 105. I did take the TS-E but only used it one afternoon, and haven't looked at those yet. At this point of the trip, I was still hopeful for more sunsets and sunrises. Sadly, it wasn't to be!

Dan, when you get a chance, head over to Tofino. There is flight service out of Nanaimo directly onto the water at Tofino, and I think from Vancouver to Nanaimo. It has changed, but is still spectacular and the local attitude is to keep it that way.

ann

Ann McRae

The next morning I had my alarm set for 5:50 a.m. What I failed to recognize when setting it was that my blackberry didn't change timezones, and that was really 4:50 a.m. local time. So, I shut it off and went back to sleep. My dh woke up an hour later and suggested I get up as it was clear and the sun wasn't up yet.
We stayed in a rental condo at Eik Landing, on the eastern harbour side of Tofino. If we had kayaks it would have been possible to enter the sound right there. As it was, I was able to set the tripod on the deck, and enjoy the sunrise over Clayoquot Sound.


First light:





A heron was fishing near us when we arrived, and flew in at sunrise. This was the last time I saw one.


Gallery

I am struggling with the processing on these. /trying to decide just how far to push, how much to make them interpretations rather than depictions.

I am sure that I will edit and reedit many.

ann

grimace

Beautiful work Ann!!

Arvan

second one is amazing! looks unreal.

Patti

Stunning. I miss BC

swintonphoto

Ann,
These are LOVELY! I spent some time in that area years ago, and my memories flood as I see these. Really nice decision on the crops. Great great great!

VisualXpressions

Hi Ann,

Stunning! I miss traveling to marvelous places for fabulous photo ops... A benefit of 20 years in the Navy... My Wife and I will travel again soon... So many places to see, and so little time...

Winston

Ann McRae

After another couple hours of sleep, we prodded the kids along and made it out to explore by 10 a.m. Rain still forecast but not falling, so we headed to Long Beach for a walk on the beach.

Into the Surf:


My daughter and her friend sharing stories:


Youngest son:


Surf School is Done:


We moved frm the north end of Long Beach down to the Wickaninish Center in hopes of finding tide pools.

Driftwood:



Anemone:


From there, a drive to Uclulet for lunch at Matterston's. The rain started while we were there and so we just headed back to Tofino for the rest of the afternoon. DH and I went on another grocery run, and bbqd supper.

That night a river otter family walked by the condo (badly exposed, shot in a hurry):

Ann McRae

Wednesday, and a Whale Watching Tour booked for 9:30 a.m. Got up to the alarm - and nothing but cloud, so back to bed for a bit, then ready the kids with a nice breakfast and off to the boat.
Whale watching in Tofino can be done in a zodiak, a large yacht like boat, and almost anything in between. Zodiak's are not recommended for folks with back problems, so given my shoulder trouble and my daughter's recent abdominal surgery, we chose a mid sized boat with covered and deck viewing. When we boarded the captain said that due to 3m swell he felt that we would spend the trip in the security of the covered part of the ship. Not too long out, he changed his mind and opened the upper deck. The tours guarantee whale sightings but they all head out to different spots in hopes of something unique. Our adventurous captain took us to the open ocean past Vargas Island in the 3m swell. It was okay with me and the girls in our group, but others felt the effects of the unsteady ocean. We first stopped at an island used by first nations people to butcher their caught whales. When you think about whaling using harpoons and a dug out canoe, you find respect and awe.
I spotted my first bald eagle of the trip on that island(those with me in Glacier know that I am still after the perfect eagle shot )


Further along we found Sea Otters. Apparently sea otters in the Tofino area were hunted to extinction and have recently been reintroduced from the Aleutian Islands.

A bit further along in rough seas we came upon this group of Stellar Sea Lions, resting peacefully with sea gulls and cormorants.





Shot, handheld, with the 1dMkIIN and the 300mm, from a moving boat on heavy swells. Not bad, eh?

Our 'guaranteed' whale:

A small solitary grey whale feeding along a cove on Vargas Island. About half a dozen of the whale watching tours ended up here at the same time. Something about a sure thing and a guarentee!
A smaller boat, with 'survival suits'


A zodiak closer to town:


Tofino Harbour Authority:


Our last day saw a walk in the rain forest, in the rain.

ann

Ann McRae

grimace wrote:

Beautiful work Ann!!

Thanks, Adam. Wish I had the musical repertoire to title photos like you do!

Sorry I will miss you guys at the shootout!

ann

Ann McRae

Arvan wrote:

second one is amazing! looks unreal.

Thank you Arvan!

ann

Ann McRae

Patti wrote:

Stunning. I miss BC

Yes, why isn't all of Canada like B.C.?

Thanks, Patti.

ann

Ann McRae

swintonphoto wrote:

Ann,
These are LOVELY! I spent some time in that area years ago, and my memories flood as I see these. Really nice decision on the crops. Great great great!

Thank you, Jonathon. Glad to help jog some good memories! And I am glad you like the crop - I certainly thought they were fitting.

ann

Ann McRae

VisualXpressions wrote:

Hi Ann,

Stunning! I miss traveling to marvelous places for fabulous photo ops... A benefit of 20 years in the Navy... My Wife and I will travel again soon... So many places to see, and so little time...

Winston

Hi Winston
Yes, time is fleeting - make the best of it! I love travel, wish I had a reason to do so more often (and the bank account to allow it!!!)

ann

spechtal

Beautiful photos of a beautiful coast. I haven't been there since the early 80s either. I mostly remember being terrified by a very powerful riptide on long beach. I thought this prairie girl was going to be fish bait.

The plan trip from Nanaimo to Tofino sounds like a plan.

Ann McRae

spechtal wrote:

Beautiful photos of a beautiful coast. I haven't been there since the early 80s either. I mostly remember being terrified by a very powerful riptide on long beach. I thought this prairie girl was going to be fish bait.

The plan trip from Nanaimo to Tofino sounds like a plan.

Hi Angela
The 'swell' is huge and powerful there, sure adds to the rugged beauty.
There are now signs designating Tsunami Escape Routes along that road!

It is worth a visit, no doubt.

ann

Ann McRae

On Thursday, instead of intermittent showers, we had rain. We let the kids sleep late, did a bit of tourist shopping and then arranged to catch the water taxi to Meares Island. My youngest son was hoping it wouldn't be as rough as the whale watching trip the day before, and it wasn't. The water in the sound was nice and calm, and the water taxi was a pleasant trip across to the Island. As the water taxi driver said, 'what better to do when it's raining than visit the rain forest'.

As we crossed the sound, he pointed out a harbour seal to us, adding to my wildlife species count. At this point the 20d and 24 - 105 was securely tucked inside my gortex jacket, and all other gear was back at the room.

The landing to the trail to the big tree is completely obscured from sight, and I wondered where the taxi was dropping us. We made arrangements to be picked up when he dropped another group off, 1 1/2 hr later, and stepped into an amazingly lush, heavily canopied rain forest. There is a cedar boardwalk maintained by the Opitsat residents and donations to friends of the Clayoquat Sound.

In the 80s, the plan was to clearcut the huge old growth rain forest on Meares Island, and this was a turning point in history for Tofino and area. The town has changed dramatically from a fishing and logging village into a tourism and environmentalist haven. Thank goodness!!!

A few images from this wonderous place:

Welcome, do come in:


The view across the sound:



Ah, if only the sun had been shining:

I suppose I could add a Muench star!
This photo was taken at the base of The Hanging Garden Tree, a tree reputed to be 61' in circumference and 1500 years old.

Waiting for the water taxi to return ( being Rose from the Titanic?)


My daughters friend contemplating how she ever got roped into traveling with us nutcases:


We ate dinner Thursday at another great restaurant, SoBo, and packed up for an early Friday a.m. to Victoria for the flight home.
I still have the 24 TSE shots and some panos, as well as others that I need to edit. I may add them, or share them in landscapes. I hope you enjoyed my journey to Pacific Rim National Park and area.
ann

jeffmeyers

Great work! I'm stuck in boring Missouri. Lots of green trees and all that! :cry

dadwtwins

WOW, what a great series of shots Ann. I love the daughter's friend pic. The look says it all, hehehehe

Ann McRae

jeffmeyers wrote:

Great work! I'm stuck in boring Missouri. Lots of green trees and all that! :cry

Thanks, Jeff! I am now stuck back home, where it has already froze once and could snow any day!

Ann McRae

dadwtwins wrote:

WOW, what a great series of shots Ann. I love the daughter's friend pic. The look says it all, hehehehe

Thank you!

ann

Ann McRae

ALICIA21 wrote:

wow stunning photos!!

Thank you, Alicia.

ann

LouwPhotography

Ann McRae wrote:

I really like this one! Stunning!
:jawdrop

-Andrew

Ann McRae

LouwPhotography wrote:

I really like this one! Stunning!
:jawdrop

-Andrew

Thank you Andrew. I am pretty fond of it too. At the time of our trip, I was really bummed that we only had one sunrise and one sunset. The sunrise, as is turns out, was very worthy and so I am now content with the shots!