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The Spectacular Wild West Coast of Vancouver Island

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The Spectacular Wild West Coast of Vancouver Island EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS UP TO $1,000 “WORLD’S BEST” ALL-INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES • Crystal Exclusive Journeys • Butler service for each suite Great Escape • Early Booking Savings • Gratuities included TREASURES OF THE DANUBE OKTOBERFEST RIVER CRUISE VISITING BUDAPEST From/To Dates Ship ROUND-TRIP VIENNA SEP 20 - SEP 30, 2018 CRYSTAL 10 days MOZART • Kids Sail Free • Golf clinics with RIVIERA REVERIE PGA instructors LUXURY RIVIERA CRUISE SAILING TO MARSEILLE From/To Dates Ship ROME TO MARSEILLE SEP 23 - SEP 30, 2018 CRYSTAL 7 days SERENITY Join local Bon Voyage Travel host Susan Entringer! • Kids Sail Free • Crystal On AUTUMN TAPESTRY Broadway LUXURY CRUISE, FROM MONTRÉAL TO NEW YORK CITY From/To Dates Ship MONTRÉAL TO OCT 15 - OCT 25, 2018 CRYSTAL NEW YORK CITY 10 days SYMPHONY A black bear was spotted seeking a meal. The Spectacular Wild West River & Campbell Oro Valley Green Valley Coast of Vancouver Island 520-441-2843 520-441-2859 520-441-2840 Story and Photography by Mary Peachin BVTRAVEL.COM gazed out the bedroom window of rain or shine. my Pacifi c Sands Beach Resort cab- Situated on a scenic peninsula I in, mesmerized by the gorgeous view. alongside Clayoquot Sound, Tofi no of- Surfers on Cox Bay were riding waves, fers easy access to year-round surfi ng. dog walkers were ambling, and people Summer activities in the area include were lounging on the beach. It felt as if I black bear watching, kayaking, hiking, were adrift in the Pacifi c Ocean. and salmon fi shing. During winter, visi- The wide sandy beach at Pacifi c tors may come just to watch the infa- Sands is part of the 25-mile corridor mous winter storms crash on the area’s between Tofi no and Ucluelet (pro- rocky and sandy shorelines. nounced you-KLEW-let), two Vancou- Mike White’s Browning Passage ver Island villages separated, in part, isn’t the fastest boat around, but what by the Long Beach Unit of Canada’s his two-story boat lacks in speed Mike Pacifi c Rim National Park Reserve. The makes up for with his longtime knowl- reserve is comprises three units: Long edge, interesting stories, and exper- Beach, Broken Group Islands, and tise about Clayoquot Sound. Aboard West Coast Trail. his boat early in the summer season, I All units of the Pacifi c Rim National have observed black bear mothers with Park Reserve off er a cultural experi- cubs. In late summer, during low tides, ence in the form of interpretive walks, I’ve watched bears feasting on spawn- storytelling, and interactive displays ing salmon. Last summer I saw bald hosted by descendants of its origi- eagles and sea lions, as well as black nal inhabitants, the Nuu-chah-nulth bears. It was the best wildlife viewing First Nations. I’ve had on the Browning Passage. Tofi no was formerly an enclave for A 1.5-hour boat tour from Tofi no Vietnam War draft dodgers. Today the to Hot Springs Cove off ers the oppor- area is a tourist and surfer destination, off ering a num- ber of upscale resorts and fi ne restaurants. But, it’s hard to beat the fresh and tasty fi sh tacos served from the Tacofi no food cart, lo- cated in a parking lot along the Pacifi c Rim Highway. There is usually a line of people waiting to order— Landing a salmon in Barkley Sound, south of Ucluelet 14 DesertLeaf l February 2018 Cox Bay is the featured view from the Pacific Sands cabin. tunity, if you are lucky, to view hump- South of Ucluelet, Barkley Sound back and orca whales. The hot springs, covers an area of approximately 300 cascading through seven geothermal square miles and is home to another pools, are accessed by a mile-long unit of the reserve, Broken Group Is- boardwalk through old-growth forest. lands. These islands, explored by and On the south end of the Long Beach named in 1787 by Captain Charles Unit, “Oyster Jim” Martin had a vision William Barkley aboard the Impe- to build a trail to follow the beachless rial Eagle, a British trading vessel, are shoreline of Ucluelet. The former oys- popular with paddlers, anglers, and ter farmer built the 4-mile Wild Pacific boaters. Boats wind among hundreds Trail by hand with the help of local vol- of islands, some as small as one square unteers. It was with great pride that he mile. The best paddling is from April introduced my husband and me to his to October. Sea kayakers often opt trail a dozen years ago. Hiking it has to reach the Broken Group Islands, become a tradition for us. Family and aboard the MV Frances Barkley, from pet friendly, the trail traces the dra- Port Alberni. matic beauty of ocean reefs. It’s a great While archaeological evidence in- destination for photographers, storm dicates the presence of First Nations watchers, bird-watchers, and hikers of habitation more than 4,300 years ago, all abilities. continued on next page February 2018 l DesertLeaf 15 A boat takes tourists out on Clayoquot Sound to enjoy wildlife sightings. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, which was established as the West Coast Trail Unit. The trail, which runs between the villages of Bam- European fur sealers began settling in field and Port Renfrew, follows an old the Barkley Sound area in 1870. Present- telegraph route and served as a survival day recreational activities include surf- route for shipwreck victims. ing, fishing, whale watching, kayaking, Although it is possible to take camping, hiking, storm watching, bik- scheduled and chartered flights from ing, and beachcombing. Wolves are oc- Victoria as well as from points along casionally sighted swimming between the west coast of Canada and the US to islands to hunt deer, mink, and rabbit. Tofino-Long Beach Airport, ground-sea Our visit always includes a day of travel from the mainland to the west salmon fishing near Great Bear Island. coast of Vancouver Island usually in- We typically charter one of Dave Mur- volves a ride aboard a ferry, and then phy’s 26-foot Pursuit boats. Murphy a long, curvy, two-lane, mountainous is a Vancouver Island fishing legend. drive (custom shuttle and scheduled On our last trip, guide Kevin Barabash bus options available) across Vancou- trolled for Chinook salmon, using ver Island. The drive is long but scenic downriggers lowered to a depth of 100 and well worth the time. feet. It was early in the season, and we For more information about how to released small, 2- to 3-pound Chinook find your way to Tofino and the Pacific and a canary rockfish. Rim National Park Reserve area, visit Hardcore hikers might want to tack- tourismtofino.com and pc.gc.ca/en/pn- le the 46-mile West Coast Trail, which np/bc/pacificrim. passes through old-growth forests and DL wide-open beaches, and crosses sus- pension bridges spanning rivers and Mary L. Peachin is a local freelance writ- streams. The backpacking trail is locat- er. Comments for publication should be ed in the southernmost section of the addressed to [email protected]. 16 DesertLeaf l February 2018.
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