Tuesday, April 30, 2019

My birthday in Ucluelet

It's my birthday! Or at least a drawn-out affair lasting a week or two while I try to celebrate a little with a few friends that wouldn't be at the same place at the same time.  Birthday Week.  Maybe Birthday Two-Weeks.
For my birthday itself on March 29th I wanted to be away from town, as a kickstart to what will hopefully be a pleasant travelling season, typically advised against by well-meaning folks who don't want me hobo-camping in the rain.  Alas, I can't help it I was born in springtime on the Wet Coast! I chose Ucluelet as a destination for its rugged natural beauty, and ideally had someone to host me there for the weekend.  I'd only briefly walked through Ucluelet years ago and wished to devote more time to explore.
Plans fluctuated briefly prior to departure and I was ready to go alone walking/hitchiking and stay in the hostel - my usual manner of travel that takes less money but more time and effort - but happily a fella joined me and we could drive (and stop to geocache) at a leisurely pace.  We stopped at Coombs which was buzzing with tourists and again at Cathedral Grove, one of my favorite spots for big ol' trees. I'm glad this provincial park preserves them, and despite logging on the island and reports of poaching the old growth, I like to think that the far depths of mid-island have plenty of these elders left.
His friend hosted us in his beautiful home; the guest bedroom was quite dark and below ground level so extremely quiet, the bathroom clean and spacious, and the tv has all the special channels. Indeed we watched a fair bit of tv in the grey mornings and dark evenings.  We arrived in the light evening of Friday and not caring to fuss with dinner plans were fine to settle in with drinks+appies at home and watch the sunset.  We made short work of a bottle o'rum.  I had a seasonal cold and was content to have a low-key relaxing time, burning it out with spicy hot wings and trying to keep my sniffling as unobnoxious as possible. 
Ucluelet's tourist tag is to "unplug and reconnect", so we took a break away from our screens and spent most of our afternoons out.  The weather was warm and calm, only just damp and chill at dusk, so we walked the trails south that overlook the Broken Islands and west looking towards the Pacific horizon.  The trail networks are well maintained and accessible, the many rocky pocket beaches pristine and seem secluded although most of the coastline is in view of several hotel resorts and sleek modern homes.  Despite the one-road-in-and-out small town vibe, there is some money here. 
We had dinner at the Floathouse in the harbour, seemed popular and unpretentious with a simple menu and I enjoyed my salmon pasta with a decent caesar and a lemon-lime cheesecake as my token birthday cake.
For a brief afternoon we drove up to Tofino - the other town at the end of this one road - and browsed around for lunch, settling on the Wolf In The Fog for excellent corn-battered halibut nuggets on homemade salad/slaw, bright fresh tastes.  After that we visit Chesterman Beach, which was sunny with a light mist just on the water.  Plenty of people out today but the beach was big enough for all of us, a quiet calm energy.  Perhaps another time I'd be surreptitiously tenting among the driftwood, and I was again grateful for the hospitality and assistance of my present company.
We left on Monday in an attempt to avoid the construction delays along the highway by Kennedy Lake. On our way back we grabbed a burger at a classic drive-in in Port Alberni, then another stop in Cathedral Grove for the south side.
Thanks for a fantastic time - the most fun to be had while sick - and a great start to my personal new year.

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