My best traveling girl friends and I packed up a couple nights' worth of gear and left the lower mainland early on Friday morning for an extended weekend jaunt. We hopped a ferry over to Vancouver Island and then drove through a white-knuckle array of weather over to the outer west coast of the island to Ucluelet where we stayed and the breath-taking Black Rock Resort.
There were signs all along the highway *reminding* travelers to have either snow tires or chains on their vehicles from October to May. This is February and I had neither, which added to the white-knuckling - especially when we ran into the sleet....
We made a short stop midway across the island at Cathedral Grove. One of the last remaining pockets of a rare ancient Douglas Fir ecosystem. Some of the oldest trees in the grove are about 800 years old and as high as 75 m (250 ft). The few remaining trees still here today survived not only a savage forest fire that swept through the area nearly 350 years ago, they managed to evade the Europeans that colonized the island in the mid 1800s. Entering the Grove was humbling. It was mucky under foot, but worth it for the stunning, lush, velvety greens and the majestic silent giants that surrounded us!
Upon arriving at our ultimate destination at the Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet, I must confess to getting a little emotional upon seeing the view from our 'upgraded' suite. Breath-taking would be an understatement.
The following pictures may seem rather repetitious, but the view was always changing. The sun and clouds played across the day and changed colours and shadows and perspective from one moment to the next.
The following pictures may seem rather repetitious, but the view was always changing. The sun and clouds played across the day and changed colours and shadows and perspective from one moment to the next.
Swells turned into crashing waves, mist plumed up against the signature black rocks and out croppings, giving the place a perpetual mysterious feel.
And the sound. Oh the sound! Mid February and we had the doors and windows thrown open just so the sound of the waves could fill our suite. I could still hear them when I got home.
This is a definite GOING BACK destination. A longer stay and a bit more 'sight seeing'. This trip was two days of driving and one short day there, we didn't roam around as much as we could have - but with the view we had, we didn't feel the need to bolt out the front door and race around just to say we saw this that and the other thing (all in a blur). We'll be back and we'll spend more time there exploring at a more leisurely pace.
And the sound. Oh the sound! Mid February and we had the doors and windows thrown open just so the sound of the waves could fill our suite. I could still hear them when I got home.
This is a definite GOING BACK destination. A longer stay and a bit more 'sight seeing'. This trip was two days of driving and one short day there, we didn't roam around as much as we could have - but with the view we had, we didn't feel the need to bolt out the front door and race around just to say we saw this that and the other thing (all in a blur). We'll be back and we'll spend more time there exploring at a more leisurely pace.
Cathedral Grove.
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| Room 2402 |
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| Long exposure 'night' shot. (hand held) |
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| Heading into the hotel's restaurant for an ocean view with breakfast. |
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| A short walk on the Wild Pacific Trail after breakfast. |
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| A wave moving inland and breaking up against the rocks. |
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| Stunning sunrise and a promise of good weather on the trip home. |
It was hard to leave Ucluelet. This trip happened on my birthday. One of the most amazing birthdays that I will remember for ever! Huge thanks to my two travel buddies - who were battling nasty colds all weekend - for coming with me on one of those 'trips of a lifetime'!!!I think we could have all stayed for another week! I hope we get a chance to visit the area again. It's back on the 'to visit' list. But there are a couple of first time places to see ahead of a return visit.
