Tofino - Al and the Oysters

For the benefit of non-believers - Al really did consume two oysters. We have proof! He smothered them with seafood sauce and down they went! Good job Al.

Wrong Way Al

July 20^th, 2010 (Kathy) We were first to leave Tofino so that we could visit with our nephew and family in Port Alberni. We were to meet up with the rest of the COKE group at Wal Mart in P.A., but Al missed the road so we carried on. We had lunch on the side of the road by Cameron Lake while waiting for the others. T&E came along and we followed them all the way into Saanich. I won’t say who, but someone decided he really needed to get fuel before carrying on the last few kms to our campsite. Ted was so gracious to wait on the side of the freeway to show everyone where to turn off, but after successfully making this turn, this certain driver then made a wrong turn (again) and ended up going down a

“ONE-WAY ROAD” the WRONG WAY!! This road turned out to be an EXIT off the freeway! Needless to say, his wife was very upset with him, got out of the truck and directed traffic around this 51 foot truck/trailer while her husband backed up this “WRONG WAY” road for 2 kms until finding a spot to turn around. “Al” is well that ended well....his wife got over being upset when they arrived at their beautiful destination – Oceanside RV Resort. And to everyone’s delight, Will and Anne arrived to join us for a few days.

Heading to Saanich - Martin Mars

20 July - Day 11 to Saanich & Mars Tanker Base

We left cool Tofino separately in our

RVs and headed east toward

warmer inland Port Alberni - our meeting spot (Walmart parking lot again). We (Bruce & Gerry) stopped at the Coulson Martin

Mars

Tanker Base on Sprout Lake just before

Port

Alberni - we had time for a brief tour and picked up some souvenirs and photos.

www.martinmars.com. After a quick McD lunch we continued

towards Saanich and our next

campsite. Part of the fun on this journey is never knowing exactly how to get to the next site and what it has in store for us. Oceanside RV resort was another unknown. Each of us carefully

plotted our courses using our GPS and online Google Maps (if available) and deftly made our way. What a pleasant surprise we had when we arrived. All sites were spacious and gravel with new

tables and new clean washrooms. And it was warm! The ocean was close but our view was just a glimpse. B & G arrived first with Dave & Yvonne then Ted & Elaine. None had major problems finding the place. So we waited for Al & Kathy - we called on cell phones and

our 2-way radios. Nothing. We were getting worried but A & K tended to run on a different track than us old timers so we gave them some leeway. I will let Kathy tell the tale of Wrong Way Al.

Bella Pacifica - Tofino

Bella Pacifica (by Yvonne) - 15-20 July - Tofino

Weather - cool, misty, 14-18 degrees C. the clouds seem to clear at about 4:00 pm for about 5 min to 2 hrs later. Happy hours are warm to cool -depending on the sun. Campsite is very crowded and sites are small. Elaine & Ted and Al & Kathy have a lovely seaview (but are on a busy path). We are on the other side of the road because of the size of our rigs (Dave & Yvonne and Bruce & Gerry). Bruce just drove in and kept the truck attached

so they would have a view. Power was a problem and three of us tripped the breaker at least once.

Saturday we went to Tofino, a quaint little town with lots of gift and art shops. We toured the Roy Vickers gallery and all of us left with some art and gifts. That night we put our three propane campfires together and had a singsong. It has been very cool at night so this was our first. Kathy and Yvonne have 'snugglies' to bundle up in. The rest of us used blankets. Now we know why there were lots of campfires. (too smoky for me - Gerry)

We found a great bike path and went on excursions for groceries. The same little shopping centre had a great place for fish and chips which we all enjoyed for dinner one night. BC sure has great fresh seafood. We are so fortunate! The rest of the time we enjoyed 'Saundering' on the beach and even found time for a golf game. The course was rough and long. Most holes were 300 - 450 yards. Dave, Gerry and Yvonne played 9 holes together and Bruce, Al and Kathy did 18. We all slept very well that night.

Ucluelet - Wickaninnish Inn -19 July

Last Day at Tofino - (by Yvonne) Today we learned how to spell and say "Ucluelet". It seems all these years we've been leaving out one of the l's (U-clue-let). Another pretty little village - a lot of townhouses and houses are being built and the town is expanding. We went to see the lighthouse - a pretty area with lots of rocks. (Al was walking on the beach and what was to become our 'Talking Stick' found him).On the way back to McKenzie Beach, we stopped and had a drink at the "Wickaninnish Inn". What a resort - beautiful, right on the ocean. I was there about 34 years ago and it's sure built up. The native art in the place is wonderful!

15 JULY Tofino - Bella Pacifica RV Park

We are a little behind in our postings (thanks to our many followers for that observation). The total blame for this can be traced back to this: Bruce & Gerry arrived at Tofino with 2 bags of Fanny Bay oysters (120 count). We had no choice but to consume them since they must be eaten fresh. We roasted them on the BBQ until they popped open then drenched them with homemade garlic butter and/or seafood sauce. EVERYONE tried at least one - some consumed too many! We are so proud of Al who tried TWO! & Dave who seemed to like them & Elaine and Kathy who did their share. The remainder of us just enjoyed until they were gone (Ted, Bruce, Yvonne & Gerry). So we place the blame on the oysters. Read into this what you like... (Gerry)

Oysters - (by Yvonne)

I must mention the oysters! Bruce & Gerry bought a ton of them and put them on the BBQ. They pop open when they're done and you smother them with seafood sauce. they were unbelievably delicious and huge! The first night we ate so many that we had to skip super. Of course, some of us ate more of them than others. Even Dave enjoyed them and the next night, even Al had two!

Quadra - Whale & Ship Watch

Tsa-Kwa-Luten - Quadra Island 12-14 July (by Yvonne)

Cape Mudge - Beautiful, right on the water! Weather - perfect - afternoons to about 24 degrees. The first day we relaxed and took a walk to the village - just a few houses and a cultural centre. The second day we (Dave & Yvonne, Al & Kathy, Ted & Elaine - all crammed into one truck) toured the island and had lunch at Heriot Bay, a beautiful, picturesque spot, overlooking a

pristine harbour. We also visited Rebecca Spit Park (provincial).

We met up with Bruce & Gerry at the Tsa-Kwa-Luten Lodge for a drink and we sat on their spectacular deck overlooking the ocean. There was a wedding with a lovely young couple. We came back to our campsite for supper and watched seals and a whale and a beautiful sunset. We're off tomorrow to Tofino.