So the saga continues
with new experiences for all. Did you know that Captain Phil had never seen
bear poo in the wild? We went to Tofino, British Columbia, to experience the wind and the
waves. Long Beach, Chesterman Beach, Pacific Rim National Park and a trek in
the wilderness were on the agenda. Read on Mac Duff…
Captain Phil is a very interesting bloke with an Aussie hat that is full of holes. It might be good for the Caribbean climate but in Tofino it lets out the heat and lets in the wind and the rain. In a word, it is useless.
The Captain starts each
day with a cup of tea and launches into breakfasts that are a variation of
onions, eggs and toast.
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| Captain Phil's sea onions! |
It is followed by endless
cups of tea throughout the day – did I mention that he is from England? In
Jamaica his local name is in fact “English”. Apparently he can be summoned by
locals at the Yacht Club by shouting “Hey English, can you…?” In
fact Julia is known in that island paradise as “Mrs. English”. Julia has been
helpful as a translator when he eloquently talks in English about “push chairs”
“lorries” and his “mates”. I have taken to considering this visit as a “cross
cultural experience with delightful gastric overtones”.
The journey to the end of
the earth – Tofino, BC, to be specific, took us through Cathedral Grove, a small
plot of giant, old growth Douglas Fir trees who are 400-800 years old and tower above the
forest floor.
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| The Captain and Crew's new home, inside a tree. |
Just before we left Tofino, the Captain
and your guest blogger went for a ride off the beaten path in search of a new
fishing spot. We spent an hour driving and another hour walking down a trail.
We can confirm Lost Lake is still lost and good sense prevailed. After the
second pile of bear poo was sighted on a trail too narrow to accommodate man AND
beast, Captain Phil and this blogger agreed to cut the adventure short. The
wilderness is beautiful but we are not its only inhabitants.
