Tofino

We spent three days in the lovely town of Tofino, and I hope that at some point, we make it back. When it is a bit warmer, although I'm not sure that will be possible. And maybe when Parker is older, and he can spend some time surfing. I've always wanted to visit the beaches of the Pacific Northwest. Tofino is kind of the reason we went to Vancouver in the first place. It didn't disappoint, but it wasn't as epic of a trip as I had hoped. Still, there were some awesome moments.

For example, the ferry ride from Vancouver to Nanaimo across the bottom of the Northwest Passage. Gorgeous. In fact, the ferry ride was kind of the most amazing part of our trip. I love boats. I love water. I love mountains. And I love good coffee. And the ferry ride served everything up all at once. Check out this view as we started our journey. Wouldn't mind having that house in my portfolio.

Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver

The ferry trip was only about an hour, and upon arriving in the town of Nanaimo, we picked up a rental car and started our trip across Vancouver Island to Tofino. The trip was expected to take about 3 hours, and it was right around Parker's nap time, so we expected he would sleep the entire way. Which he did, except for a break in the town of Port Alberni, which is a little fishing town near a lake in the middle of the island. There were even a couple of vineyards and wineries here, so we stopped in and did a tasting at one of them, Chase and Warren. We bought a few bottles and had a nice time hanging out with the winemaker, a retired school teacher who about breaks even on his craft wine hobby. He's actually the first winemaker we've met who spent more time talking to us about the finances of wine than his grapes, but it was an interesting tasting.

We followed the winding Pacific Rim Highway through a gorgeous canyon, passing lakes, a river, and giant trees at which we should have stopped to explore. Why didn't we? Parker was sleeping in the back, and we decided not to wake him. He's a great traveler, but the kid needs his naps. We arrived at our apartment around 4PM and quickly unloaded the car so we could explore the beach, just across the street and beyond the trees. Here is what we saw upon arrival:

Chesterman Beach, Tofino, BC, Canada

Not sure any of my pictures do this place justice. It was so beautiful. Parker had an awesome time exploring the beach and picking up sea shells and seaweed. You would think this kid had never been to a beach before, but this place was really nothing like anything he's seen in Santa Monica or Malibu. (Or San Francisco, or Florida, or Portugal, actually. Holy shit, this kid has traveled so much already!!!) After a bit of wandering, we went back to our apartment and made dinner. Then we all went to sleep around 8PM. Vacation is awesome sometimes.

Parker's Great Find on Chesterman Beach

The next morning, the sun was out. Of course it was, since it was July 3, Jeremy and my 4th wedding anniversary. I made the boys put on their bathing suits and we headed to the beach early. Sunshine in Tofino isn't to be taken for granted. We spent several hours building sand castles, an activity I take very seriously. Yes, I jumped into the icy cold water, but not for very long. It was colder than I care to admit. The highlight of the morning was snapping the below picture of Parker. I had just taught him how make a sandcastle out of "drippies." He clearly perfected the technique rather quickly.

Parker Demonstrates Sandcastle Sculpting Skills 

For dinner that night, we dined at a restaurant in town called Shelter. Sophisticated, yet relaxed. We sat on the deck, enjoyed a couple of drinks, gave Parker the iPad, and honestly couldn't believe we have been married for 4 years already. Parker had a little bit of trouble falling asleep when we got home that night. So we put him on our bed and snuggled as a family. Again, we all passed out around 8:30 PM. Not quite the romantic evening by the fire Jeremy and I had initially planned, but a pretty awesome night with the two most important people in my life. 

The following morning, we were again awake early. Of course we were! We have a toddler! But we also had plans to go whale watching. Neither Jeremy nor I had ever been whale watching before. I speak only for myself when I say with certainty that I will not be going again. Turns out, actually witnessing a whale breaching is incredibly rare. Which means, even seeing a whale is also not that common. Here's a shot of our one and only whale sighting:

Tail of Whale

Three hours on a boat in choppy water and in addition to the above tail we saw about 6 inches of a whale's back, right near its blowhole. Sure, we also saw the whale blow some water out of that blowhole, but I'd just like to say that I think all whale watching companies false advertise. Within 10 minutes of our ride, the guide says the only time whales breach is on National Geographic Channel. Interesting how they tell you this fact after you've paid your $175 per person and are a challenging swim in very cold water from shore.

To put me in a better mood after our "whale watching" we feasted on what are quite possibly the best tacos in the world at TacoFino. Yes, a taco truck in CANADA makes the best tacos in the world. You can doubt me, I will not be offended. Coming from California, I clearly was dubious myself. But I long for the day I return to Tofino and have another bite of my Tuna Ta-Taco. Soy. Sesame. Wakame. Ginger. Wasabe mayo. GLORIOUS.

My Boys at TacoFino 

Tofino prides itself on being the town at "the end of the road." Its beaches are the exact opposite of what we have here in Southern California, but that's exactly what we were looking for in a family vacation this year. Until next time, Tofino. Eh?

Surfer at Long Beach, Tofino