It's been eight years since the last time Tom and I were in Tofino. It might have actually been the first holiday that we ever took together. We went in October, and the main thing that sticks out in my mind is that it rained. EVERY. DAY. This should not be a surprise; Vancouver Island is one of the rainiest places on the west coast, but subsequently, my memories of Tofino are a little dreary.
Our trip this year could not have been more different-- it was BEAUTIFUL while we were in Tofino. Sunny, warm and dry, it was everything our first trip was not.
We arrived on a Tuesday after a grueling 12 hours in the car (or on a ferry). We misjudged how long it would take us to get to the ferry terminal-- so we missed the 12:50pm ferry, didn't have a reservation to get us on to the 2:30pm ferry, and had to take the 3:10pm ferry. We left Kelowna at 8:15am, and it was just after 8pm when we finally arrived in Tofino.
We stayed at the lovely Cox Bay Resort. There were a series of units lines up along a long walkway, facing the beach. We were only three units away from the beach, so it was a short walk. Each of the units were there own self-contained condo with a living area, dining area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. More and more, I love having a kitchen on holidays. It's so convenient to be able to buy a few simple groceries, and then you don't have to rely on eating out for every meal.
Cox Bay Beach
On our first morning in Tofino, we took a long walk on the beach. Given the beautiful weather, it was bustling with tourists and locals-- most of them relaxing in the sand, or taking surfing lessons.
Surfers out in the bay.
There were large and small groups of people learning to surf, and people of all ages, shapes and sizes. I did a day-long surf camp when I was in Australia in 2007, and I remember it was an exhausting endeavor. I spent all day climbing up on the surf board, only to be immediately knocked off into the water. I feel like I'd probably be better at it these days, given all the yoga I do (better balance), but Tom hurt his ribs playing soccer a few weeks ago, so we didn't make an attempt this time.
Tom and I.
We wandered around the beach and found a path that we had travelled during our first visit to Tofino. It took us out to a nice outlook point where we had a nice vantage point of the area.
When we finished our beach walk, we headed out to Tacofino for lunch. Basically, anyone who I've talked to who has recently been to Tofino recommends going to Tacofino. Tacofino is a fish taco food truck. Lines are epically long. On our first visit, we waited an hour between getting line and receiving our food. We obviously thought it was worth it though, because we went back again the next day. The second time we waited 35 minutes.
We had lingcod fish tacos, and tuna fish tacos. The lingcod was pretty basic-- deepfried, with mayo, salsa, lime and cabbage. The tuna tacos had a more Asian flare to them with a sweet soy-sauce and ginger along with the cabbage and salsa. We also had some fruit smoothies-- mine being watermelon basil, and Tom's being lime mint.
Tacofino fare.
Also worth mentioning, Tom and I ate at a restaurant in town called the Wolf in the Fog, and it was also delicious! We had the Spanish Bombshell, which was a combination of scallops, mussels, clams, potatoes and barnacles in a tomato saffron broth with a tangy aioli. There was a tomato salad on the side. It was so good, we went back to eat it a second night too!
Rainforest Trail A.
In between all the copious amounts of eating, Tom and I drove into the Pacific Rim National Park and did a few short hikes on the well maintained Rainforest Trails. I admit, I was a little disappointed that it was so dry on the trip-- there were no banana slugs in sight! Banana slugs are pretty gross, but there's something fascinating about them as well.
Banana slug from our 2007 Tofino trip.
We didn't see much of anything in terms of animals during our short hikes-- unless you count a particularly pissed off blue jay (we must have been near its nest). But it was quiet and humid in the rainforest, and we enjoyed ourselves.
Rainforest Trail B.
In retrospect, we probably should have spent longer than two days in Tofino-- but it was a nice break before the long drive home.
Where to next, you ask? Well! We just booked tickets to Kauai, Hawaii, for the first week of November. Hoorah!
