Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

Finally, this is the first day in a long time where we have nothing planned. The focus will basically be relaxation. We started off with a lazy morning. Big surprise, eh? We got up late enough that we decided to combine breakfast and lunch together … brunch, if you will. Next step, since it was a beautiful, hot and sunny day, we headed to the beach to take it easy. The lake is quite large and surounded by the foothills of the Rockies so it is a very enjoyable environment. We squeezed in a little swimming, a little Frisbee, and a little soaking of the sun while we did some catching up with Carol and Neil whom we have not seen in a couple of years. You have got to love afternoons like that. Meanwhile, Morgan and his new buddy Reilly were fortunate enough to get a “tube” ride behind a boat of one of Carol and Neil’s friends so they were happy campers too. Paul, the owner and driver of the boat, is friends with Reilly’s family and he ended up spending most of the day piloting the many different kids, and some adults, around the lake in a two-man tube. Paul definitely knows how to show everyone a good time. He is rather liberal with the throttle which results in quite a bit of “air time” for those following in the tube. Morgan and Reilly loved it. Thanks Paul. Paul said afterward that for the kids, this is what summer is all about. And he added that just seeing their smiles is worth it. A-P decided to get back into business mode and open up his “Trendy Candy” stand at the beach today. He did reasonably well selling the multifarious items he has in stock ranging from chewing gum to gummy bears but I am sure he would have done even better if he was selling ice cold drinks. Then we joined Carol and Neil and Quinten for a lovely salmon dinner at their campsite after which we retired to the campfire along with John and Sonja. They live on Pender Island which is one of the islands we passed on our ferry trip to Vancouver Island. It was interesting to hear what life is like on an island that only has 185 residents. As you would imagine, some things are quite different. For instance, at their school they pay attention to the “grade-to-teacher” ratio rather than a “student-to-teacher” ratio. They said that there are only about 100 students in total at the school and this results in each teacher handling about three separate grades. What do they do for a living out there you might ask? So did I? He runs a nursery where he grows a lot of the more exotic plants that retailers like to sell. Very interesting and definitely a more alternative life style. He mentioned that they only have dial-up internet access and high-speed is actually hard to find on their island. And they don’t have cable or satellite tv either. They just use an antenna which allows them to get 3 channels reasonably well … and Reilly can get a forth too if he takes the tv to his room upstairs! Great company and another very enjoyable campfire. This day turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

Today’s word:

multifarious \muhl-tuh-FAIR-ee-uhs\, adjective:
Having great diversity or variety; of various kinds; diversified.

No fooling around today. As opposed to pretty much every other day so far, we got up early … 6:00 am early! We wanted to get a jump-start on the day for two reasons. One, we were attempting to avoid as much traffic as possible on the road from Ucluelet to Nanaimo. And two, we wanted to catch a ferry that got us into Vancouver early enough to miss the rush hour … assuming that is even possible in Vancouver. I am proud to say that we were successful on both counts. As I eluded to in a past post, we did NOT have the Matrix attached to the MoHo for the return trip from Ucluelet to the ferry in Nanaimo. This actually made a noticeable difference on the uphill and downhill sections. For those of you not familiar with Newtonian physics, it helped to keep the speed up when going up and it also helped to keep the speed down when going down. And that was all we were trying to achieve. The result was an infinitely more pleasurable drive. Ok, perhaps “infinitely” is a little too strong a modifier but let put it this way. I didn’t have to change my shorts when I arrived this time. And, as Newton would have predicted, there was a positive effect gas mileage as well. We dropped our consumption to almost 25 litres per 100 kms (9.5 mpg) versus the close to 32 litres per 100 kms (7.5 mpg) we “enjoyed” on the first leg of the trip out there. You know, you are in bad shape when you start bragging about using ONLY 25 litres per 100 kms.
Anyway, we made it to Nanaimo and were able to catch the very next ferry. Just enough time for a MoHo lunch once again. The ferry ride was awesome. This time we got a front-row-seat view of Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge with, of course, the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. The Rockies were also the foreground to the north for most of the trip too. Soaking in this irrefragable splendor for the entirety of our 90-minute nautical trip all the way in to Horseshoe Bay, just north of the city, was a pleasure. I highly recommend introducing yourself to Vancouver from the water if possible. It is a magnificent experience that I am sure we would have savoured even further had we not just been overdosed with the beauty and majesty of both the Rockies and Vancouver Island. But we still loved it. Once we had disembarked at the port we pressed on across the top of the third largest city in Canada eastward to Chilliwack. Then we jogged a little south to Cultus Lake where our friends Carol and Neil had booked us in with some of their friends at a lakeside campsite. What a culture shock after a week on Vancouver Island. This place was hopping! We got in with enough time to get set up properly and then head to the beach for a family game of Frisbee as well as some Monkey in the Middle action. Carol popped by our campsite soon after they arrived and we got caught up a little before moving back to their site where Carol, Neil and their 4 friends were already relaxing around a campfire. The banter continued into the night. Chantal was wiser than I and opted for bed much earlier so here I sit at 1:00 in the morning updating the blog.

Today’s word:

irrefragable \ih-REF-ruh-guh-buhl\, adjective:
Impossible to refute; incontestable; undeniable; as, an irrefragable argument; irrefragable evidence.

After our family breakfast this morning I depart to try to find internet access while the kids and Chantal do the MoHo school thing. I end up finding a café that is not even open yet but the guy is happy to let me use his wired internet connection. That has to be classified as one of the highest levels of friendliness that exists. So I sit in this guy’s office for two hours uploading a couple more days of blog entries while his employees role into work and get things prepared for opening. Then I join the others as they are finishing off a game of baseball at the local diamond. Hey, weren’t they supposed to be doing school work? After some baseball we grab some lunch then head off to complete the Wild Pacific hike around to the lighthouse. The sun burns off the fog just in time to let us experience the views of this path in all its glory. Absolutely stunning is about all I can say. We even saw a Bald Eagle. How lucky can we get? Then we sashay over to Laura and David’s place again for another dinner together. We enjoy some succulent salmon steaks for dinner on their balcony with the view of the setting sun dropping over the Pacific. After dinner we head down to the beach for another fire while we enjoy the final stages of the setting sun. So this is how the other half lives. I think I could very comfortably become a habitué here. We spend another wonderful evening with Laura and David although David had to check out early to put little Mitchell to sleep. The other three of us adults gabbed away while the remaining three kids played on the beach and then told ghost stories once darkness approached. Chantal and I were happy to finally uncork the silky smooth bottle of Merlot Syrah given to us by Jean-Marc and Sophie when we left for our big tour. Our instructions were to enjoy this bottle once we reached the Pacific Ocean. Mission Accomplished! We had a toast to Jean-Marc and Sophie right there on the beach to say thanks for the lovely bottle of wine and the directions on how to best enjoy it.

Today’s word:

habitue \huh-BICH-oo-ay; huh-bich-oo-AY\, noun:
One who habitually frequents a place.

We managed to make it all the way to Tofino at long last. Although Tofino is a wonderful little town but I have to admit that this was definitely a case of the journey being even more entertaining than the destination. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. You see, on our way there we had to travel through the Pacific Rim National Park. So on our way we stopped off for a hike through what is called the Shoreline Bog. This is a rather unusual forest that has had its growth stunted due to the acidic properties of the soil in the bog. To make it more exciting we spoke with some hikers who had just finished this hike who told us they had seen a bear go through the parking lot and into the forest we were about to enter. Fortunately we did not see any bears but it certainly kept us all quite aware of what was going on around us. At noon we were scheduled to visit the park’s Interpretive Centre to get some background and history of the Tofino and Ucluelet area. So we decided to squeeze in another short hike before heading over. This second hike turned out to be simply fantastic. It was through the rain forest and it just blew us away. We ended up taking almost an hour to travel the one kilometre trail as we did our best to absorb the incredible beauty of this lush and verdant (there’s that word again, eh?) land. Some of the trees in this forest were up to 800 years old! The pictures show you why we would have liked to have stayed longer. However, the Interpretive Centre was beckoning. Once there we caught the narrated slideshow of what this area was like before all the tourists and how it grew to be what it is now. It was quite informative but we were chomping at the bit to head back out for another hike. We chose to take a guided tour through another rain forest area. This turned out to be yet another highlight of the day. Our Parks Canada Interpreter, Carl, did an awesome job of helping to make sense of what we were walking through, and what we were seeing … and sometimes not seeing. He brought to life in an entertaining and informative fashion how everything works together to end up the way that it is. We got real-life examples of everything from banana slugs to salmon spawning solutions. His passion for the environment could not help but rub off on everyone there. Our hike ended with a walk along the beach at Schooners Cove. We then decided to high-tail it up to Tofino to check out what this place I have heard so much about is really like. Unfortunately for us, the sun was not able to burn off the foggy conditions, even by late afternoon so I think we missed out on some rather idyllic views of the rugged shoreline and picturesque islands surrounding this very quaint little town. What we did see was lovely and if the sun does shine through tomorrow, I may be tempted to make a run back up that way to get a better feel for the place. We thought that it would be nice to grab dinner by the water before heading back to Green Point to take in another Parks Canada presentation. After speaking with some locals it was determined that Long Beach Lodge Restaurant would be the best place for a meal by the water that we might actually be able to afford. Of course, this place is not overlooking Long Beach … that would be too logical. However, it does have a million-dollar view of Cox Bay and we had a front row seat for the evening there. There is nothing quite like a lovely seafood dinner with a commanding view of the Pacific Ocean complimented by a cool drink in your hand to remind you of what life should be like all the time. We then finished the evening with Parks Canada discussing Bears, Wolves, and Cougars. We were pleased to find that our buddy Carl was the guest of honour once again. The one thing these three animals have in common is that they all view people as provender. That might explain why the talk was so popular. So what exactly did we learn about rain forests and carnivores today? Well, the main things to remember are … don’t try to cuddle bears, you can squeeze water out of a fallen log in a rain forest with your bare hand, and don’t eat slugs. There, I saved you a trip to Tofino!

Today’s word:

provender \PROV-uhn-duhr\, noun:
1. Dry food for domestic animals, such as hay, straw, corn, oats, or a mixture of ground grain; feed.
2. Food or provisions.

Today's word:

perambulate \puh-RAM-byuh-layt\, intransitive verb:
1. To walk about; to roam; to stroll; as, "he perambulated in the park."

transitive verb:
1. To walk through or over.
2. To travel over for the purpose of surveying or inspecting.

Our final day in the Victoria area … we wish we could stay here longer as well. We got packed up and then, of course, needed to upload some blog entries to keep the throngs happy. At this campground it is not wireless but rather wired access that is available so we have to go to the office to do it. When I arrived I found that some people from Israel were there making internet phone calls trying to find out how their family is back home. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to live in that area but I did wonder for a while.
Once the blogging and emailing was complete, we started off for Ucluelet, which is a village just down the road from Tofino, the place we have heard so much about. The highway out of Victoria is a little challenging with lots of curvy hills through fairly rugged terrain. Little did I know that this road adumbrated what lay ahead for us this afternoon. The upside is the fact that it afforded some beautiful views of the island and the Saanich Inlet from the Strait of Georgia and even Mount Baker ... if you look closely. Conditions improved as we continued toward Nanaimo. We stopped in there to get some groceries and gas. While at the local Future Shop (look, we have two boys 10 and 12 and it was beside the grocery store) we also happened to see a special edition version of the movie Napoleon Dynamite so what were we to do? We couldn’t resist buying it. Somehow this quirky movie that John and Shannon introduced us to in Kansas City has taken hold of my kids and now I have to sit down and watch the whole thing to get the full effect. For those of you familiar with the movie you might appreciate the fact that after purchasing the movie at the check out I told the 20-ish girl working there to have a “flippin’ sweet day”. She replied with a “Uh, what do you think”.
Then it was off to Port Alberni and on to Ucluelet. I had heard that the 100 km (60 mile) or so drive could take up to 3 hours. I won’t deny that I raised an eyebrow at that estimate with me behind the wheel, even if I am driving a MoHo with Matrix in tow. However, I have to admit that I was not prepared for the ride I, and the poor MoHo, were about to take. It started off as a reasonable drive and then slowly declined into completely unreasonable drive. At one point I was wondering if I was the only one with a MoHo who had ever driven out there before. Pulling the Matrix behind made things a little more nerve racking. Thank goodness that we were generally going downhill on our way there. And I can tell you now that we are definitely going to have Chantal drive the Matrix separately on the way back after seeing the number and size of the hills that we will need to climb for our return trip. But I must say, the scenery along that road is just incredible. It is like you took the entire crossing of the Rocky Mountains and squeezed it down into one raucous but gorgeous 3 hour drive. Imagine all the scariness and all the splendor of our trip from Canmore to Hope boiled down into one road that you can drive in an afternoon. Had I been driving my Miata, it would have been an infinitely more enjoyable drive for sure. I can report that the guy who past me (in both directions no less!) in the Porsche 911 Turbo had a much more pleasant countenance than did I for sure. So overall I would highly recommend it to anyone who comes to Vancouver Island. You won’t regret making the drive … even if you do have a few more grey hairs by the end of it.

Today’s word:

adumbrate \AD-uhm-brayt; uh-DUHM-\, transitive verb:
1. To give a sketchy or slight representation of; to outline.
2. To foreshadow in a vague way.
3. To suggest, indicate, or disclose partially.
4. To cast a shadow over; to shade; to obscure.

Usually when I look at a map I assume that the information it shows is correct, if not complete. I now realize that a free map may not necessarily share these qualities. When a map does not actually convey accurate information, it can be cause for concern. Today I found out what the repercussions of an inaccurate map can be. I thought that it might be a little more interesting to take some back roads on the way to our destination today rather than the same old main arteries we had been using lately. To be fair, we did have an interesting time. The downside is that we ended up on a dead end road by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If you have to be stuck, I suppose that is not a bad place to be stuck. Of course, we had not used the GPS up to this point because we thought we knew where we were going. It appeared that we just happened to be using a map that was created for a different reality. So we broke down and fired up the trusty GPS to get us out of this jam. It did its job but even it was having a difficult time with the crazy tangle of roads in the south part of the island. Between the unusual road patterns and the trees and hills that kept blocking the satellite communication, the GPS was not having a good afternoon. I wasn’t driving and hence was not paying attention to how much fuel we had on board. It turns out that we were a little shy of what we would need to make the trip to Port Renfrew and back. We did manage to make it all the way to Port Renfrew but we definitely needed to get some more gas to make it all the way back. Since there did not seem to be a gas station for the previous 80 kms (50 miles) I thought that it would be prudent to get some in Port Renfrew while we had the chance. Now, to give you an idea of how remote Port Renfrew is, the only gas station in town was at the marina. When I asked one of the locals about where to get gas they literally told me, and I am not making this up, to go talk with “George” in town and he will sell you a 5 gallon can of gas. They then proceeded to give me directions to George’s place which included phrases like “right at the church” and “3 doors down from there” yet at no time did they mention a street name. Ah, life in rural BC! I decided to try the marina since they actually had signs indicating that they sold gas and how to get there. I did not realize that the marina was another 10 minute drive around the bay and across a single lane bridge. The further I followed these marina signs directing me out of town, the more chary I became as I thought it might just be a trap to get tourists with low fuel off on their own for some reason. When I did finally get there I found out that the gas was served up using a 60’s vintage gas pump attached to the back of a trailer that was primarily made up of a big tank which I assume held gas. I was prepared to get gouged on the price given the rather remote location but, believe it or not, the price was only 1 cent per litre higher than in Victoria. By the time I returned from my fuel fueled adventure we had little time for much other than dinner. At least we chose the nicest place in town with a patio overlooking the fishing docks and the bay. This place also served great food and actually had, as a menu option, a “Vote for Pedro” burger. Now there is something you don’t typically see at the nicest restaurant in town, eh? In case you were wondering, no, we didn’t try it … we all wanted to have seafood!
It wasn’t all driving however. We did take some breaks on the way there and back. We checked out the beach and the Pacific Ocean and then played a little Frisbee at, the appropriately named for us, French Beach and on the way back we stopped at a vacant baseball diamond in Jordon River and we got out our bat, ball and gloves to have a family game of baseball. I’m not sure who won or lost but we all had fun. Then it was back to the campsite for yet another late night to bed.

Today’s word:

chary \CHAIR-ee\, adjective:
1. Wary; cautious.
2. Not giving or expending freely; sparing.

The entire family has known for some time that we will be spending a day at Butchart Gardens when we get to Victoria. Chantal has been looking forward to visiting there ever since the trip started. She has actually been there before back when she was 18 years old … 5 years or so ago? Anyway, Morgan, André-Paul and I were all mentally prepared for this day so there was no resistance. We had a lazy start to the day, and I was able to negotiate some blogging before we left, so we didn’t actually get going until noon-ish. Also, we promised A-P that we would pop by a piano store to let him tickle the ivories a little. Additionally (like that John?), Chantal had decided that we would not head to Butchart Gardens until later in the afternoon since once a week on Saturday nights they have a supposedly impressive fireworks display. So we ended up having some time to hang in downtown Victoria again. We had a very late lunch at the only licensed floating restaurant in Victoria. Then we did the piano thing at a most interesting store that specializes in piano restoration. A-P ended up playing a Yamaha grand piano which was previously used in a recording studio on the island. He loved it! He said that not only did it feel good and play just the way he wanted it to, but it sounded fabulous too. He was so excited after playing it that I told him “Now I know what to get you for your birthday.” He paused, and then replied, “No, I think I’d still rather have a go-cart.” Ok …
Anyway, then it was off to Butchart Garden where we were also going to meet our friends, Laura and David. After the initial shock of having to pay $51 for the family to look at some plants, things got better. I am not a plant aficionado but I have to admit, I was duly impressed. They have managed to create an stunning display of flowers, plants, trees, shrubs, grass, lillys … you name it and they have managed to cultivate it and blend it into a verdant wonderland. Even A-P said, upon looking out over one particularly grandiose valley of horticulture, “it looks like something out of a movie that was computer generated.” I think that is the equivalent of high praise from a 12-year-old. We linked up with Laura and David part way through just as the crowds we starting their crescendo. Unfortunately with a very active 3-year-old in tow, the fireworks were not an option for our friends so we cruised the Rose Gardens, the Japanese Gardens and the Italian Gardens with them before parting once more with a plan to meet up again in Ucluelet on Tuesday. We then swung down to the preferred area to watch the fireworks. We were able to do this because we had set out our blankets a few hours earlier to save our spots and … amazingly enough, the blankets were still there waiting for us, albeit surrounded by people at this point. I guess the kinds of people who pay fifty bucks to look at plants tend to be a little more respectful than those you find at a rock concert. A nice change of pace. After a short wait we were treated to one of the most impressive fireworks displays I have ever seen. Honestly. It was a 25-minute long combination of traditional, “shoot-em-in-the-air” style fireworks, along with many ground-based pre-configured and moving pyrotechnics. And the whole thing was choreographed to music which filled the viewing area. It was quite a show which far exceed my expectations. You’ve got to love that. And it was enough to elicit a thumbs-up response from the kids when we ask, “How did you like Butchart Gardens?”

Today’s word:

verdant \VUR-dnt\, adjective:
1.Covered with growing plants or grass; green with vegetation.
2. Green.
3. Unripe in knowledge, judgment, or experience; unsophisticated; green.