Here comes the time of our last article in Canada. After more than 3 months on the road, and 2 months in Canada, it’s now time to move on to the next chapter of our Americas trip. For this last canadian stop, we discover Vancouver Island.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
We start our trip on the island by Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. It’s a short 30 minutes walk to discover a beautiful canyon.
From there, we go to one of the most famous spot in Vancouver Island: Cathedral Grove. It’s a very old Rainforest. We are immediately impressed by the gigantic trees. Everything is cold, humid, moss-covered. Among all these 300 years old tall trees, the biggest and oldest one is a 800 years old Douglas-fit, 76 m high, 9 m wide. When Christophe Colombus discovered America in 1492, it was already 300 years old!
In Vancouver Island’s Rainforests, we can find cougars, bears and wolves, but also a monkey! 😁
After briefly stopping to admire Hole in the Wall, we stop near Sproat lake to enjoy a sunny picnic and a free warm shower.
We then head to the West coast and Tofino. It’s a very touristic city, it’s Saturday and it’s August. Thus there are lot of people! As wild camping is strictly forbidden in the area and the campgrounds over expensive, we drive along a forest road to find a private spot. After several kilometers in a dark and humid forest, we find a spot that could do the trick. IWe eat at 6pm and hide inside the Jeep at 7am to watch series, not willing to be caught outside when cougars and bears prowl.
Sunday, August 28
We have big plans for today! We wake up at 7:30am in order to discover Tofino and Ucluelet, its surroundings and the Pacific Rim National Park. We spend the day walking in a rainforest, admiring wonderful views on the Pacific Ocean and enjoying vast beaches.
We discover our very first Pacific beach. It’s beautiful! There are surfers, huge waves, tides, vast sand beaches and boundless ocean. This is the Pacific Ocean just like we imagined it: cold, grey, vast.
From morning to afternoon, the atmosphere on the beaches changes completely. Sun replaces fog, the water turns from grey to deep blue. Everything is more welcoming. For swimming, we will wait the Southern countries 😀 But we don't wait for a picnic in the sand and a nap in the sun.
After this very busy day, we are determined to find a nice spot for tonight. We leave the area and drive 1 hour inside the island. Here, we find the perfect spot: on the edge of a crystal clear river. It’s already late and after cooking and dishwashing, it’s already Dark. We hear a noise behind the bushes. We quickly put away everything and hide inside the Jeep. This woods really are creepy 😅
Monday, August 29
This morning, we are determined to swim! It’s 8am, the sky is grey but we definitively want to swim in that crystal clear water. I try very hard, but I am not able to plunge in this cold water. Rémi doesn’t think twice and jump. Wow!
With the exception of some goats on a roof, the road is pretty boring. We stop to see an old wooden bridge.
Tuesday, August 30
The Big Lonely Doug is the second biggest douglas in Canada. He was supposed to be cut in 2011 but it was decided to leave it. It now stands in the middle of a desolated landscape.
We are heading to Victoria, capital of BC. It’s very hot so we decide to stop and enjoy a fresh swim in the ocean. We find a beautiful beach and we eat, read, nap and sunbath the whole afternoon. Did we swim? No! The water was icy cold !
Wednesday, August 31
Victoria is a beautiful city. It’s under a bright and hot sun that we discover Chinatown, the harbor, the Parliament and the floating houses. it’s all very cute.
At 5pm, it’s time for us to go to the harbor, as the ferry is waiting for us! But first, we need a new US visa! USA, here we are coming! 😎 The ferry leaves the harbor at 7:30pm and we enjoy a last view on Victoria under the sunset. We spend 2 hours talking with Carine and Adelin, a French couple from Victoria. It was a pleasure meeting you guys! Enjoy your trip in America! :)
Nous quittons l’île de Vancouver, mais nous quittons surtout le Canada. C’est la fin d’un périple de 16 semaines (Alaska compris) qui nous a menés de Montréal, au Québec en Ontario et ses Grands Lacs, puis dans les deux provinces centrales du Canada que sont le Manitoba et la Saskatchewan, avant d’arriver, enfin, en Alberta. Nous avons adoré l’Alberta et ses parcs nationaux emblématiques de ce pays et de ses paysages incroyables. Mais l’Alberta n’était que le début. De là, nous avons mis cap au Nord pour rejoindre le Yukon. Que dire du Yukon, si ce n’est que nous sommes tombés en amour devant cette province et sa nature sauvage. Nous avons vécu au Yukon l’une des plus belles aventures de notre vie (à ce jour) : la Dempster Highway, qui nous a menés jusqu’au cercle polaire puis jusqu’à l’océan arctique. Des rêves devenus vrais. Après un passage en Alaska riche en aventures, nous terminons notre périple canadien par une dernière, et non des moindres, province canadienne : la Colombie-Britannique. Depuis notre départ de Montréal, nous avons parcouru plus de 20 000 kms !
It’s time for us to open a new chapter of our travel: the United States chapter! And it starts... in the customs! As we arrive in Port Angeles, Washington, the customs officer asks us to empty our fridge! We forgot about this. He takes from us our tomatoes, green peppers, grapes, onion, eggs, peaches and mushrooms. No wait, as we are about to leave, he comes to us and hands our onion and mushrooms over, telling us that this is good to go. He then let us leave, thanking us for our honesty. Well... you are welcome! 🤪
1 commentaire
Une boucle est bouclée avec de supers souvenirs. J’espère que vous en aurez pleins d’autres.
Je vous embrasse.
Mamie.