Shining like a Honeycakehorse

03.03.2018 Today should be our last joint exploration tour for now, as we won't have a day off together for the next few weeks. Yeah. Our German flatmates recommended Port Renfrew and Mystic Beach back then - I grabbed my camera, Patrick took the keys to Jim Bob, and off we went. But before that, we had to go shopping because we didn't have anything in the fridge. Since we passed by the Real Canadian Superstore on the way to Port Renfrew, we stopped there "quickly" to get groceries for the next few days. However, this store is huge, reminds me of Walmart, and finding the cheapest items can take up to an hour. Over $100 poorer, to be exact $170, but richer by four small grocery bags, we were ready to go. But Jim Bob's tank was almost empty, so we also had to refuel. At the gas station, we set the maximum amount - which is $150 - to fill up the tank. The pump was finished, but apparently the tank still wasn't full - we both looked surprised and wondered how much capacity our tank actually had. Well, money gone again, but now we should really get going, it was already 12:00 and it was still a 2-hour drive to Port Renfrew - little did we know how great the road conditions would be.

Port Renfrew is located in the southwest of Vancouver Island, directly on a bay, and the road there passes by the Pacific. However, this road was full of potholes, steep curves, and was preferably driven by hillbillies who were on the hunt for a new best time. No problem, you can definitely drive with your pickup truck at 100 instead of 70 over the mountains and tailgate your car in front of you so closely that you might think the occupants of the trailing vehicle are sitting directly on your cargo bed. After more than 2 hours of this roller coaster ride, during which the mood of the passenger and thus the mood of the driver steadily declined, we finally arrived in Port Renfrew. After a short stop at the "harbor", where we could catch a glimpse of the emerald green shimmering water and look out for Willy (unfortunately, he didn't come by swimming), the mood improved again. Since Port Renfrew is a collection of just over a dozen cabins, we were actually done exploring there. But luckily, we still had recommendations from our roommates from the German flat and the current Canadian flat in our pocket. A few kilometers west of Port Renfrew is Botanical Beach. A beach that is supposed to be quite nice to look at. After a short walk, we finally arrived at the beach, sat down, and had a delicious sandwich. The beach was nice to look at, but that was about it. We were expecting better from Tofino. Forget about it. We sat in the sun and enjoyed life. That was why we came to Canada: untouched nature, few people, discovering new places.

After the short walk, we got back in the car and headed back towards Victoria. "Shortly" before Port Renfrew, there is Mystic Beach, which was also recommended to us. The shortest way to this beach, which is 1 kilometer away, led through a densely overgrown forest about 150 meters downhill from the road. However, since it was already late afternoon, the sun was slowly setting, we both are not particularly good hikers, and we knew about the local animals like black bears and pumas, we decided to skip this little adventure and decided to come back a few weeks later. But we were still in for a treat on this day. Two to three kilometers later, there is China Beach, which was closer to the road and, luckily for us, had well-developed hiking trails and many people. After about 10 minutes, we arrived at the beach and... were thrilled. The beach reminded us of the beaches we knew from Tofino. An endlessly long sandy beach with huge logs washed up by the tide and fir trees that completed the Canadian feeling. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time, because the sun was slowly setting and we were a bit afraid to walk through the forest in the dark. After about 20 minutes at China Beach (which has absolutely nothing to do with China), we hiked back to the car. On the drive back to Victoria, the sun slowly set and we experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen. The sky turned orange-red and I tried to stop somewhere as quickly as possible to take the perfect photo. Luckily, after an eternity, a small exit came with a view of the mountains of America, the Pacific, and of course the fabulous sunset. Thousand photos later and simply overjoyed, I drove Patrick, Jim Bob, and our groceries home. Unfortunately, we both had to work again the next day, but our little trip was more than worth it.