6th Day - from Victoria to Ucluelet

April 13, 2023

Actually, I thought I wouldn't have to write much today because we are only driving from Victoria across the island to Ucluelet on the Pacific. I was mistaken 😉.

So, this morning we left Victoria and because, as mentioned before, Brigitte gets easily cold and the temperatures for the next few days seem to be quite chilly, we stopped at a monster mall on the outskirts of the city to find something suitable in an outdoor store. That took some time but eventually she found a nice parka that keeps her wonderfully warm. To show solidarity, I also bought a jacket 😅.

After a Starbucks coffee, we continued on the highway towards the west, not without a stop at the "Malahat Skywalk" with a fantastic view of the fjord, islands, and sea. And because the little hike and fresh air made us slightly hungry, we made a stop at Quallicum Beach and had a snack at the "Shady Rest" restaurant right on the beach. But now it was finally time to head towards the "Pacific Rim" on HWY 4. By the way, this highway has nothing to do with a freeway or even a major road. The speed limit here is about 70-80 km/h on average. It's annoying at first, but you can enjoy the scenery much better at this pace. And what a scenery it is....indescribable. On the way from one side of Vancouver Island to the other, we passed countless lakes, drove through mountains with snow-covered peaks, and finally arrived at the Pacific. That was definitely worth the journey 😊.

I shouldn't forget to mention the traffic jam after about two-thirds of the way. We stood there for about 30 minutes! Admittedly, it was in a beautiful natural setting, but that doesn't make it any better. The reason was a major accident where a truck went off the road, down a slope, and took down a power pole. I'm telling it in a bit more detail because this accident would have consequences for us (and not just us).

When we arrived relatively late at our hotel, the "Black Rock Resort", we were informed that a truck had knocked down a power pole and that the entire western part of the island was without electricity 😲. And their generator, which was impossible to ignore, could only supply power to the restaurants and reception, not the rooms and suites. However, they expected the power to be restored in 3-4 hours 😱.

So, as long as there was still daylight, we moved into our very beautiful and spacious suite, which is located a bit outside in a cottage, and enjoyed the remaining ocean view. With the help of the iPhone flashlight, we went to the restaurant for dinner and back to the completely dark suite, which was only illuminated by the fire in our fireplace. But there's nothing so bad that it doesn't bring something good.... The view from our balcony to the starry sky was amazing.

And now, as I write these lines, the power is coming back on and, now that the WiFi is finally available, I can upload the post 👍🏻😊.

Tomorrow we're going to Tofino for "Whale Watching" 🐳