Vancouver Island from 29.08. to 04.09.2020 and the remaining days in Vancouver

~ Twenty-First Day ~

Elk Lake, Victoria - Beach parking lot in Chemainus

In the morning, we start with a Tim Hortons coffee. Julian wants to go through the Drive Thru. In Germany, it's called the Drive In. Julian drives too far and passes the speaker. I burst out laughing and Julian goes through the Drive Thru a second time. Equipped with two Douple Douple, we make our way to Victoria downtown. If you're wondering what a Douple Douple is: it's a filter coffee with two sugars and two shots of cream or milk. And as a true Canadian, you order your coffee by saying Douple Douple. In Victoria, we first go to the visitor center and then take a walk to the Parliament building, the Government House with its large park, and the Craigdarroch Castle. I would have liked to walk through the castle, but we have more places to see. The next stop is back downtown: we go to the Old Spaghetti Factory. It's a restaurant Julian has been wanting to go to for a while. We order an all-inclusive meal. That means, at the beginning, you get freshly baked bread with butter and herb butter, a salad or soup, then the main course you chose, and for dessert, vanilla-chocolate-pistachio ice cream and coffee. After a really delicious meal, we continue walking towards Chinatown. It's said to be the oldest Chinatown in Canada. We walk through a narrow alley and admire the area. We actually want to go to the Royal BC Museum, but we're not allowed in. You have to book the tickets and time slots in advance, and today all time slots are fully booked. So we decide to buy tickets for September 3rd. In the end, we briefly go to Walmart because we want to buy a duffel bag for our flight to Ontario, and then we continue to Chemainus. We want to spend the night here. It's a parking lot with a boat ramp. I observe the different ways to launch a boat - it goes from elegant to unelegant - before it finally becomes quiet enough for us to sleep in the car.

~ Twenty-Second Day ~

Beach parking lot in Chemainus - Wild camping site at Kennedy River

In the morning, I observe the seagulls and ravens hunting in the sandy area during low tide. Our car is still so dirty and a rain shower won't clean it anymore. So we drive to Nanaimo to a car wash. After the wash, the car is still dirty, but now it's wet too. It didn't really do much! So we follow it up with a hand car wash. After that, the car looks much better.

We finally continue and our next stop is a short hike to a point called "Hole in the Wall". There used to be a large pipe running through the forest and over part of the creek. But since the pipe was removed, there is now a small waterfall and a hole in the wall. Many visitors have built stone piles in the water. After the short hike, we stop briefly in Port Alberni and look out at the riverbank. You're supposed to be able to see bears on the other side of the river during low tide. Unfortunately, we're here at the wrong time! It's neither low tide nor do we see any live animals. Just a few boats passing by and later a few dead fish floating in the water. It seems the anglers simply threw the remains into the water! Even the seagulls don't want to eat that. We decide to stop again in Port Alberni on our way back at a better time. In a small national park, we stop to observe salmon. At first, you can't see anything in the rushing river! But if you look carefully, suddenly there's a subtle movement. And indeed! There are many big fish in the water, they seem to be waiting in the calmer area of the river, and it looks like they're queuing up. After one fish tries to swim against the current, the next one takes its place. I point my camera at the spot in the river and a man asks me what I'm photographing. After describing the spot, he sees the fish too! The last stop of the day is our wild camping site at Kennedy River. We're quite early this time. But unfortunately, the weather doesn't cooperate. It starts to rain. But the place is really special! At first, we pass by everyone because the place is already crowded. A whole party group seems to have been camping here for a while and has set up a proper camp. We drive back to the beginning of the gravel road and set up our tent there in the rain. That means: hurry up! Before everything in the tent is under water. Then we still have to cook! Julian makes a fire under the trees to be a bit protected from the rain. Across from us is a woman who invites us over! Her name is Stephanie and she's from Quebec. She's a flight attendant and currently has time off. So she started a solo road trip and has now arrived on Vancouver Island. She invites us under her tarp, which she has stretched over her campfire. So at least we won't get wet anymore. She also shares a watermelon with me. Julian gives her a beer in return. She tells us about her journey and about this place. She arrived one day earlier and spent the last night at our spot. Today, she has "moved" to her new spot. It's really cool! Some previous campers have built a kitchen out of branches and logs between the trees. It looks really professional. That's why we initially thought Stephanie had been living here for a while. The gravel road is not only in the forest, but also right next to a wide river. She tells us that you can swim in the river and there's a waterfall. So we go on an exploration tour along the river and we're really surprised! Before the water cascades down the waterfall, there are many rocks and stones in the riverbed, creating small pools where you can probably swim excellently in the summer! Later in the dark - we're sitting at the fire again - two cars drive up and Stephanie is very excited: it's actually three Germans she already met yesterday in the camp. They join us and we chat for a bit. One of them has a special metal "stick". Like a telescope, he can extend it. It's hollow like a straw. He uses it to blow air directly onto the fire to make it burn better. Julian is instantly excited, of course. It never stops raining at night. But we're very glad that the tent is dry. Only a little bit of water comes through at a small spot, but actually, we bring more water into the tent with our clothes. Before I get into my sleeping bag, I think that I actually need to go to the bathroom. "Oh well! I can hold it until tomorrow morning!" In the middle of the night, the sound of the rain hitting the tent breaks me. In complete darkness and in heavy rain, I stumble out. Julian sleepily asks what I'm planning. "A walk... what else?"

~ Twenty-Third Day ~

Wild camping site at Kennedy River - Parking bay near Ucluelet

As we wake up in the morning, there are a lot of cars behind us! Apparently, this place is popular with everyone looking for a free place to sleep. Some of the cars have wetsuits hanging on them to dry. It seems like we're in a "surfer camp". After a quick tidying up and washing dishes, we continue to Tofino. That's our actual destination on Vancouver Island. We make a stop at Long Beach. There are so many surfers here. Tofino is also known as the Hawaii of Canada. But you shouldn't underestimate the wild and high waves, as well as the currents! Everywhere, you're warned that the water is so cold that you should only go in with a wetsuit. After that, we get some information from the visitor center. We ask about options to rent a kayak. But we're immediately discouraged: there are actually only guided tours because the currents here are so challenging. Today, we just want to stroll around the town. So we drive a few more minutes and we're in the little town. At the stroll, I suddenly have a lapse in my blood pressure. Dr. Dr. Julian naturally has a suspicion: "It's not because you haven't had anything proper to eat today, except for two gummy bears for breakfast, right?" Well, maybe... Stephanie asks us to join her for dinner at a cute place where you can book kayak tours. And so we book a sea kayak tour for tomorrow. It's a special type of kayak. After having a coffee, we go to the Wildside Grill. There are several food stalls on a large parking lot where you can buy food. Julian orders fish tacos and I have the fish burger. Both are really delicious! As we drive to our sleeping spot, there's not much going on here at first. It's a small bay right next to the road, but it's hidden by tall bushes.

~ Twenty-Fourth Day ~

Parking bay near Ucluelet - Parking lot with free Wi-Fi

As we wake up the next morning, there are a lot more cars behind us! Apparently, this place is popular with everyone looking for a free place to sleep. Some of the cars have wetsuits hanging on them to dry. It seems like we're in a "surfer camp". After a quick tidying up and washing dishes, we continue to Tofino. That's our actual destination on Vancouver Island. We make a stop at Long Beach. There are so many surfers here. Tofino is also known as the Hawaii of Canada. But you shouldn't underestimate the wild and high waves, as well as the currents! Everywhere, you're warned that the water is so cold that you should only go in with a wetsuit. After that, we get some information from the visitor center. We ask about options to rent a kayak. But we're immediately discouraged: there are actually only guided tours because the currents here are so challenging. Today, we just want to stroll around the town. So we drive a few more minutes and we're in the little town. At the stroll, I suddenly have a low blood pressure episode. Dr. Dr. Julian naturally has a suspicion: "It's not because you haven't had anything proper to eat today, except for two gummy bears for breakfast, right?" Well, maybe... Stephanie asks us to join her for dinner at a cute place where you can book kayak tours. And so we book a sea kayak tour for tomorrow. It's a special type of kayak. After having a coffee, we go to the Wildside Grill. There are several food stalls on a large parking lot where you can buy food. Julian orders fish tacos and I have the fish burger. Both are really delicious! As we drive to our sleeping spot, there's not much going on here at first. It's a small bay right next to the road, but it's hidden by tall bushes.

~ Twenty-Fifth Day ~

Parking bay near Ucluelet - Parking lot with free Wi-Fi

As we wake up the next morning, there are a lot more cars behind us! Apparently, this place is popular with everyone looking for a free place to sleep. Some of the cars have wetsuits hanging on them to dry. It seems like we're in a "surfer camp". After a quick tidying up and washing dishes, we continue to Tofino. That's our actual destination on Vancouver Island. We make a stop at Long Beach. There are so many surfers here. Tofino is also known as the Hawaii of Canada. But you shouldn't underestimate the wild and high waves, as well as the currents! Everywhere, you're warned that the water is so cold that you should only go in with a wetsuit. After that, we get some information from the visitor center. We ask about options to rent a kayak. But we're immediately discouraged: there are actually only guided tours because the currents here are so challenging. Today, we just want to stroll around the town. So we drive a few more minutes and we're in the little town. At the stroll, I suddenly have a low blood pressure episode. Dr. Dr. Julian naturally has a suspicion: "It's not because you haven't had anything proper to eat today, except for two gummy bears for breakfast, right?" Well, maybe... Stephanie asks us to join her for dinner at a cute place where you can book kayak tours. And so we book a sea kayak tour for tomorrow. It's a special type of kayak. After having a coffee, we go to the Wildside Grill. There are several food stalls on a large parking lot where you can buy food. Julian orders fish tacos and I have the fish burger. Both are really delicious! As we drive to our sleeping spot, there's not much going on here at first. It's a small bay right next to the road, but it's hidden by tall bushes.

~ Twenty-Sixth Day ~

Rutledge Park, Victoria - Elk Lake, Victoria

The next morning, I feel slightly hangover and probably have dark circles under my eyes. We drive to the Royal BC Museum. After all, we already bought the tickets. The exhibition is so exciting and interesting. It starts with a photo exhibition: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020. The pictures are divided into different categories and age groups. Besides the description of the subject, the camera data and the location of the subject are also listed. Unfortunately, taking photos of the pictures is not allowed. Then we continue to the natural history section and the section about the indigenous peoples of Canada. I want to mention that Julian bravely looks at everything. As a reward, we go to a brewery and have some food and drinks. Then we drive to Elk Lake, take a nap there after the crazy previous night, and pack the remaining items into the duffel bag.

~ Twenty-Seventh Day ~

Elk Lake, Victoria - Vancouver

The next day, we drive to the ferry terminal. This time, we don't have to wait that long to get on the ferry, so we arrive in Vancouver relaxed. We're allowed to stay in our old room in the apartment and celebrate the evening with our former roommates. We share some stories from the road trip and are very happy about our experiences.

Conclusion about Vancouver Island: We realized that we actually would have needed a few more days for Vancouver Island. But we're glad that we managed to fit in those days and decided to go on a trip to Vancouver Island. I didn't think there would be so much to see here. Julian liked the town of Tofino the most. We had a real vacation feeling there. I really enjoyed the kayaking adventure and would have liked to explore the northern part of the island.

~~ The End ~~

So, that was it: our first joint road trip. We experienced and saw so much that I'm very happy to write this blog post.

It's amazing what you can fit in a car. At the end, we had a certain order in the car, so that everything had a fixed place and the space was optimally utilized. With just a few moves, we always had what we needed. I realized that driving can be exhausting and tiring, and sometimes it's not easy to find a sleeping spot when you're camping wild. For the long drives, we listened to music and audiobooks from the Three Investigators. In the end, we could sing along to almost all the songs, or I composed my own quarreling lyrics - mostly to Julian's annoyance. I'm very glad that I brought my ski jacket so that I didn't freeze in the evenings or was well protected in the rain. I think I've never had so many mosquito bites. Unfortunately, I had to realize that the fabric of my joggers is quite thin in some places, so the mosquitoes were able to bite through the pants. But I also developed proper hunting skills, now I can catch mosquitoes in flight blindly, and I've become a real mosquito fright. The tent, which according to the instructions should be set up by at least two people in ten minutes, can now be set up by myself in twelve minutes. I'm more than happy with my sleeping bag, which kept me warm all the time. Julian, the campfire expert of the trip, was very happy that we had fire starters with us. This made the campfires light up quickly. We also really enjoyed the kayak adventures. We discovered a new hobby for ourselves. It's very interesting and educational to travel for a short time without a "fixed residence". It makes you appreciate things that seem so normal, like your own bathroom and the Wi-Fi router. But it also shows me that you can do without many things. My biggest wish for the next road trip, in addition to the packed items in the duffel bag, is a washing-up bowl and an air pump. Julian's biggest wish is a spatula and more space, which means less stuff and boxes to bring along.

And so it continues in Vancouver:

After the whole trip, we're still glad to have a few nights in a real bed. After spending the night at our friends' place, we moved to the Hilton Hotel for the remaining days. In the morning, we dropped off our backpacks and the duffel bag at the hotel. The receptionist was very surprised at how much stuff we had. Then we returned the rental car to the airport and took the Skytrain back to the city center. We really enjoyed the hotel and went to the Jacuzzi twice. Unfortunately, due to the virus, the breakfast area was closed, so in the morning, we only received a breakfast bag with a large muffin, an apple, a granola bar, and a bottle of water. But the muffin was always very tasty. In the afternoons and evenings, we met up with our former roommates, went out, and ate in restaurants. I also received an early birthday present from Khushbu. And so, our time in western Canada came to an end. We had already booked our flight to our next adventure! On September 8th, 2020, we took the plane to Toronto. But that's another story.

Bye bye Vancouver!