South Coast of Vancouver Island

~ 23rd - 24th April 2019 ~

Hello hello,

When we woke up today, the weather was amazing, sunny blue sky with just a few clouds. So we decided to make a quick stop at the beach in Victoria. The view was incredibly beautiful and we could even see the mountains of the USA on the horizon.
After that, we went to Walmart for some shopping, mainly to stock up on canned food. We realized that cooking pasta or rice fresh on our camping stove takes too long and uses up too much gas.
After shopping, we drove out of the city towards Sooke, where the Sooke Potholes Provincial Park is located. There was a small hiking trail leading down to a river, which had really clear water (like almost every river or stream in Canada). And there were some deep sinkholes in the riverbed, called potholes.
Next, we headed to a lighthouse, the Sheringham Point Lighthouse. The road there meandered through the forest and along the coast, so we had beautiful views of the ocean from time to time. And the lighthouse itself was standing right on a cliff, surrounded by rocks and water.
When we left the lighthouse, it was already quite late. But it only took half an hour until we arrived at our next overnight spot: a rest area off the road. We had found the tip through an app and it was really great: a brand new rest area with a beautiful view of the ocean, picnic tables, and pit toilets. What more could you ask for? :-) So we cooked some sweet potatoes and beans in the evening and then went to bed.

The next day we drove to Port Renfrew, mainly to have internet access again :-) The thing is, there is hardly any mobile network, let alone internet, here in the south of Vancouver Island. From Port Renfrew, we made a quick stop at Fairy Lake. The lake probably got its name from the trees around it, which are completely covered in moss and create a mystical atmosphere. There was also a large rock in Fairy Lake where a small bonsai tree was growing.

Our next stop was Botanical Beach, right on the coast of Port Renfrew. There was a short trail through the forest that led to the beach. And the beach was simply beautiful! It was made entirely of stones with large holes where corals, crabs, and shells had accumulated from the last tide. The sea there was also very rough, with high waves crashing against the rocks. Very different from the beach in Victoria, for example.

We returned to our old rest area for overnight stay.