Beautiful Vancouver Island and Logging Trucks

We arrived to the Victoria Harbor on a perfect evening. The sun was setting and Sierra promptly met his first Canadian dog and proceeded to pee on the lawn of the Empress Hotel to mark this territory as his own. The last time we were in Victoria, we found a gem of a bar that served frosty Molson in 24oz. glass boots. However, sadly the pub has since changed and the new owners have failed to adopt the giant beer tradition. We settled for a Molson across the square instead.

After enjoying the evening in Victoria, we learned the hard way that Canadian Provincial Parks often close their front gate at 11pm. We drove around aimlessly for a few hours before retreating to the local Best Western for a good nights sleep. We did see our first black bear of the trip on that frustrating night, so it was worth it.

We headed to the West coast of the island to a town called Bamfield, only accessible by a 50 mile network of twisted logging roads. Other than almost getting in a head-on collision with a speedy log truck (seriously, we sat and watched nine of the trucks 18 wheels skid within inches from the nose of the van), the bumpy road was worth every pothole as Bamfield's beauty and charm was captivating.

We continued to Tofino and spent an extra day of R&R at the up-scale tourist town. Tofino seemed to be the hub for all fun outdoor activities. We chose to enjoy the homemade ice cream and sensitive walks on the beach.