For pics go to The Scoutpost.

TRIP SUMMARY: 703 miles / 1125km / Sun, rain, torrential rain, apocalyptic rain, sun, drizzle, FUN.


DAY ONE:  Lake Stevens, WA to Tofino, BC - 283 miles / 453km / Sun, overcast, torrential rain

The WMC ladies met once again at the Lake Stevens Starbucks to start this legendary and unforgettable journey.  Long-time club members were joined by Bonnie.  She immediately fit into the group, yay!  

Riders and bikes were:
Wanda Connochie-Vernon - Heritage Softail 1350
Jackie Marie Lang - Honda Shadow ACE 1100
Elsa Svensson - Honda Shadow Deluxe 600
Denita Darby - Triumph Speed Triple 900
Bonnie West - Moto Guzzi Nevada Classic 750

After coffee and food at Starbucks, we had to double back to Elsa's to find out which water taxi company she had booked the hot springs trip with (the info was on her home computer).  Done, and we were on our way again.  The ride to the border and through it were uneventful, and sunny.  The trees smelled great along I-5 as the woods woke up.  We may have seen a dead porcupine.

At the ferry terminal Tsawwassen (the T is silent), the ticket taker told us we were "so cute!  Oh my goodness, are you all girls?"  She thought the idea of an all-women's group was sweet.  Uh, okay. There was a clear blue sky at the terminal, enough to give a few people a minor bit of sunburn.  No worries - it was nice to be warm.  A Shadow rider named Julie, from Courtenay, BC, was a lively conversationalist on the dock.  

The ferry ride took 2 hours.  We ate, we drank, we rested.  We saw a boy in a t-shirt that said, "For my next trick, I'll need a condom and a volunteer".  Many families were aboard, heading to the Island for the long weekend (it was Labour Day in Canada, too).

The road was good between Nanaimo and Port Alberni.  Then the rain came.  A black cloud ahead of us warned us that we were in for quite a ride.  Indeed, the rain was relentless.  We had a season's worth of rain by the time we got to Tofino!  The road from Kennedy Lake to Tofino was incredibly winding, and quite challenging.  The speed limits ranged from 100km/h (62 mph) down to 30 km/h (21 mph).  The steepest grade we encountered was 18%, and of course it happened in tandem with the 20mph blind corners.  Always fun to crest a hill in the apex of a curve, not knowing what's to come.  And when that large truck towing a boat crosses into your lane, all the more interesting (no one got hurt, just scared, and some choice words were uttered).  Another truck passed us at one point, and the smell of marijuana penetrated the air.  You've got to smoke a lot of weed to make it detectable as you're driving down the highway!

Lest you think it was all gloom and doom, the rain was fascinating.  There were times that the road surface was nappy with raindrops and there were no slick or shiny places.  The rain on the lake was fierce and looked like ostrich skin.  At Ellis River, the water crashes between fractured rocks.  Epic.  (One place I’d like to explore in the summer is Ellis River. The river flows through huge fractured stone. Someone else took this picture, on a day much better than the one we had, but you can see why it’s compelling:)

Tofino arrival was 7pm.  We were unwelcomed by the innkeeper at our lodging, because he forgot we were five travelers (I had called earlier in the month and he'd been fine with it), and he said we were late (we arrived within 5 minutes of the time we had agreed upon).  Once we settled in, we realized that the "C&N Backpackers B&B" was actually a hostel, and even so did not have towels or any extra bed linens available.  Grrr.  

Dinner was spectacular at the Sea Shanty, a part of the Himwitsa Lodge.  The rooms there are quite spendy, but if you can at least make it there for food, do.  Truly spectacular. And did I mention spectacular?

We attempted to find other lodging that first night, but decided to give our non-B&B a try.  Wrong move.  We didn't sleep, and then were admonished for waking at 6am.  We packed up, paid for our room, and left.  


DAY TWO:  Tofino to Ucluelet to Tofino / 50 miles / 80 km / Rain with sun breaks

Breakers Cafe was a great breakfast spot, and was the earliest place open.  We cancelled our hot-springs trip, sadly, due to heavy wind.  It just means there will be another trip.  

Denita's tire was low (oh no!  Great shades of Memorial Day '08!), so we rode to Ucluelet to see if the shop there could check it out.  The shop wasn't open.  We went to our lodging and waited until we could check in.  Bonnie was diligent in checking Denita's tire pressure, which was not going down.  Later, we noticed a sign in one Tofino driveway that said, "Beware of flat tires when blocking driveway".  We wondered if, perhaps, Denita's tire had been deflated on purpose.  (Likely so, because it held air the rest of the trip.)

We were able to book a room at the Tin Wis Resort, just a mile or two up the road, but could not check in until 3pm. We had a late brunch in the dining room.  They were very nice, and let us use the facilities prior to check in.  Some folks dried wet clothes, some walked the beach, and some sat in the warm tub (it wasn't hot). Upon check-in, we found that the rooms were  more expensive than we had been led to believe, but by this time, anything was better than the first place, and we were too tired to protest.  The sun came out again for a bit during the afternoon, and the beach was gorgeous.  This resort is a little pricey, but the beach is private and spectacular.  Recommended.

Bonnie rode off to the store for snacks.  When she got back, suddenly all the other women came in with her, flaming candles stuck into mini-cupcakes.  I truly appreciated their thoughtfulness on my birthday!  We had a great supper at the lodge, too.  Then we slept.   


DAY THREE:  Tofino to Lake Cowichan / 173 miles / 277 km / Torrential rain, coastal wind gusts, goats, torrential rain

We rose refreshed at the Tin Wis Resort, and broke camp (so to speak) at 8:30.  Breakfast was again at Breaker's in Tofino.  We ate, gassed up (as in petrol, not intestinal), and made for Lake Cowichan.  But first, we had to stop for lunch at Goats on Roof in Coombs!  Yay for goats on the roof!

The roads were in great shape despite the rain, which was nearly apocalyptic.  We were able to maintain the speed limit almost consistently throughout the rest of our day.  It seemed maybe the rain would let up at the lake, but it was not to be.  We just kept positive thoughts about the hard rain that night:  if it rains hard now, maybe we'll have less rain tomorrow!  Yeah, that's the ticket!


DAY FOUR: Lake Cowichan (Cowchip!) to Home / 197mi / 315km / Rain, overcast, sunbreaks, rain (reverse the route shown below)

The group decided against spending much time at the lake, and instead opted for an earlier ferry to offset the lines we would likely encounter at the border.  Of course, we took the truck crossing, not Peace Arch, because at the truck crossing you can go to the Duty Free store and then jump the line.  A ha.  

First, we actually did ride a bit down the lake, just to say we’d seen it. The community of Youbou is quaint and looks quite peaceful. There are a lot of waterfront homes that are clearly expensive, though they all maintain that lake cottage feel to some degree.

We beat it to the ferry. It was just necessary to get home, get out of wet gear, and rest. I’m forgetting half of what happened at this point just from the fatigue of so many hard miles.

The ferry crossing was fine. The border crossing was interesting: one rider was sent to the inspection area because her hair was different than in her passport photo. After a few minutes of discussion with Officer Friendly, she was with the rest of us on the US side.

We headed home. We are glad to be warm, dry, safe, and better for the amazing sights and experiences of this trip!

Our trip motto: “The plot keeps thickening every five minutes!”

Never a dull moment with the WMC.