Two silver penguins go camping

With the smoke, we had very little to do during our days - just reading books mainly but we had two resident beetles to entertain us. We normally don’t feed the wiidlife and hope these “Narrow Collared Snail-Eater Beetles” don’t become habituated and have to be relocated.  We spent an amazing amount of time dropping crumbs and watching them carry the spoils off to shelter to eat. BIll used the National Geographic App SEEK to identify them - highly recommended if you like to identify bugs, plants, mushrooms, etc.  Time for us to come home, ya think??    

We’ve noticed that mushrooms are appearing - the conditions and time of year appear to be perfect for shelf (bracket) mushrooms. We saw huge ones in Pacific Rim and today found one that is brand new - must have grown in the night. A few others were scattered in the woods - a happy discovery for me. 

 We are home. Decided to leave the smoke behind and head home. Victoria's skies are brighter than Campbell River and it looks like it might clear even more this weekend.  We did very little in Campbell River other than sit in the beautiful Elk Falls Provincial Park. It really was a relief to return to the park the few times we ventured out. The trees must filter the air because we could almost forget about the smoke while sitting there,  Yesterday morning we headed to the falls and suspension bridge we knew about.  The walk down to the bridge and back up confirmed affected my breathing and we headed home soon after.  But at least we sampled the forest and saw the beautiful falls. The falls are downstream from a dam. The surrounding forest and walkway to the bridge were logged in the 20’s but some old growth trees remain. 

  So, probably like the rest of the island, we’ve been hunkered down for the past few days (not under the bed although that felt like an option). We stayed an extra day in the Courtney region because we had internet access to give us something to do but finally decided to head up to Elk Falls in Campbell RIver. The provincial park is beautiful and we even sat outside reading for a while. The lovely tall trees in this lush forest seem to be absorbing some of the smoke.  Today a ray of sunshine shone through the trees as we poked our noses out of the trailer and the sky is lightening up so we are siting outside the TI in town and hope to walk in the park later today.  We need this reminder to realize that we must get active about our climate. Spending time in our beautiful temperate rainforests reinforces what we are losing.  Our campground setting Signs of fall - the big leaf maple are turning Sure sign of rainforest - moss-dripped Seuss-like critters

 So we are sitting in the smoke like the rest of the people of western North America. A horrible reminder of the real world after our five days in a bubble.  We watched the sunset on Long Beach on our last night as the surfers tried to get that last wave before dark. Then in the am said goodbye to the campground and headed out. The road to Port Alberni is windy but really not too bad except for the last 50 km or so. From Kennedy Lake, where half the road washed out and is now undergoing major repair, to the junction at Pacific Rim, frost heaves are the norm. The trip in a car might not be too bad but with a trailer the reverberations are dramatic. Signs forewarn drivers that a 30 minute wait is to be expected at the construction site. We sat for about 15 minutes both ways. But after looking at the washout, we are just relieved you can get past this area at all.  Tomorrow we leave the campground on the Puntledge River with internet appetites satisfied, laundry done and a f...

 

 

Meares Island, declared a Tribal Park in 1984,  has some of the largest red cedar trees on earth. Thanks to Ron's suggestion, we checked it out and found out that one of the trails is open. A water taxi with a laid-back schedule leaves Tofino now and then and after a meandering boat ride, drops you off at the trail head. The boat driver (surfer in his other life) asked us when we'd like him back to pick us up? He said he could come in an hour after we do a leisurely walk on the boardwalk, or (apparently less likely to him) he could come in about three hours if we decide to do the 7 km trail. "We'll do the trail," said Bill.  Well, it would take a few pages to describe the trail and even more to describe us accomplishing it... The boardwalk was rough, but when the trail ended in about a kilometre, the seven kilometre slog began. It was more than challenging and at one stage, Bill made the observation that he now knows why giraffes don't live in rainforests.... ...

 Because of COVID19, there are many restrictions in the Pacific Rim Reserve. Only three of the eight trails are open to the public and trails are clearly marked with directional arrows. The other difference to our advantage is that, while the towns of Tofino and Uclulet are still busy and crowded, the majority of people seem to be surfers (young, fit, and wearing spandex) or residents (suspicious of tourists). That means the trails are virtually empty.  Another beautiful day and we explored the Rainforest Trail - two loops, one on either side of the highway that had amazing boardwalks that took us down, down, down, into the depths of the forests, then up, up, up above the tangled roots and fallen nurse logs. Again, the best way to observe is slowly, breathing in the  humid air, and savouring the silence. While not old-growth, some of the trees are gigantic and the trick is to crouch down low at the base to try to look way up to take in its size. We were both glad we had n...

 We had to change campsites every night - not an easy task with our big trailer but no trees taken out, no slipping off into the ditch, and a calm driver throughout! The flag girl was less calm but waving madly in all directions made her feel good anyway.... We walked down the path from the campground and wandered the beach after dinner. The tide was out and the beach nearly deserted.  We also managed to find time to sit in our isolated campsites and read and look at the trees and listen to the always furious pine squirrel above our heads. 

One of my favourite places is a bog. An insignificant-looking place where monumental struggles have gone on for centuries.  The trees in the bogs in the Pacific Rim are shorepines and look like a “broccoli forest”. Some of these trees are as much as 300 years old but the lack of nutrients in the bog result in stunted and distorted shapes.   The boardwalk rests on the sphagnum moss and it is best to spend time on your belly looking over the edge at the world below your feet. One square foot could take a lifetime to explore. 

While in Uclulet, we walked through town and found a trail leading through a rainforest to the ocean. Our first taste of the beauty of this area.

  We decided a few weeks ago that once the grandkids start back at school we’d have to keep a distance for a while as we see what that looks like. We’ve packed our trailer with enough essentials to keep us happy for months - a comfortable bed, good books, and a lot of tinned beans….  We’re set!  We skipped our Port Alberni stop - and took a chance on finding a spot in Uclulet. As always, Bill lucked in and found possibly the last spot on the peninsula - and the view was beautiful.