The older posts detail our vacations in reverse order:
- October in San Francisco
- August in Oregon for the Solar Eclipse
- June in Alberta
- June in the Okanagan for birding
- April in the Okanagan for a birding tour
About this Blog
This blog details birding trips and vacations in 2017. The most recent update covers a short vacation to Ucluelet BC on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This was a birthday gift to Edith from our daughter Sarah and her husband Angus.
The older posts detail our vacations in reverse order:
The older posts detail our vacations in reverse order:
November 17 - Travel to Ucluelet
I did not take many photos on this trip, but the one I regret the most is a possible rare bird that we might have seen from the ferry as it departed from Tsawwassen. I was not aware that there was a King Eider, a duck seen in the far north, mixing with the more common Surf Scoters around the ferry terminal.
After a quiet ferry ride we arrived on Vancouver Island and made the drive west. My first photo opportunity occurred just outside of Port Alberni at Sproat Lake when I noticed some ducks on the side of the road.
Common Merganser - Sproat Lake near Port Alberni BC
The bird above is a male, here's a couple of females below.
Common Merganser and Ring-billed Gull - Sproat Lake near Port Alberni BC
We stopped at one other place on the winding highway where we found a collection of Lover's Locks on a small section of fencing. This tradition may have started in Serbia during WWII. It gained popularity in Paris where many of the ancient bridges over the Seine are now festooned with locks.
After checking in at Ucluelet, we travelled to Tofino and bought some souvenirs and Christmas gifts. Upon return we drove south through Ucluelet and visited the start of the Wild Pacific Trail, a network of trails on the West Coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
You can't go very far at this end without encountering rock barricades. Tomorrow we'd tackle the more accessible parts of the trail.
After a quiet ferry ride we arrived on Vancouver Island and made the drive west. My first photo opportunity occurred just outside of Port Alberni at Sproat Lake when I noticed some ducks on the side of the road.
Common Merganser - Sproat Lake near Port Alberni BC
The bird above is a male, here's a couple of females below.
Common Merganser and Ring-billed Gull - Sproat Lake near Port Alberni BC
We stopped at one other place on the winding highway where we found a collection of Lover's Locks on a small section of fencing. This tradition may have started in Serbia during WWII. It gained popularity in Paris where many of the ancient bridges over the Seine are now festooned with locks.
After checking in at Ucluelet, we travelled to Tofino and bought some souvenirs and Christmas gifts. Upon return we drove south through Ucluelet and visited the start of the Wild Pacific Trail, a network of trails on the West Coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
You can't go very far at this end without encountering rock barricades. Tomorrow we'd tackle the more accessible parts of the trail.
November 18 - A day in Ucluelet
It was a rainy day so I didn't take too many photos. Our first item on the agenda was to explore the Rocky Bluffs part of the Wild Pacific Trail. Here's the map at the trailhead.
The trail was not too difficult for either of us and there were benches at a number of the viewpoints along the way.
There were plenty of views that looked like this, a reasonably placid day on the Pacific Ocean.
The video below shows a more active area where the waves were crashing on the rocks. They create waterfalls on the sheltered side of the outcrops.
The trail was not too difficult for either of us and there were benches at a number of the viewpoints along the way.
There were plenty of views that looked like this, a reasonably placid day on the Pacific Ocean.
The video below shows a more active area where the waves were crashing on the rocks. They create waterfalls on the sheltered side of the outcrops.
After our walk we visited the Ucluelet Aquarium, but I didn't being the camera in with me. The weather was getting wetter as the day progressed, and we'd have to cope with a major storm the following day as we travelled home.
November 19 - Travel home
I don't have any photos for this post but here's a brief summary of our day:
- We left Ucluelet early and had a reservation for the Duke Point to Tsawwassen ferry around noon.
- It was raining heavily and the highway was in danger of flooding in some places between Ucluelet and Port Alberni
- Upon reaching Port Alberni I got a phone message from BC Ferries stating that all sailings from Duke Point were cancelled due to stormy seas. Our reservation was cancelled and we headed for Departure Bay which would get us to Horseshoe Bay.
- We arrive, but not in time to make the 12:30 ferry, so we had a 2 1/2 hour wait for the 3:00 PM sailing.
- Due to heavy seas, the 3:00 PM ferry departs around 4:15. The ferry is absolutely jammed to full capacity due to the Duke Point cancellations.
- We eventually arrive at Horseshoe Bay around 7:00 PM. With traffic it's 9:00 PM before I pull up at home.
- I guess that's the norm for ferry travel in the winter.
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