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.