Tofino trip Dec 02-05 08
 

I've been sadly lacking in the hiking aspect this past month or so. And with this post I can't write about some nice trail/mountain that I ascended.

Ellen and I rented a cabin near Tofino last week and spent a great couple of days getting away from it all. It was quite private and had a hot tub on the deck overlooking Crystal Cove. Twelve bottles of Winter Ale were consumed over the first day and a half and I had to then resort to some red wine the last night, not really my cup of tea.

The beaches out that way make for some great walking. There are a few small trails here and there. Pacific Rim National Park has a few good trails. Short, but you can see some big red cedars on some of them.

Tonquin Park/Beach is accessed from the town of Tofino and well worth a visit. Personally I liked Chesterman Beach the best (the hard sand makes for a great place to run), but the weather was good on the days we were there and not so nice when we checked out Long Beach.

Being right next to MacKenzie Beach meant that we visited it a lot. On the Thursday night we were treated to a rather nice sunset. All in all we had good weather, so we didn't get to witness some of the storms that have helped make the area so famous. We didn't surf either, but watched many a hardy soul take to the water and enjoy eight foot waves.

Here's a few pictures from the trip.

https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195925.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195926.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195927.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195928.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195929.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195930.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195931.jpg https://www.clubtread.com/forumPix/195000/195932.jpg

1. Walking along MacKenzie Beach.
2. Middle Beach cuddly shot.
3. An Bald Eagle at Middle Beach.
4. Good weather at Chesterman Beach.
5. Sunset view from our cabin deck at Crystal Cove.
6-8. A nice sunset from MacKenzie Beach on Thursday evening.

Spectacular sunsets! Looks like a nice relaxing vacation.

I am also very fond of Chesterman Beach, though I haven't been out that way for years. I hear it's getting more built up.

I've been talking about visiting Tofino for years, and I'm still talking about it. Thanks for the inspiration Simon:D

You know, this morning I was thinking about grabbing a two four of winter ale and heading to Tofino. At least I know some people that did :D
Outstanding shots,mate !

" A rather nice sunset " Wow that's a jaw dropper !!!!
Sounds like a fine week Simon. Beautiful place, thanks for sharing the beach info.

Stunning sunset shots, jawdropper for sure.

That's an awesome shot of both you and Ellen, well worth a good frame.

K

:)Nice to see you relax for a change ;) [^]

Oh oh. Simon gets a girlfriend and suddenly his elevation stats are all shot to hell.:)

Still taking nice pics, though.;)

Very nice [^]

My parents spent 2 weeks camping on Long Beach while pregnant with me; I always blame that place for getting me addicted to fresh air.

November and April are usually the best times for really big waves.

There is one view point I remember about Tofino and Long Beach. Used to be able to drive to the top and get a pretty good view. I think it was called Radar Hill. Did you notice is there still a road up it? Also there is one long board walk out to the beach just above Long Beach. It starts in the Indian Reserve and is hike in itself.
Those are some deadly awesome sunsets and beach pictures, Simon. [8D]

Beautiful! I called my wife over and now she wants to go to the beach!
Imagine dat? Thanks for posting your getaway. Great pictures, always!

Magnificent is the word that came to my mind when I saw the sunset pictures. Nice that you were able to get out and away. Tofino is awesome for r+r.

Radar Hill is still there. Found a plane crash near there this summer. Schooner Cove is probably the long boardwalk you thinking of.

Simon, cool pictures of some great weather. I was there a couple of weeks ago and it was nothing like that. Good for you two. [8D]

Thanks for the comments, I will post a few more pictures when get a chance.

We went up Radar Hill on the Friday. High cloud with a nice view of the surrounding area. We missed Schooner Cove, but did some other cove at the south end of the park.

Hummm, I was thinking about going away at Christmas and this just might be an idea. Super shots Simon.