I arrived in Ucluelet at the southwest corner of Vancouver Island to find this little fishing/surfer-tourist town shrouded in Pacific fog. The air was cool and thick; relative humidity was 98%.
We’re not in rain shadow country anymore, Toto.
But wait. Isn’t there a gap in this picture? What about the places and faces between Bella Coola (Post #16) and today’s post? Well, there’s not much to report. After the 12-hour ferry trip from Bella Coola, I hitched a ride with my Dutch friends Andre and Reeni to my Port Hardy motel where I sheltered for the night. I recovered the Volvo in the morning and then spent most of the day driving the long diagonal from one end of Vancouver Island to the other, 300 miles in all. And here I am.
As I approached this ‘Wild Pacific Coast’ on provincial Highway 4, it was easy to tell when I was crossing into First Nations lands. It was the road signs. Lots of signs. Curious signs. Without town names. There were only fish names. “SOCKEYE!” “SALMON!” “FRESH FISH!” These weren’t retail shops. These were the homes of local residents. Seemed like everybody was selling fresh-caught salmon from their doorstep. But the signs disappeared as soon as the roadway left First Nations land. Makes me wonder if the First Nations people have different salmon catch limits than other Canadians. Must be.
At the gateway to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, there’s an impressively welcoming Information Centre where staffers told me about the wild animals, the hiking trails, and the all-important tide schedules. I also learned that until unsettled local land-use issues are reconciled, this rainforest wonderland must be designated a ‘Park Reserve’ and not a ‘National Park.’
Best of all? In the absence of any roadside SALMON signs, I was told where locals go to buy fresh-caught fish: Fishful Thinking. Love the name. And I loved the big chunk of fresh Ling Cod I bought there and poached lightly at the first kitchen-equipped accommodation of my trip, the Water’s Edge Resort at Pacific Rim in Ucluelet. (What?! No SALMON?!)
