Clayoquot Sound

Saturday 7th - Thursday 12th July

We spent the morning browsing the shops and galleries before meeting up with Roh and Brian. We headed out to Hot Springs Cove on the Tofino Water Taxi, a slightly damp journey in an open boat of an hour and a half. Along the way we saw some more sea otters and a black bear with two tiny little cubs. We travelled by the inside route as it was a bit bumpy on the ocean side for the boat.

Innchanter

At Hot Springs Cove we disembarked onto Innchanter, a floating B&B and unpacked our gear into some very comfy cabins. Proprietor Shaun, assisted by Robin, provided a lovely vegitarian fondue (dipping pieces of vegetables as well as bread) into a delicious mix of cheeses (swiss, gruyere, emmental). I don't think I've had a fondue since the 70's so this was a great little bit of personal history revisited.

The hot springs inlet stream

After dinner we motored over to the jetty in the runabout and walked up the boardwalk (a couple of km's) in the dusk to the Hot Springs, which we had all to ourselves - this is a major tourist destination so the evening is definitely the time to go!

Next day, after another trip to the springs, we collected the kayaks Brian & Roh had hired (they'd come in by boat while we were at the springs - with some complementary beers - thanks guys they were much appreciated!). After a delicious breakfast of papaw & camembert fritatta, fruit salad (with local berries), yoghurt and english muffins, we packed and reluctantly said goodbye to Innchanter.

We took the outside course across to Flores Island and followed the coast around to Siwash Cove, where we looked at some hut ruins, before opting to travel a few more km's to the more developed campsites in Cow Bay. This was a fairly busy spot with a number of kayaking groups and a group of guys there for a boys-own getway, but the beach was big and there was plenty of room for everyone. We spent two nights there, going for a wander and generally relaxing (and swimming - the sun is out!).

Sunset at Cow Bay, Flores Island

Irregular echinoid (sand dollar), Cow Bay beach

Garter snake (non-poisonous) Cow Bay

On Tuesday we packed and departed in fairly leisurely fashion, stopping to look at the humpback whales that were in the bay. Then paddled on around the Flores Island coast, past some very nice sandy beaches (Whitesand Beach being one of them) and up into the Sound to Millar Passage. This is a quite wide inlet. We contoured the coast, looking at eagles and staying out of the way of boats, arriving at Atleo River mid afternoon. We were hoping to see some bears browsing the intertidal zone but the tide was coming in and the bears were elsewhere. On a tip from a guy involved in a survey on the affects of logging on the river, we continued on to another (secret) campsite, which had some lovely clearings in the forest, a beautiful little waterfall that we could paddle right up to, and a wide gravelly beach (more swimming).

Packing to depart Cow Bay

Departing Cow Bay

A waterfall you can paddle right up to, off Millar Passage

A great campsite, up Millar Passage

Wednesday dawned foggy, which lent a rather spooky cast to the scenery. The fog patches drifted in and out. When we arrived on Vargas Island for lunch at Dick & Janes Beach for lunch the steam was rising from the sand, one end of the beach was foggy and the other clear! After lunch we paddled around to the ocean side and crossed out to Blunden Island. This is a really scenic little island though the scenery was mostly obscured by the fog, but it lifted in the afternoon to give a great view back to Vargas Island.

Pigeon Guillomots (I think!?)

Dick and Jane's Beach, Vargas Island

Fog on Blunden Island

Blunden Island later when the fog lifted

Other side of Blunden Island

Thursday dawned foggy again and we followed our GPS track back to Vargas Island and back around to the inlet side, for the paddle back into Tofino. The tide was running against us so we tucked in close to the coast, arriving back at Tofino early in the afternoon.

One of a family of 5 otters that came out of the water right in front of us - Vargas Island

Mist rising from a little island shore near Tofino

Tofino harbour

Polychaete worms attached to the underside of a dock

View of Tofino waterfront from our motel window

Night out in the Tofino nightspots (not exactly pool champs but then we weren't disgraced either!). We are about to continue on to Quadra Island and Discovery Islands Lodge, where we will be until the 18th (probably no wifi there).