Day 5 - Tofino: Best in the West

Left Alberni and rode down 100 km of nothing but hills and winding roads. No stores, no houses, no cell service. Nothing. Mentally it was very taxing, knowing that I could not text anybody on my breaks or even stop into a store for some small talk. This was a stretch for the mind to suffer along with the body.

By the time I hit the Ucluelet-Tofino split I had hardly any water left and was very tired, but Tofino was another 30 km away so I pushed on, made a right and rode down the Pacific Rim highway.

I arrived in Tofino around 11 pm and found it to be very densely populated. Hard to find wooded areas to camp. Local surfers gave me half baked directions and told me not to put up a tent man, cops are on peoples cases about camping.

I stopped, grabbed an overpriced drink from a vending machine and got directions to a hostel, which of course was full. The beach was also filled with random talk so I knew there would be no peace there. All I could do at this point was ride towards the darkest part of town and find a park.

Kennedy Lake

Coming across a dark wooded area with a path I turned in and started scouting around. I went for my headlamp and to my horror saw that my saddlebag was gone. Oh man I left it by the vending machine 30 min ago. In a panic I got everything strapped down and darted up the road back to the machine. As luck would have it my little saddlebag was still sitting in the garden I had laid it in, in plain sight and untouched. Passport, credit cards, $600 cash all safe. I think about 4000 pounds lifted off my shoulders.

Now that I had solved a foolish problem I had once again created, I was left with my temporarily forgotten issue of where to sleep. I had read that fire stations and churches were good spots and sure enough right behind me a fire truck pulled into a station I hadn't seen in the darkness.

Billy's Mum's back yard view

I quickly rode up and approached the firefighters asking about camping. One fellow whom I came to know as Billy turned to a man who was his brother and said "How about we set him up at mums?" This was probably the best thing I could have heard. He asked me "Are ya respectful?", to which I responded "About all I'll do is bend a few blades of grass". That sealed the deal and I was carted up the road to mums.

Turns out Billy was a volunteer firefighter and works as a house builder. Had forearms big as trees so that seemed right. His moms house was located right on the shore and had a massive backyard with a crushed stone pit right out on the edge of the water but high enough to fend off the tide. Made for the best camping spot so far and I slept like a baby.

In the morning a fog rolled in and I swear it was identical to a warm day in St. John's. Billy came by with a coffee for me very early and for once I didn't sleep in. Said farewell and rode down to the dock to dip my wheel in the Pacific as is tradition. I filled a small vial with seawater as well. I had reached the west.