The Wild West
24.04.2006
17 °C
Vancouver Island lies on the far western edge of Canada some 5,000 kilometres from the country's capital of Ottawa. And on the far western edge of Vancouver Island is a small, (but very pricey), tourist attraction called Tofino. This is our backyard. Just a couple of hours driving over the mountains and we are in a land of giant thousand year old trees...
This is where the wide open Pacific Ocean crashes ashore for the first time since leaving Asia. there is nothing between us and Russia but miles of open ocean. The unchecked Pacific rollers make this the surfing capital of Canada.
There is so much beach here that you might never meet another bather. But there is plenty of giant kelp...
However, there is no Gulf Stream warming the water here. The Alaska current brings frigid Arctic down this coast year round and swimming without a wet-suit is a chilly affair. The sea-lions love the cold because the Arctic waters bring the salmon and other fish south into their territory...
Whales also love the cool nutrient rich water and we took to the sea in full survival gear to view humpbacked whales. We saw the whales but catching them on camera from the heaving deck of a small boat proved impossible...
This part of the world is both beautiful and pristine with mountains, forests and lakes, and if it were not for the fact that we live here we might be photographing and blogging about it everyday. The scenery is absolutely spectacular...
Posted by Hawkson 15:50 Archived in Canada Comments (0)
