April 05, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Dining
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The waves moved towards the shore in long, straight lines. I watched the surfers, little speckles of black, bobbing between the lines. The sandy beach was windswept, drift logs brought in by winter swells gathered along the coastal tree line. A family was exploring tide pools in the rocks, and beyond that a black headland jutted into the ocean. From my dining table at the Wickaninnish Restaurant I was observing the magic of the west coast; I was already awed by the view and I hadn’t even had lunch yet!
The Wickaninnish Restaurant is located in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Wickaninnish Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Since 1986 this seaside restaurant has been serving fresh west coast cuisine, specialty coffees and full bar services for lunch and dinner. It is the only restaurant in the park.
I started with the daily soup, the chef’s creation, which was vegetarian corn chowder. Creamy, with a peppery bite, loaded with vegetables from local markets, served with fresh bread and whipped butter.
Speaking with management I learned the Wickaninnish Restaurant uses local Vancouver Island products as much as possible. Their seafood, meat, cheeses, and vegetables come from island producers. Their desserts are homemade and their seafood is smoked in house.
I ordered the Florencia Bay Wrap, named after another section of the Pacific Rim National Park. It’s a whole wheat tortilla stuffed with grilled vegetables, baby greens, goat cheese, and homemade humus. I added smoked salmon. It was served with an artisan mixed green salad and fresh cut fries.
The ingredients in the wrap complemented each other perfectly: the tang of the goat cheese, richness of the humus, the delicately smoked salmon and refreshing greens. The Florencia Wrap, simple in its individual ingredients, came together to satisfy gourmet taste!
The Wickaninnish Restaurant has items on their menu new for this season. Come for dinner and start off with the Island Bison Carpaccio: naturally-raised bison strip loin with a balsamic reduction served with a fresh baked baguette. This delicious red meat is nearly rare, sliced paper thin, and will melt in your mouth.
Then try a new, unique entry that isn't seen very often in this region. West Coast Black Cod, a fish found in local waters; which is a rich and savoury. The Chef at the Wickaninnish Restaurant steams the fish on a cedar bough, dresses it with lavender butter, a blackberry garnish and serves it with rice and market vegetables.
Then it is time for dessert! Share a South Baked Alaska, Long Beach style, with home-baked spice cake, served with mango and peach sorbet, covered in meringue and baked golden brown. This dessert is then doused with brandy, lit, and served to your table in flames!
Diners can also start off with classic seafood chowder, crab martini, or Chef’s seafood specials; and discover entries like citrus glazed salmon, certified Angus New York steak, and the popular fresh steamed local Dungeness crab. Vegetarians will be satisfied with options the Big Beach vegetable stack of wild mushrooms, grilled vegetables, polenta, tomato puree, topped with watercress pesto and goat cheese.
There are few places on the west coast where you’ll find such an amazing view of the sweeping wild coastline while dining on local, fresh and delicious creations. Dine near the end of the day and watch the sun set over the horizon.
After my lunch I took a coffee to go and enjoyed a long walk on Wickaninnish Beach. It looks even more beautiful on a full stomach.
February 22, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Accommodation
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I could hear the ocean. I couldn’t sleep because I was excited to be able to hear the waves crashing into the rugged shoreline. They were so close. They were just outside my window. I was staying at the Blackrock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet, BC, and to say I had a ‘room with a view’ would be an understatement.
My two bedroom suite was modern, comfortable, with vaulted ceilings. It showcased a west coast flavour with its decor and design. The full length windows in both bedrooms and the living and dining areas showed off nature’s masterpiece with breathtaking views of the open Pacific Ocean and the entrance to Big Beach in Ucluelet.
We had friends for dinner, and were able to cook our meal in the fully stocked kitchen (including a dishwasher!), and each other’s company as the sun set behind the ocean vista before us. They stayed to drink wine by the fireplace before saying goodnight.
I walked into the bathroom and was forced to choose between a luxurious bath and a luxurious shower. The bathtub, which might be the deepest I’ve ever seen in my life, had a sliding window on the wall near it, so you could have a bath and watch the ocean through the bedroom windows. Then I noticed the shower had a giant pie-plate sized shower head coming out from the middle it's huge tiled stall.
They call it a “Rainforest Shower.” If you’ve seen those shampoo commercials where warm water is cascading from the ceiling, mysteriously, and the actress in the commercial looks like she’s died and gone to heaven... then you might have an idea of my experience in Blackrock’s rainforest shower.
I set my alarm so I wouldn’t miss the sun rising over the tree tops of the temperate rainforest that surrounds the Blackrock Oceanfront Resort. As the sky lit up I could see the ocean I’d been listening to all night, and watched it from my bed until the sun shone into the room. I walked out on the wrap around balcony in my stocking feet, breathed in the crisp salty air, and started to plan another gorgeous day on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.
February 20, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Sightseeing Tours
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This morning the sun rose at 7:21AM. That's the best part about waking up early in Ucluelet, being a part of such a beautiful world as it starts a new day. I drove out to Amphitrite Point and climbed out to a rocky perch near the Amphitrite Lighthouse. I watched its giant bulb spin, flashing light into the open ocean, and then I turned by gaze east towards Barkley Sound and the silhouettes of the Broken Group Islands.
The sky slowly turned from a faded blue grey to light pink, then purple and darker pink along the clouds that streaked across the sky. As the sun started to rise over the mountains in the far distance I noticed the rocks around me light up. They were under that special golden spotlight that only happens early in the morning under the first rays of sunshine.
Then the sky burst into golden as the sun finally appeared over the horizon. Sea gulls were flying overhead, heads bobbing down to the rock pools looking for breakfast. I noticed a sea otter close to the shore on his back, anxiously gnawing on whatever breakfast he had already found. The sun hung in the sky like a perfect circle of light, shining bright on my face.
As I walked back to the Wild Pacific Trail I saw two bald eagles take flight off of a tree. They flew in complete unison, swooping and circling the top of the Amphitrite Lighthouse, around and around, over and over until finally leaving together and disappear far over the tree tops.
It's such a special place, Ucluelet, and such a privilege to be amongst nature in its rawest and truest form. It's hard to think of anything that could come close to beating this morning's sunrise over the Broken Group Islands, except for maybe the sunset on the other side... tonight.
September 17, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Accommodation
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My room had a view of the small craft harbour in Ucluelet, BC. I could see the recreational fishing boats, and the commercial ones, sail boats, yachts and in the foreground, shining white in the morning sunshine there was the Canadian Princess.
The Canadian Princess, formerly the William J. Stewart, a hydrographic vessel, was built in 1932 in Collingwood Ontario. The ship was named after the first ever Canadian Hydrographer, William J. Stewart. The vessel worked up and down the entire British Columbia coast out of the port in Victoria, carrying a crew of 55 with 7 officers.
The Royal Canadian Navy gave her top-secret assignments during World War II, placed defence booms and made surroundings for suitable anchorages for other navy ships.
In 1944 she hit Ripple Rock in Seymour Narrows near Campbell River. She was breached in Plumber Bay, 3 miles away, to avoid sinking but the damage was done. With a major rip on the bottom of the ship she lay imbedded on her side in the mud until salvagers could restore her. When they finally got her to float, over a month later, she returned to work as a surveyor until 1975. Her last assignment was in Barkley Sound, outside of Ucluelet.
She stayed moored in Victoria until 1979 when she was purchased by Oak Bay Marine Group. The William J. Stewart was refurbished, towed to the Ucluelet Inner Boat Basin and transformed into floating hotel accommodation, a restaurant and lounge, and a sport fishing resort – renamed The Canadian Princess.
I had a tour of the inside of the Canadian Princess. I followed the pipes along the ceiling, ducking through doorways to have a look at the bunk-style rooms. The rooms were clean and cozy, loaded with natural character with neatly made beds and porthole windows looking into Ucluelet’s harbour. Guests were comfortable there, just as a crew would have been almost 70 years ago!
The bathrooms in the ship are shared, separate for men and women. Some had large bathtubs standing on bear claws, most likely the originals.
Guests can stay in the old Captains Quarters, located behind the Bridge of the ship. Inside is a small bedroom, a living area with kitchenette and a separate bathroom complete with what I would consider a historic bathtub!
Inside the Canadian Princess is a full service restaurant: The Stewart Room. That offers west coast cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including an incredibly early fisherman’s buffet breakfast that starts at 4:30AM for the guests departing on fishing charters each morning at 6:00AM.
Upstairs is the Chart Room, a bar and lounge with patio seating on the deck of the ship with a great view of the working harbour. From the deck I could see the Canadian Princess fishing charters lined up for the evening on the dock that surrounds the ship. The resort itself owns 10 cabin cruisers, each take out a morning fishing charter for salmon and halibut, and if the weather is cooperative, an afternoon and evening trip as well.
I stayed in an on-shore room. The Canadian Princess Resort has three hotel-style buildings, with most rooms offering a water view, and all with a walk out deck or patio.
During the summer season the ship is open for anyone to come and have a look. The staff will share the history of this iconic ship, and to give you a tour onboard. Next time you’re in Ucluelet look to the boat basin for the Canadian Princess, you can’t miss it.
The picture is the view from my onshore room.
September 14, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Fishing
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I watched the fishing boats come into the harbour and line up, all anxious to tie up to the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby Weigh-In Station dock. They had been fishing for 2 days and the 2:00PM scale closure was just minutes away.
The Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby was the first of its kind for the small community of Ucluelet, located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. It was a summer-long derby that ran from May 24th to September 3rd. Locals and out-of-towners have been fishing all summer long to qualify for one of the 50 spots on the ladder. Then this last weekend, September 11th and 12th, the top 50 of the summer fished along with the top 5 of each month in the Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby Fish Off.
The winning fish was caught by Colin Campbell, a visitor to the Ucluelet sport fishing grounds, and it weighed 24lbs and 6oz. He was rewarded $8000 cash and a $2000 fishing trip package.
The community really came together for this event. Thanks to donations, sponsorships, and ticket sales nearly $40,000 in cash was rewarded throughout the summer and over $60, 000 in total cash and prizes by the end of the derby. Ucluelet was able to raise funds and awareness for salmon enhancement, specifically for the Thornton Creek Hatchery, with all net proceeds of the derby and the Ucluelet Salmon Festival that followed, going to the cause.
Then there was the celebration! The Ucluelet Salmon Festival took place on September 12th to wrap up the derby. Attendees filled their plates with wild pacific salmon, walked through the vendors like the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Thornton Creek Hatchery, and the Ucluelet Aquarium, and enjoyed live music, beer gardens and jovial prize presentations! The kids were busy in the bouncerama, throwing balls at the dunk tank and making crafts.
It was heart warming to see the community support salmon enhancement and the fun they had together... with a little positive competition, and with big celebrations. The level of awareness for our natural resources and environment has grown to a new level in this little town, the sport of fishing with it, and organizers are already planning next years event.
Editor's note: Learn more about fishing in Ucluelet here.
August 27, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Surfing & Watersports
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Imagine sitting on the horizon. You’re floating in the water with the sounds of breaking waves behind you. You’re looking out to the open ocean, forever. The clouds have split to showcase the pinks, oranges, and reds of a setting sun. Your legs dangle in the cold salt water, your perch is 9 feet of epoxy glass, and you see it coming in on the outside.
It’s a set.
The first wave rolls under you. You bob over it and catch the smile from the surfer beside you. The second wave is approaching and he gives you a nod. This one is for you.
You spin your board around and start paddling into position. You’re going to catch this wave on the shoulder, turn left, and carve it until is breaks into white wash. With the daylight expiring this will be your last ride.
With a quick glance behind you, you know it’s time to start paddling, and hard. Paddle, paddle, paddle…the power of the wave catches the back of your board. You grip your rails, push down to set the fins and pop up, dropping in down a green wall of water you carve immediately to your left. Turns: one, two, three, and you ride it out.
Once on shore you pull off your leash and look back out into the surf. A few stranglers are catching their last waves in. The water is cold dripping down your face; it’s salty on your lips. The neoprene of your wet suit squeaks against your board as you walk it back to the parking lot.
A sunset surf at Wickanninish Beach. You can’t think of anything better than that.
August 23, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Quadra Island, Sightseeing Tours
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If I wasn’t smiling so wide I would not have caught that bug in my mouth. I flew down the hills on my bright blue scooter, exploring Quadra Island, the heart of the Discovery Islands off the coast of North Central Vancouver Island. I imagined myself with large retro sunglasses, a colourful satchel and a hand woven scarf flowing in the wind behind me. Then I would have blended in with the earthy, laid back residents of this natural island community.
My journey began the afternoon before on the dock at Painters Lodge in Campbell River. I had reserved a room at April Point Lodge and Spa, Painters sister resort, on Quadra. There is a Discovery crossing from dock to dock every 20 minutes for their guests.
April Point Lodge sits, obviously, on April Point on the south western side of Quadra Island. The resort combines the best of luxury with water front cottage-like comforts. Each room looks over the ocean. There is a full spa, a restaurant and sushi bar, fishing charters, wild life cruises and lots of toys for rent. Toys like kayaks, bicycles and... scooters.
I woke up at dawn and threw open my curtains welcoming the seascape into my room. I drank my coffee pouring over, and spilling on, a map of Quadra Island trying to plan my day.
“Turn the key to on and press the red start button,” said the April Point crew member. I took my scooter up the hill in a few wobbly blasts of the throttle before getting the hang of it. It was just me, a bulbous black helmet and an island of discovery!
My first stop was the lighthouse. I went by an earthy and organic shopping centre, was tempted by a unique vegetarian restaurant, before carrying on down the quiet wooded and scarcely populated roads to Cape Mudge and to the point to find the white and red lighthouse. I walked over drift logs on the rocky beach to take photos.
I zipped to the eastern coast of the island and up towards the Rebecca Spit Provincial Park. I watch a summer camp school bus unload and children racing to find treasures on the beach. Half a dozen sail boats were anchored in the calm and enclosed Drew Harbour. I walked out to the spit, did some beach combing of my own, and watch kayakers paddle near the shore.
From there I headed north up the coastline to the most populous area on the island, and the commercial hub of Heriot Bay. I picnicked on the beach outside the Heriot Bay Inn and Marina. Fishing boats and yachts were coming in and out of the marina as the ferry to Cortez Island departed with a load of passengers.
The residents of Quadra Island live a laid back and rural lifestyle surrounded by stunning coastal scenery, wildlife, and an unspoilt environment. Their community is rich in culture, history and artisans. I could have explored for days, but it was time to return my scooter rental.
“How was it?” asked the staff girl at the desk back at April Point Lodge.
“Amazing,” I said with my face wind-blown, fixing my helmet hair, “Except I swallowed a bug!”
“You’re not the first,” she smiled.
My visit to Quadra Island was less than 24 hours but it was more than long enough to make me want to go back, and soon.
Next time I will ride my scooter with large retro sunglasses, a colourful satchel and a flowing hand woven scarf.
Next time, I’ll smile with my mouth shut.
August 06, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Attractions
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My four year old nephew’s face scrunched up as the sea cucumber was placed in his little wet hands over the touch tank. He stared at its slimy body, fascinated and disgusted. “I’ve never held a sea cucumber before!” He smiled. After the staff help him put it back into the tank he led his two year old sister around to get a better look... and to tell her all about sea cucumbers, since he is now the official expert.
We’re from Alberta and up until that day none of us really knew that such creatures exist in our oceans, let alone how they move, eat, and protect themselves from predators.
The Ucluelet Aquarium offers visitors and locals a truly up close and personal encounter with the local Pacific marine life. All the animals are collected in the spring, just 5km from the aquariums location in the Ucluelet Harbour. Most of the tanks are open so kids and adult kids too, can reach in and touch the wild life. Sea urchins, anemones, several species of star fish, clams, snails, and sea cucumbers are just a few of the animals to discover in these tanks.
The staff and volunteers at the aquarium are extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about the local biodiversity! Each hour they give a predator and prey demonstration to show visitors how life truly is in tidal pools.
“That clam jumped right off the star fish!” exclaimed my nephew. “It’s like he had a foot in there or something.”
Displays also include salmon hatchlings from the nearby Thornton Creek Hatchery, colourful rock fish, crabs, jelly fish, kelp fish, local plant life, and even a baby Giant Pacific Octopus!
The most amazing thing about the Ucluelet Aquarium is that they release all their creatures, even the plants, rocks and sand, back into the ocean at the end of the season.
This little non-profit aquarium is a must-see when visiting Ucluelet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. It was fun and engaging for both children and adults. It’s been a month since our visit and my nephew and niece tell everybody they meet all they know about sea cucumbers... which is actually quite a lot.
Editor's note: Learn more about the Ucluelet aquarium here.
July 27, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Festivals & Events
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The people gathered on both sides of Main Street, Ucluelet, BC. Some held up cardboard signs, others were packing water guns and balloons. The race was about to start and the contestants prepared at the start line. That Friday night was the kick off for Ukee Days – and I was about to witness The Whiskey Dock Run.
Before the days of trucks and haulers, workers would have to wheel cargo and supplies off the boats tied up to the Whiskey Dock up Main Street into the village of Ucluelet, which boasts a very steep hill. The Whiskey Dock Run is a relay race that simulates the old way of doing things and it’s become an anticipated Ucluelet tradition.
The teams, each consisting of 4 members, line up behind wheel barrows full of tin cans and wait for the ready, set, go! Dressed in West Coast themed costumes the first team member of each team takes off pushing their wheel barrow up to the top of Main and back again. The crowd goes wild splashing the contestants with water and opening fire with their water pistols. The soaked runner returns the barrow to the start line, passes off his wet outfit to the next team member who squeezes into it before taking off for their lap.
The catch: the more cans left in your wheel barrow, the more points you earn. That combined with your speed makes up the final score. The crowd is fickle. One moment they were helping a contestant return spilled cans to his barrow, the next they were whipping water balloons point blank at his face.
At the end of the race the street was soaked, the contestants were soaked, the crowd was soaked, and everyone was very happy! The first place title went to the Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade and their prize was an Official Ukee Days Whiskey Dock Run Winners 2010 T-shirt designed by a local artist.
As the crowds dispersed I noticed arms going around shoulders, hands patting wet backs, and hundreds of smiling faces. This event was so ridiculous and equally heartwarming.
Editor's note: Learn more about Ucluelet here.
July 06, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Hiking
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We pulled into He-Tin-Kis Park, on the southern end of Ucluelet, near Terrace Beach. The trail to the water was wide with gnarled trees bending to create a canopy over our heads. The ferns grew up the mossy banks beside the trail. We felt like we were in Jurassic Park.
At Terrace Beach we walked along the headlands on the left hand side of the bay. The waves lapping into rock pools, home to purple starfish and florescent green anenomes.
At the mouth of the cove we found a set of wooden steps. After a steep climb we found ourselves looking over Terrace Beach on the right and the open Pacific Ocean in front. We had arrived on the Wild Pacific Trail.
“I’ve seen humpback whales breach off of this trail,” I told my hiking companion. The trail, carefully cut through old grown rainforest, ran along the rugged cliffs that make up that part of Ucluelet’s shoreline. From benches and look outs you can watch the waves rage against the black rocks, catch a glimpse of the Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sound, and look out forever into the open ocean.
We came around the bend to the Amphitrite Lighthouse. Visitors were on the park benches, the steps of the lighthouse, the rocks, the trail, the beach, swarming to take in their wild pacific surroundings.
That day the water was calm and the sun had come out. It shone its late morning light on the ancient spruce and cedars, and glistened off the wet black rocks. The Wild Pacific Trail truly was “hiking on the edge” ...of something amazing.