09 February 13

We made the 10:30am ferry and stopped at a moderately disappointing winery in Nanaimo before continuing on our journey. This photo is from Cathedral Grove, an old growth forest in Macmillan Park near Port Alberni. I'd been there on a school trip back in 2000, and it was even more magical than I remembered. We stopped at another winery in Port Alberni that was way more awesome — the proprietor used to be a science teacher so in addition to tasting delicious wine, we got to learn some wine science!
We ate our packed sandwiches for lunch before hitting the stretch of road with no services. It was winding and narrow, but stunningly beautiful in its remoteness. Coming down the mountain with Kennedy Lake below us sitting completely still in the feeble winter sunlight was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen... the lake was a perfect mirror of the sky and from our perspective it was like flying along a border between two worlds. I was too awestruck to get the camera and take a picture, but sometimes it's better to just have your memories of these things.

After checking into the b&b in Ucluelet, we went to a pub called Eagle's Nest to eat, drink, and watch the game. It wasn't much for atmosphere, but the beer was cheap, the food was good, and our poor, overwhelmed waiter was very sweet.
You can view a few more photos from this day here.