Captain Awesome's Vancouver Island Adventure

A couple of weeks ago my little bro came out for a visit and it was great. Not only did we get to hang out with Jeff for 5 days, we got to experience the Island through fresh eyes. Jeff had never really seen the ocean or mountains or such huge trees before, so everything was a new experience.

Jeff's visit started on Thursday night with an intense game of Bohnanza, followed by a rousing game of Pit. Needless to say, I was victorious at both - albeit by the slimmest of margins.

Jeff, Sarah, Donovan and James - the Bean Farmers!

Friday morning Jeff and I headed out to Goldstream for a hike up to the train trestle. Jeff was a little braver than I once we were actually on the trestle, but I followed him out there anyway because we all know that one cannot be shown up by their little brother.

The train trestle.

Jeff at the top with Mt. Finlayson in the background.

Friday afternoon we hit the road for our weekend in Tofino. We took our time on the drive up to stop and check out the sites along the way. The highlights were definitely Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park for the big trees and the winding road from Port Alberni to Tofino.

Cam and Jeff.

The largest tree in Cathedral Grove.

The "picture tree" in Cathedral Grove.

Sunset over Kennedy Lake.

After almost 6 hours on the road, we arrived in Tofino and we were in need of a beer. Luckily, our hotel (The Weighwest Marine Resort a.k.a. The Days Inn), had a pub on the water. Not a bad way to start our weekend in Tofino.

Yay! We made it!

Beers at Dockside Pub.

Oh grandma...

We arranged a surfing lesson for Saturday morning. We met our surf instructors at Cox Bay and got all our gear on. It felt so nice on a cool April morning in Tofino to put on a damp rental wetsuit. Then we had the task of carrying our surf boards down to the beach - this was probably the hardest part of the whole lesson, at least for me. But alas, we made it to the beach for a brief lesson on currents, types of waves, surfing safety and etiquette and, of course, surfing style. After perfecting our surfing style on land, it was time to hit the water. We spent the next 2 hours attempting to surf. By the end, we were mostly just floating on our boards, which is also a fun way to spend the day in Tofino.

Jeff's surf style.

Ready to 'catch a wave'.

Cam perfecting the skill of wiping out.

Yay! I am surfing!

We were pretty exhausted after surfing, but also hungry. We ate a yummy dinner at Shelter restaurant before crashing for the evening. Sunday morning we awoke to rain - surprise, surprise. But we had planned a trip to Meares Island to check out Big Tree Trail and a little rain wasn't going to stop us. After a short water taxi ride, we arrived at Meares Island. The taxi driver pointed us towards the boardwalk and we set off. The boardwalk takes about 30 minutes to complete and goes over, through and around the trees on the Island. It felt a bit like being in a huge tree house. It is a great place to check out if you are ever in Tofino.

Part of the boardwalk on Meares Island.

Starting to understand why it is called "Big Tree Trail".

Did we mention the big trees? They are unreal!

Meares Island.

After a great weekend in Tofino, we decided it was time to head home. But not without a stop on Long Beach, a quick visit with Cam's cousins in Port Alberni and some ice cream.

Long Beach.

Our ritual ice cream place near Port Alberni.

Monday Jeff and I toured around Victoria taking in the local attractions like the Oak Bay seals, Mount Doug and downtown. I had a fantastic time with my brother and want to thank my mom for helping to make the trip happen!