We checked out of our Best Western Motel in North Vancouver and headed to the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay where we got into the line of cars waiting to board. We sympathized with the dogs in the vehicles ahead who wanted to get out and greet each other.
We finally boarded…
…and grabbed second-row seats up front for the two-hour crossing.
The boat departed the small village of Horseshoe Bay…
…and soon left land behind.
Mountains loomed across the open water ahead. It was cool, windy and overcast, just as one would expect in the Vancouver area.
Our arrival on Vancouver Island was at Departure Bay in Nanaimo. We filled up with fuel, and drove across the island to Ucluelet and Pacific Rim National Park.
Bunches of yellow flowers lined much of the forested roadside…
…which Dianne discovered are some variety of broom plant.
Along the way, were welcomed to something…
…passed Kennedy Lake where a break in the forest allowed a view of something other than trees…
…and finally we entered Ucluelet or Ukee as the locals call it.
We checked into our hotel at the Black Rock Resort…
…where we had a third-floor balcony room with a rather nice view…
…and we found that we had bathrobes provided. This almost felt like those bygone days when I was a travel writer bunking around the world on OPM (Other Peoples’ Money). This time the price was paid on my own credit card.
(Sorry kids, but we’re spending your inheritance. Oh wait, we don’t have any kids.)
Dining on seafood in one of the resort’s two restaurants, we enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay from Tantalus, one of the eight wineries we visited in Kelowna.
Yes, I think we’re going to like it here.