Small Town News

Prior planning required for proper wandering

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Here at The Press, we feature the occasional Arts and Entertainment centerpiece "Weekend Wanderer," with the purpose of detailing nearby scenic destinations easily enjoyable in three days or less. My wife and I packed the car, loaded up the two pugs and embarked on our own weekend wandering, thanks to a deal she spotted on Groupon. Word of advice: Next time your spouse utilizes Groupon, double check the ramifications before disembarking from the comfy confines of Issaquah. I thought we were going on a short jaunt across the Canadian border. Just as the Skipper and Gilligan duped a group of landlubbers to take a three-hour tour, my wife epically miscalculated the extent of our journey.

In my mind, weekend wandering should take no longer than three hours to get to the destination. Our trek to Tofino, British Columbia, was completed in just under 10 hours. Luckily, no leg of the journey

presented any problems. Traffic flowed nicely north from Kirk-land to the border. Few cars were trying to cross north. With passports and our dogs' shot records in good standing, we sailed through unimpeded.

From there, it was only a half-hour to the ferry terminal. But that's when the individual legs of the journey were no longer definable as a jaunt. The ferry ride from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo was two hours. So, I can't recommend highly enough to bring reading material on long voyages.

Once off the ferry, the last leg of the journey around Vancouver Island was the killer three hours. I learned only the next day from the Ocean Villages receptionist, there is only one way in and one way out of Tofino. This ran counter to my Navy training, which instilled a need to always know of multiple egress routes.

I highly suggest if traveling isolated routes, miles from any sign of civilization, do so during the day. Driving through the mountains of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in pitch darkness escalates the danger factor by 10, at least. And always check for adequate gas levels before embarking through areas beyond civilization's end. We were fine there, despite a lack of signage warning of the route ahead.

We reached our beachfront cabin at 11 p.m., a little too late to enjoy the docile sound of the surf, lightly rolling into shore. Nope. Bedtime beckoned. Even the dogs didn't argue with recharging after a 10-hour journey.

At daybreak, we got our first view of the Ocean Villages property. Pretty neat. The cabins had all the amenities, including a kitchenette. Just no TV or radio. But who needs white noise when nature's natural broadcast was yards away?

Our dogs loved running along the beach just make sure your dogs are properly trained to come back once they take off down the sandy shoreline. Luckily I caught up to Wonton when the beach ran out at the rocks.

Torino features many water-based activities I wouldn't have minded trying out including surfing, whale watching and fishing excursions had we more time not spent on traveling to and from the atoll.

But the most impressive activity was Saturday night watching the sunset. When was the last time you've just sat there, enjoying the sight of the sun slowly descending beneath the horizon? Spectacular.

With an impending early start Sunday, we had time to do little more than explore the small port town and its quaint shops and restaurants.

In the daylight hours, I was able to shave an hour off the journey back.

Next time we plan a weekend wandering excursion, I'll have to make sure to get more involved so my wife doesn't mistakenly transform it into something more befitting a weeklong wandering.



Copyright 2011 The Issaquah Press, Issaquah, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 The Issaquah Press Issaquah, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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