Oh We're Going to Tofino (sounds best when sung)

As usual the day's report starts with breakfast. We thought we'd exhausted the possibilities of fruits available. This time Paula turned up a new one to us - a Dragon Fruit - in a smoothie with apple.  It is from a cactus like plant and has a red skin, but the fruit is white and seeded like a kiwi fruit. Maple scones together with pumpkin and cranberry muffin type thing, followed by a cooked breakfast.  Egg soufflé with a slice of Jarlsberg cheese through the middle; spicy polenta slices; poached ham (carnivores) or sliced stuffed nut roll (vegetarian); tomato with a sun-dried tomato and pesto dressing. Doggie bags of scones and muffins were taken for later consumption. 

Today's drive was quite a long one, along the east coast of Vancouver Island with some views back across Sannich Sound to Mount Baker in the US.

We managed to get to Nanaimo without any rain, and stopped at the tourist office.  The information man said 'you two talk funny, where are you from?' He then supplied us with a wealth of information, said we absolutely must stop at Cathedral Grove and sent us on our way, west across the mountain range, warning us of narrow twisty roads with steep drop-offs.  

Eric managed to find a rather snooty looking eagle before we set off.

Cathedral Grove with huge Douglas fir to the north of the road and massive Western Red Cedar to the south (one trunk was over 7m in girth) - I did say huge!

A panorama from top to bottom to try and show the immensity (not sure that worked) - the trunks are actually arrow straight.

The rain started as we entered the mountains, this was real rain, the sort that gets you very wet.

We arrived at the west coast of the Island still waiting to find the very narrow, twisty road - they obviously haven't been to the Lake District. It was bendy but that was about it.

Bed and Breakfast is called Black Bear and is stunningly located, with views over the inlet (hope it's good for watching birds, our room is called The Osprey, is this an omen?).

Eric wondered when the daddy bear might return.