We just love Ucluelet. The day went by quickly even though the Aquarium was closed today because of a pump failure. We talked to a fisherman on the ship at the dock and now we know where Costco’s Yellowtail fish comes from.

We visited several interesting stores including a second-hand store where Ruth found even more beads. She’s going to be busy when she gets home!

The Rubio Jewelry store had some really neat pieces and Helena, the owner, helped pick a copper nugget ring for Ruth. Pro Tip: if you can’t get your ring off, use Windex just like in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”.

Lunch was at the Barkely Cafe and consisted of smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese and arugula.

The Lighthouse trail is a 2.6km hike with many lookouts and lots of information panels that explain the forest and bog life. There are many trees with really extraordinary shapes and forms. One wonders what makes them grow this way.

The views of the ocean are stunning and the water seemed so calm although it can be extremely dangerous as the shipwrecks in the area can attest to. The lighthouse and navigational buoys with bells and horns help guide ships in the area.

We returned to the Ucluelet campground and got an even nicer site for tonight nicely nestled between the trees.

Ucluelet has an aquarium showing the vast variety of sea life in the area. It was closed yesterday because of a pump problem and we stayed in Ucluelet for an extra night to be able to visit today. Boy are we glad we did – if you are in the area, make sure to visit. The Ucluelet Aquarium is a collect and release facility which means that all the animals and plants on display are captured at the beginning of the season (Feb/Mar) and then released back into the water at the end of the season (Oct/Nov). Everything is from the local area except for a few specimens that might be from the Tofino area.

The aquarium looks small and we thought we’d be in and out fairly quickly but ended up spending a significant time there learning about the different animals from the young, knowledgable staff. For example, did you know that the blood of an octopus is copper based whereas our blood is iron based? That means octopus blood is blueish instead of red! Other animals also have different blood chemical structures and if you’re interested in learning more you can read this article from the Protein Data Bank in Europe.

The variety of fish and plants was astounding. Many of the species were well camouflaged and some were only visible when they moved because they were able to blend in so well with the rocks, plants, or material at the bottom of the tank.

There are a couple of touch-tanks where you can, after washing your hands, gently stroke some animals with your pinky finger. This was a hit with the kids.

The aquarium aims to educate not only on the natural parts of the ocean but also the problem of human generated plastics. Several displays talked about how plastics end up in the ocean and the devastating effect it has on the wildlife there. Small bits of plastic may be seen as food but aren’t digestible and can clog the animals digestive tracts. Larger pieces, like broken fishing nets, can ensnare animals causing them to die.

After leaving Ucluelet we stopped at Kennedy Lake which had been recommended as a great place to swim by one of the many people we had talked to. It is huge lake surrounded by beautiful mountains and the sunshine was just perfect. We couldn’t resist the urge to go for a long swim in the cool, but not cold water.

Refreshed and hungry we thought we deserved another schnitzel at the Little Bavaria restaurant in Port Alberni that we had been to a couple of days ago.

Our friends are spending a week at the Living Forest Oceanside Campground and we were really happy to see them (and their dogs) again.

Today was one of our very few non-driving days. What a bliss! Besides doing laundry, we had some fun things to do. We ate fish and chips at the harbour and topped it with ice-cream after our walk.

The harbour was busy with beautiful yachts and floatplanes. Martin and David were jealous that they couldn’t fly one of them.

Back at the campground we had a bit of a rest followed by a lovely dinner with our friends at their new coach.

No map today.

Parksville has an annual sand sculpting competition and festival and we were lucky to be able to enjoy it. At least two dozen artists from all around the world interpreted the theme “Wonders of the World”.

On our way to Coombs we stopped at the BoMé Cheese Shop Cafe where we had a delicious piece of Apple Streusel Cheesecake and bought a number of cheeses. (More cheese to come later!)

The town of Coombs is a pretty funky place and one of the highlights is a farm market with Goats on the Roof. Yes, they are real goats and they are grazing on the roof.

There is square with various sculptures and this odd castle next to the goat place.

We visited a couple of other shops including an antique shop that never seemed to end, a clothing store, and a dutch store where we bought some aged Gouda cheese. We’re well stocked with cheese for the next couple of weeks.

Ruth’s former colleague lives in nearby Bowser and she and her husband invited us for dinner at their fabulous home right on the ocean. We couldn’t help but hike through the forest and along the beach by the ocean.

Our first stop today was in Campbell River’s Farmer’s Market. Here we found a few musicians and a number of stands with food and crafts. Lots to see!

The Elk Falls Provincial Park is not far from the town of Campbell River and we found a great campsite nestled in a forest of tall trees.

The Campbell River runs right next to the campground and is an important salmon spawning river. A couple of fishermen were trying their luck but we didn’t see any signs of fish.

The hike along the river is beautiful and takes you up to the hydro station. One group we passed said that another hiker had warned them about a bear in the area and Ruth did in fact see one on the other side of the river. Our singing and noise making probably chased him or her off.