Just Outside The Window

Our new place is quite scenic and purveys the feeling of being in the forest. Last month we came home to two adolescent female deer in our parking spot. Last week the old, lichen covered walnut tree outside our window was constantly busy with a variety of different coloured squirrels stripping the tree of its nuts. Our entertainment for the week was watching the gorging just feet from our big windows. With the windows framing the action. it feels like we were watching some kind of nature documentary.

Three Days And Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: An Early Morning Hike of Willowbrae Trail and Half-Moon Bay

With the sun rising through the trees we hiked Willowbrae Trail. We broke on through to Half-Moon Bay as the sun reached over the tree tops. This is morning in the Pacific Rim National Park.

Three Days and Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: Worst Hostel Experience Ever and Drinking Under the Full Moon

Ukie Days were taking place in the small unpretentious town of Ucluelet. We claimed our bunks at C&N hostel earlier that day. We were very fortunate to get beds considering it usually fills up around the busy season, and of course the traffic might have been a bit heavier for the Ukee Days Festival.

That evening we picked up some Granville Island IPA and headed to the historic Ukee lighthouse. The night was very chill as we howled at the full moon and its reflection in the sea. Our minds just kind of unravelled in the peace of the overly lit night. We chatted about this and that and tossed opinions around about the origin of the strange noises that nature supplied. After having a few beers in the nearby Wild Pacific Trail, we agreed that we should get a good nights sleep so we can get an early start the next day. So we retired to the hostel.

At 5:00AM we all awoke to the sound of projectile vomit hitting the linoleum flooring from high above us. Its origin was from a young man on the top bunk who clearly had a little bit too much fun at Ukie Days! The rain of vomit and resulting inhuman stench splattered and filled the room.
Luckily for us he was at a bunk on the other side of the dorm (I guess that's luck???).

Gagging and holding our breath, we threw everything into our packs and got out of their as fast as we could. It was an unexpectedly early start to a beautiful day!

Three Days and Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: Best Fish and Chips In Tofino and Sunsets From Radar Hill

We drove into Tofino looking for a good seafood restaurant, a local recommended we head a bit out of town to Wild Thing Grill. We followed the recommendation and were rewarded with some of the best fish and chips ever consumed. Alissa had the halibut and Matt had the wild salmon- the batter was flavourful and fresh, not at all oily and of course the fish was fresh... delicious!

After dinner we drove up to Radar Hill to take in the setting sun with a few bird friends. It really looked like something out of this world.

Peace

Three Days And Three Nights With Mike & Hye Jung: Pacific Rim National Park's Florencia Bay Trail, Wikinninish Trail, & South Beach Trail

A day after visiting Salt Spring Island we hauled to Pacific Rim National Park. We picked up park passes and headed to Florencia Bay Trail, the sight of an old shipwreck, it is just a short hike to the beach where we unpacked our lunches and had a picnic while taking in the waves. After lunch we hiked Wikinninish Trail which took us through an ancient bog of Labrador tea trees and miniature pines that were hundreds of years old.

We did the short South Beach Trail which dramatically ends with a clearing, a big totem pole, and then that famous Long Beach. These three trails are all connected so it made a nice route. There is something truly out of this world about Long Beach.

Three Days and Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: Salt Spring Island Vineyards & Salt Spring Island Cheese Company

After peacing out in the lavender for a while, we jumped back in the car and drove down the country island roads to Salt Spring Vineyards. Here we sampled 4 of their wines paired with local appetizers from the island. The 2007 Millotage (which we tried on Alissa's Birthday last time we were on the island), Blanc de Noir, 2009 Aromata, 2008 Blackberry "Port" were the wines we sampled. We decided on a bottle of the 2007 Millotage to drink in the garden by the pond down in the vineyards. It was a great way to take in the summer day!

After drinking all that wine, we hunted down the Salt Spring Island Cheese Company a few kilometres away. We were greeted by a goat that shat & peed right in front of us as he stared at us blankly. We put that bizarre event behind us and went on to look at the cheese factory. There we gored on cheese and a variety of olives until we couldn't stomach it anymore!

Great day on Salt Spring Island!

Three Days and Three Nights With Mike & Hye Jung: Salt Spring Island Lavender Fields

With the relaxing, constant hum of feasting honey bees and heavely scents which insect and human could both appreciate, we took our time strolling through the vibrant purple fields. If the ferry ride over and the market didn't chill us out, time in this purple paradise certainly did.

Three Days and Three Nights With Mike & Hye Jung: Saltspring Island Saturday Market

Last weekend Mike, Hye Jung, Alissa and Matt took a morning ferry to Saltspring Island. While on the way, a friendly local shared some Saltspring Island produce with us. After that everything was good.

We picked up a local hitchhiker who gave as a guided tour into town. We headed straight to the famous Saltspring Island Saturday Market. It definitely gives the Moss Street Market in our hood a run for its money!

Simply taking in the mid-twenties weather and people watching more than kept us entertained. All the cool, creative, and fresh stuff was just a bonus.