Beach Wheelchair, Wickaninnish Beach, Pacific Rim National Park. Vancouver Island, BC.

Cool Surfers at Wickaninnish Beach

The days and weeks have been very long since I broke my ankle, on May 31st. Books and Netflix only hold so much magic…

To reset the dial, my daughter took me on a three-day road trip. Off to Vancouver Island, and Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino. And especially, the Pacific Rim National Park… AKA the Wet Coast.

At the top of this post, a very wet me, sitting in the cool beach wheelchair we were able to borrow from the Kwisitis Visitor Centre, at Wickaninnish Beach. The hard sand part of the beach was easier to navigate for my wheelchair-pusher (i.e. daughter), but getting across the soft sand at the top of the beach was another story. We needed help (or I would have had to crawl back), and help was very graciously provided by one of the Centre’s staffers. They spotted our struggling, probably sighed, and came to our rescue. I am grateful.

The sights? Lots of surfers. The beach may look empty, but every dark speck in the waves is a surfer, in full wetsuit.

And then, this young woman and her dog caught my attention…

Surfers at Wickaninnish Beach, Parcific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

The dog was beside herself with joy at the open space, the water, the waves, being out there with her “mommy”, and having fun.

The surfer told me that her dog was learning to surf, but “she keeps dumping me when she steps forward”… Working on technique. Aren’t we all?

Surfing Duo, Wickaninnish Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

A few minutes later, looked like they were mastering it very nicely.

Surfing Trio, Wickaninnish Beach. Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Well, then she saw “daddy” and started to step forward to say hello. Looks like this may end up in a tip over…

And I leave you with the suspense.

Did I mention that this was a very wet day?

Droplets, on the Peat Bog Boardwalk. Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

We took a stroll (a roll, in my case) on the Peat Bog Boardwalk. It was a very wet day. Very wet.

And on the art side, we stopped at the Eagle Aerie Gallery, and admired the prints, carvings and paintings by Roy Henry Vickers. The gallery, a gorgeous building all in massive carved cedar boards, is a beautiful setting for the art on display. Not to be missed, if you are in Tofino.