A Guest Blog From Vancouver Island
Before completing my trip to Israel with day five, I thought I would give you a break and share a very different part of the world. Lisa Wagner, our SVP Senior Supervising Producer of The Martha Show, offered a guest blog from a fabulous trip she and her husband took this summer. Enjoy!
In late July my husband and I went to Vancouver for vacation. We had always wanted to see the city but had also been told about a very special inn on the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island, called the Wickinnanish. We flew to Vancouver and early the next morning boarded a ferry at Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal at Horseshoe Bay for the two-hour ride to Nanaimo. The road from Nanaimo, on the east coast of Vancouver Island, across to the west coast and the Pacific Ocean is considered one of the most spectacular in the world. We felt that it was a pretty apt description! This area is beautiful and dramatic and certainly worth a journey!
1 It was raining when we arrived, but we donned some rain gear and went out to explore the beach. Look what we came across! Newlyweds! And a kiss in the rain captured by the almost-hidden photographer.
2 Coming off of the seaweed-covered rocks we were surprised to see that the bride was wearing bright yellow rain boots!
3 They made their way back to the Inn.
4 At last - an umbrella for the bride!
5 Continuing with our tour, we were AMAZED by the marine life we discovered on the beach at low tide.
6 A young guest holding a small sunflower sea star - a kind of starfish having 16 to 24 rays. A larger one lurks behind her.
7 The sunflower sea stars range in color from bright orange to brown and purple.
8 The massive rocks on the beach were covered with starfish, sea anemones, mussels, and barnacles.
9 We later went on a hike through Cathedral Grove, a rare and ancient Douglas Fir ecosystem.
10 Enormous conifers - Some more than 13-feet (4-meters) in diameter rise out of the carpet of moss.
11 Many of these heritage trees are more 1000 years old!
12 There were ferns everywhere, as the cool damp weather is the perfect environment for them.
13 Here I am, taking a break on the trail.
14 We also went to a dungeness crab boil on the beach.
15 The picnic tables and stools are all made from drift wood and reclaimed wood.
16 Our meal of dungeness crab and fresh corn…the crab was incredibly fresh and very sweet.
17 At the fishing pier of a nearby town, we watched as fishermen, both professional and sport, brought their day's catch to be cleaned.
18 This fellow fillets dozens of fish each day. Most were bagged and put on ice, ready to travel.
19 Chinook salmon, the largest species in the salmon family, is native to the cold waters of Canada.
20 We never had fresher tasting fish - only hours out of the water.
21 Fishermen were hauling in Chinook, Coho salmon, and halibut.
22 One morning, we went on a whale watch and were fortunate that it was lovely and sunny. Whale watching is a huge attraction in Tofino. Clayoquot Sound is the summer home for humpback and grey whales.
23 We were all given red jumpsuits to wear, protecting us from wind and water.
24 The water was beautifully still, which is a good condition for spotting whales.
25 There were plenty of other things to see - bald eagles and blue herons. There were also packs of wolves walking along island shores as we headed out to deeper waters.
26 Another group of whale watchers wearing yellow jumpsuits.
27 At last! A whale sighting - There were mostly spout sprays, but we were lucky and got a quick flash of a tail! The whale watch was definitely a highlight of the trip.
28 We encountered an island flecked with harbor seals and another one dotted with sea lions.
29 Stanley Park is a large and beautiful park bordering downtown Vancouver. Many people flock to it for activities, sites, and the trail that circles the entire park for walking or biking.
30 We rented bikes and one of our first stops was Brockton Point. It's the most visited tourist attraction in British Columbia and the home of an amazing collection of totem poles.
31 We were there on cleaning day. The totem was the British Columbia Indians' coat of arms and are unique to the northwest coast of B.C. and lower Alaska. Each carving tells of a real or mythical event.
32 We were surprised to see that these traditional icons were being power-washed!
33 Tofino is the surfing capital of Canada. It also attracts nature lovers, campers, fishermen, and whale watchers.
34 Tofino is located on the tip of Esowista Peninsula, at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound.
35 One night, after dinner, we followed the sunset across the Sound.
36 The colors of the sky and sea were amazing.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
My husband comes from Vernon Martha! Thanks for the peek of Canada!
Posted by: BluBabesCreate | September 14th, 2011 at 12:19 am
* cry *
I visited many of the same towns and attractions in 2003, I just fell in love with Vancouver Island and would love to go back one day.
Posted by: Belinda | September 14th, 2011 at 3:48 am
Hi! I am from São Paulo, it's in Brazil. I follow your blog and I used to whatch your television show. I am a lawer and I love to cook, especially to bake: cakes, macarons, cookies... So, you can imagine when I go to Macy's in New York and walk through the downstairs floor looking all the kitchen stuffs...I get crazy!! And your line of products is the one I love most! I have a lot of things and always want some more!!
kisses! Marina
Posted by: marina mott | September 14th, 2011 at 6:17 am
I've never seen totem poles so big! The picture of the guy power washing one of them is amazing. The last picture is stunning, the colors of the sky and sea as a backdrop to the silhouette of figures is my favorite. Thank you for sharing your trip Lisa.
Posted by: Cindy F | September 14th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Hi Lisa and Martha,
All I can say is "wow" - and this just might be the last stop for nature lovers. Who would want to go anywhere else! You captured the scenery so beautifully and the sunset was awesome. I saw a lot of jackets so it must have been cool or maybe just damp - either way, my kind of weather. I am so SICK of the heat down here in Florida! Thanks for giving us a peek of the west coast of Vancouver Island. I like it! Trish
Posted by: Trish | September 14th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Hi Lisa, Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful blog post of you and your husband's trip to Vancouver Island in Canada! You are not only a great Martha TV Show producer, you are a fantastic photographer! These photos of your trip are absolutely stunning-I love every one of them! I've been to Vancouver Island before, but never visited these fabulous places you shared! My Dad used to go fishing near Nanaimo many years ago and these photos remind me of his photos. Living near Puget Sound, which is not that far from Vancouver, we also have Orcas swimming through the sound and our sunsets look just like your last 4 photos! Also enjoyed the Wickaninnish Inn website-also stunning! Hope you have a great day and say Hi to Martha for me! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | September 14th, 2011 at 10:36 am
I don't know if I will ever learn my lesson. Eat first, then read the Martha blog. I got half way thru this time, and then saw the crab boil, fresh fish and seaweed everywhere.... and had to take leave to make my brunch. I LOVE seaweed. My teriyaki marinated sardines on ramen noodles, sprinkled with seaweed flakes and toasted sesame seeds were actually a pretty tasty substitute for those beautiful photos from Vancouver Island. So, thanks for filling in a guest blogger Lisa, and thanks for inspiring a yummy brunch!
Posted by: Barbara Gookin ~ Nantucket | September 14th, 2011 at 10:40 am
I have shared this and shared this with many friends. Truly amazing. What beauty lies around us. Thank you for sharing with us, Lisa.
Posted by: marge | September 14th, 2011 at 10:43 am
Martha,
Thanks for letting Lisa share with us today. Lisa I enjoyed your photos of Vancouver Island - it has some beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | September 14th, 2011 at 11:09 am
Lisa,
Aren't vacation trips fun? So many spontaneous things to observe. The pictures of the bride were enough to bring a smile on anyone's face.
We are enjoying the last of the fresh corn right off the plant and does that ever bring home the "fresh" statement.
Thanks.
Posted by: Margie | September 14th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Hi, Martha and Lisa,
What a wonderful surprise - a beautiful blog about my neck of the woods. I live in Oregon, but travel the entire Northwest Pacific including BC. I hope everyone noticed that, in spite of foul weather, nothing stops our activities. We just don brightly colored gear and have a blast. Thank you!
Posted by: Bobbie from Oregon | September 14th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Well I must say I am proud to see these pictures. This is my province and it is truly a very wild and beautiful place on the west coast of Vancouver Island. My daughter sailed with the tall ships there for over a year and some of the pictures she has are amazing. Whales, dolphins, sea lions, and so much more. It truly has a beauty of its own. People surf there all year as well. There is an amazing hotel called the Wickaninnish Inn. Google it and look at some of the pictures. Martha I hope you can come visit!
Posted by: Frances | September 14th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Lisa, the pictures are great, but my favorites are 22 & 24, and 32, 34, 35 & 36. Simply beautiful!!!
Thank you, Martha, for letting Lisa share.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | September 15th, 2011 at 12:06 am
Good morning! Amazing photos Martha thank you Lisa for sharing.
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | September 15th, 2011 at 3:16 am
I too spent my vacation at the Wikinninish Inn in Tofino! 5 star and I enjoyed the crab cook out as well. I have some of the same photos of the sea creatures! Thanks for reminding me what an awesome summer vacay I had in Tofino!
Posted by: Beth | September 15th, 2011 at 6:04 am
Wonderful slideshow. Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Patia | September 15th, 2011 at 10:24 am
I was so excited to see this blog as I have lived on Vancouver Island for a number of years and consider it one of the most spectacular places on earth. It was very refreshing to see these pictures through a visitor's eyes. Thanks for visiting my part of the world and please come again!
Posted by: Margaret | September 15th, 2011 at 10:57 am
Thanks for your piece on Vancouver Island. I have been on the coast my entire life and my favourite place hands down is the true West Coast. We stayed at the Wick and will definitely be going back and are looking at renting a home on Chesterman Beach for a longer stay. Worth the trip from the mainland! Another beautiful spot to check out is Powell River, I am biased because I was born there, but it is my favourite place to be in Oct. Check it out!
Posted by: Angie | September 15th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
This blog brings back great memories of a wedding I went to last year on Vancouver Island. The wedding took place on this beach and we stayed at the Wick Inn. It was an awesome holiday and an awesome wedding - an auspicious start for the happy couple. Plus, this is my favourite spot on the planet.......ahhhhhh lovely
Thank you
Posted by: Yolanda | September 15th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
An "unsuccessful" storm watching trip to Tofino two years ago convinced me that this is the most beautiful, peaceful place in North America, whether stormy or not. Tofino, Chesterman Beach, Cox Bay, the Wick, the Long Beach Lodge. I could go on and on -- actually I have on my blog, with the banner photo and a post on "Storm watching" (http://jusido.com/2010/07/19/storm-watching/), etc. As for the weddings, you can actually watch them happen, which I described in two posts: "in the sight of... this company and the Webcam" (http://jusido.com/2011/08/21/in-the-sight-of-this-company-and-the-webcam/) and a follow-up "Vicarious (non-)storm watching" (http://jusido.com/2011/08/25/vicarious-non-storm-watching/).
Posted by: Steve | September 15th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Thank you for showing us pictures of places that we may never have the opportunity to visit.
Posted by: Jan | September 15th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
Wow! Terrific photos. I'll take some grilled salmon with cracked crab and drawn butter. The only thing to make it better would be dining with Martha. Thanks for sharing and allowing us to enjoy!
Posted by: Alicia from Idaho | September 15th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Hi,
Great photos! I have been to many places all over Europe, and several in the USA, but my most favorite spot all over the globe is Tofino, Vancouver Island! Hubby and myself were there September 2010 for 5 days to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We continued our fabulous trip through the Rockies and had the vacation of our lives. What an awesome 3 weeks we had!
Hilde, Belgium
Posted by: Hilde De Winne | September 16th, 2011 at 4:36 am
Forget Disneyland, Tofino is my happiest place on Earth. For the past two years our end-of-summer trip has been spent at Middle Beach Lodge on Mackenzie Beach. We've gone whale watching, bear watching, hiked through red cedar forests to secluded coves and empty stretches of beach. We've spent the afternoon with a woman from the local First Nations tribe learning about her peoples' history, and that of the peninsula. We've taken a float plane over Clayoquot Sound, capped off by a dinner on our balcony of crab caught off the shores of Long Beach. We've spent countless hours walking the beaches, lost in quiet contemplation with nature's abundant beauty all around us. It is truly a special place in this world, and I hope to one day be fortunate enough to call it home.
http://www.casacaudill.com/
Posted by: casacaudi,, | September 17th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
These written entries surely are fascinating and photos taken to travel for armchair trippers ! Vancouver in area long past and again to visit at areas locally. Tremors in natural plans out in coastal waters.
Posted by: enbvisco | November 13th, 2012 at 4:02 pm