7th July 2008

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7th July 2008
I woke early at 4.30am just as the sun was rising and without moving my head had a magnificent view over the bay. Eddie was already in his tree waiting for Simon but I didn't know that when, a few hours later, I made my way down to the deck and spotted him. He watched me very suspiciously and then decided to go further away to his fishing perch to wait with his mate as I was too unfamiliar. He will tolerate Simon going down o the deck with a chicken leg for his breakfast and Sue moving about on the window but not strangers. When Simon threw out the chicken Eddie rose up on his legs then launched off and swooped down to the rocks and grabbed the chicken in his huge talons His mate waited patiently in the tree and then flew back up the creek to the nest with him.
After a lovely breakfast at Susan and Simon's we went to Nanaimo Airport to collect a hire car to take us across Vancouver Island to Tofino.
After a bit of wait for an operative (things move slowly at small airports) we set off on the three hour drive to Tofino. After leaving the highway at Port Alberni where we had stopped for coffee we joined the only road across the island which climbs up over the Malahat Mountain range.
On the descent from the summit of the pass we found a gorge where the river tumbled through a narrow rocky gorge. We stopped for some time and clambered over the rocks and fallen trees. Richard and Amy and Bob did various balancing feats on a huge log which had fallen down from the steep hillside.
We checked into our hotel for the night the Pacific Sands Resort on Cox Bay and made our way into Tofino for a late lunch. The food from the organic health food shop was delicious although Amy went mad and bought us enough for two days and ended up spending the equivalent of a three course lunch.
The young folks booked for a surfing lesson next day and we went back for a walk along the beach to Sunset Point and looked out over Rosie Bay and further to Wickmannish Bay where the surfing was to take place. Then we walked the other way to the end of Cox Bay.
We had an early night while Amy and Richard had a scrabble battle and watched a DVD.

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Comments

[Marta]

Wonderful!
Oh my God I'm so jealous, everything looks beautiful!! I think Will would have beaten you all in balancing on a tree log!