The next leg of our trip required about an hour and a half ferry ride to reach Vancouver Island. The girls have done ferries in the past, but it is still a fun way to travel. There were some nice views to take in, but unfortunately we didn’t see any whales.
Of course, with Julia’s injured ankle, our pace on the island was slower and we couldn’t do as many or as long of trails as we originally thought. However, she is able to manage and we found a good ankle brace that she can use which makes things better (though we had to buy a new pair of shoes to accommodate the brace and swelling). Her ankle continues to turn black and blue and for the first couple of days we took any opportunities we could to ice and elevate it, even using ice from the ferries vending machine.
One of the first hikes we did was to English River Falls. We had seen a lot of falls already but this one was unique in that it cascaded into a really deep crack/ravine which was probably only two to three meters wide where the river entered. It was kind of like watching a river fall into a hole. It was a short walk to the falls which was good for Julia and the girls and I did the rest of the short loop to the lower falls through the woods while Julia waited at the top.
The next day we drove to the Pacific side of the Island and were able to enjoy a bit of the Wild Pacific Trail, Wickaninnish Beach and a few smaller trails. The weather was a bit cold and it was hard for Julia to walk in the sand, but we felt like we got small taste of the area. We also drove to the tip of that part of the Island – the town of Tofino. Still no whales!
On our last full day on Vancouver Island we visited Cathedral Grove. Though not as tall as Redwoods, the Douglas Firs and Cedars here are still massive and very old. It is one of those things that is difficult to capture on camera and the pictures just don’t do justice.
The next day, as we were headed back to the ferry, the girls thought it would be fun to eat Nanaimo bars in Nanaimo!
Stanley Park
After leaving the Island, we had time to stop at Stanley Park in Vancouver on our way to the airport. Julia was able to walk more and more each day and we did a fairly good stroll around various parts of the park.
