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the rain coast

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

We made it out to Tofino on the we(s)t coast of Vancouver island today. We managed to catch the last rays of the day on the long beach south of the city, with a stop in Port Alberni along the way.

It was Ken's third visit to the ocean, but so far it's all been the same big ocean. I can't imagine that he'd recognize it as such, given that the other two visits were in Japan, and one of those was a summertime visit to the beach in Miyazaki that was close to tropical. Ken was looking resplendent in his new MEC wear (it's not a visit to Vancouver until we've been to Mountain Equipment Co-op, it seems) and some things we picked up at the consignment baby goods store on Lonsdale Avenue.

I don't know who invented the consignment baby goods store, but it's a fine idea. Babies outgrow their clothes so quickly that it makes little sense to constantly buy new clothes. Enter the used clothes market and the consignment store that keeps the prices manageable.

Vancouver Island is a fine place to visit, but Tofino itself is off my to-do list in the future. It's simply gotten out of hand when a family of three plus a baby can't get seated at any of the suddenly-expensive restaurants. I'm not sure what's happened to the place but it's become a snobby and expensive detour that is no longer, in my humble opinion, worth the drive.