Tofino - From Air to Sea!

I'm jumping ahead in my journey by several places but I couldn't wait to share a few first time experiences! I'll back track in my next post.

From flying a plane to surfing! If someone had told me that I was going to be doing either of these things three days ago I would have said they were nuts! The universe is magic when you let go of the notion that you are in control. Allowing and surrendering to the experiences presented in the moment have been the most outstanding moments on my adventure across Canada.

I arrived in Tofino late Wednesday night and found myself having to stay in “THE” worst campground I’ve ever experienced! I’m not sure a description would do it justice. So with not much else to do, I went to the beach as the sun set and this was the silver lining! Or golden as you can see from these photos.

The following morning I set out to look for an upgrade to my accommodations – I was sure this couldn’t be difficult! After several hours of searching and some help from a very kind young woman at the “Pacific Sands Hotel” who called a few other hotels for me, I found a more suitable arrangement. A huge thanks to this lovely woman who I didn’t even get her name!

With accommodations secured I went in search of something to do. I was a little under whelmed by my Tofino experience thus far. As I meandered around town deciding to either go whale watching or a boat tour, I came across Tofino Air. That was it – how better to see the area than a birds eye view! They had a short 30 min flight for later that day so I took it. The first half was on my own as we were picking up a couple who went to the hot springs on another island.

John the pilot was very excited to help me have the most incredible flying experience and eager to change my mind about Tofino. Mission accomplished! He pulled a few tricks and then handed me the steering wheel – Seriously! I only flew for about 5 to 10 min but I did a full turn and managed to keep us level, most of the time! The experience was scary and exhilarating at the same time.

Add a little weather (fog) and a short trip to pick up the local doctor and deposit him in a local village and my 30 min ride turned into a 2.5 hour ride. A little added bonus for me – how awesome!

ME Flying - That's my holy shit smile!!!!

These are photos from the window - not great quality but it give you an idea of the the area we were flying over!

Whew !!! we finally made it back safely through the fog and made all deliveries!

Surfing, seriously Dude!

Yes that’s right ME surfing! This wasn’t even on my bucket list! It’s now on the list to improve my surfing ability and ride some serious waves!

After getting pounded by waves and swallowing enough sea water we finally pack it in for the day! Thanks to John for introducing me to both flying and surfing.