Lazy Day - Ucluelet, Canada
Ucluelet, Canada
We awoke to driving rain in the morning but Brianna was not deterred from a soak in the hot tub. I could sit in my comfy chair watching the sheets of rain blowing in the inlet. By afternoon the wind had died but the rain continued, so TV, magazines and novels were the order of the day. The fireplace kept us toasty warm. Ucluelet is a First Nations word meaning"safe harbour". There is evidence of First Nations on the outer coast of Vancouver Island for 4300 years. In 1787 Captain James Barkley arrived near Ucluelet in Barkley Sound in search of sea otter pelts. By 1870 fur sealers settled in the area and and a trading post was established in Ucluelet harbour. As the bustling little town grew, more European settlers arrived with the news of a pending road from Port Alberni. By 1900 with the advent of more settlers the Canadian Pacific Railway offered a small freight boat from Victoria three times a month. By 1903 with the establishment of a whaling station, a government telegraph office, lighthouse, and lifeboat station soon appeared. By the First World War the fishing industry was well established. With the start of World War II there was a concern about potential invasions and military bases were set up in Ucluelet (sea) and Tofino (land). After 30 years the road to Tofino was completed. In August 1959 the road to Port Alberni was finally opened. Today tourists enjoy the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and the Wild Pacific Trail where they can surf, kayak, fish, swim, hike, camp, bike, go whale watching, storm watching and beach combing. No matter what the weather is, there is no place more relaxing.