August 7th-9th, 2021 was originally scheduled to be a trip through the interior of British Columbia, but a combination of COVID and forest fires resulting in many road closures put paid to that. So, at the last minute, our traveling group decided on a tour of southern Vancouver Island.
The Plan:
The plan was to leave Victoria early – a 6am departure. Not a fan favorite lol. But, Day 1 was to be a long day. Victoria to Tofino, and then back to Port Alberni – 428kms. An additional complication was that the road between Port Alberni and Tofino is only open once per hour due to construction which would add time going both ways. The rationale for the long trip was that we didn’t want to have to pay the hugely inflated rates for accommodations in Tofino but we still wanted to visit there.
Day 2 was going to be an interesting day, but in a different way. A total of 157kms and 4 ferry trips would take us from Port Alberni, to Denman Island, Hornby Island and then back to the main island to head to Courtenay. The distance to travel was quite small but the logistics of having to catch 2 ferries to get to Hornby and then 2 ferries back during the peak of summer vacation time in good weather had us worried about time. Courtenay was chosen as the final destination of the day again based on accommodations.
Day 3 was the least complicated day of the trip. Home via a rip south with a stop at Coombs to play tourist.
Day 1: Victoria to Tofino to Port Alberni
It was a brisk morning for August at 6am as we gathered at the meeting point to depart. There were moans and groans and much coffee consumption prior to kick-stands-up. Really though, everyone was excited to get another trip started. We took the most direct route up the #1/19 north to the turnoff to Port Alberni. Caught a few showers along the way but otherwise just boring highway. From the turnoff at Qualicum the road got a bit more interesting. Some beautiful scenery, a few twisty corners and we got pretty lucky with the traffic. As always, we stopped roughly once an hour to get off the bikes. This seems to be the right amount of time to take short breaks.
After a stop in Port Alberni for the essentials, we carried on towards Tofino. It was warm and muggy in the Alberni Valley. We again got caught in some showers on our way, but the road was fun and traffic was again light. When we arrived at the construction zone we were parked behind 5 vehicles waiting for the road to open. Not really having a clue about how and when the road opened, we ended up waiting about 30 mins to continue. I politely asked the 5 drivers if we could speed past them so as to come out of the construction zone at the front of the pack and they kindly obliged.
So leaving the construction zone behind we had absolutely zero traffic until we got to Tofino essentially. The road was twisty, the weather improved as we got closer to Tofino and everyone had a great time.
Arriving in Tofino, we were treated to massive lineups of people everywhere waiting to get into shops, coffee houses and restaurants. We parked at the very end of Tofino at the wharf and discussed next steps. Without exception, everyone decided to make a beeline back out of town and head to a cool little “mall” of shops where Tacofino is located to get some food. There were plenty of food and beverage options and although bustling, we didn’t have any long waits to get food. Very cool vibe there. It was funny that we went all that way and spent less than 10 minutes in Tofino itself. It was just too packed with tourists and didn’t look inviting at all.
After everyone was fed and watered, we gassed up and then headed back towards Port Alberni. We made a quick stop at Long Beach, but with no parking available, we stayed long enough for a couple selfies and then burned out of there onto our final stop of the day at the Swept Away Inn in Port Alberni. We got lucky with the construction wait on the way back, but we were behind a lot of traffic. Jeff found another gear at one point, passed everyone and zipped ahead, luring some of our more rambunctious spirits along with him. We caught up with them a bit later just prior to arriving in Port Alberni.
That brings us to the first night of the trip. We arrived in Port Alberni about 5pm. So, about 11 hours of traveling all-in. We pulled into the Swept Away Inn and Carley realized she’d made a huuuuge mistake. The Swept Away Inn is a B&B located on a WW2 era minesweeper. A totally cool and eclectic experience, but not for someone prone to getting seasick in the harbour! So Carley joined Ron and Ravi at their accommodations, Char’s Landing Hall & Hostel. This turned out to also be a cool place.
Once we got sorted out, we all met up at Dog Mountain Brewing. If you’ve read any of our other trip articles you’ll see a common thread in choices for meals and bevvies! What a great time dinner was! Probs one of my favourite stops of the summer. We kicked back, ate some great food and enjoyed some local beers and bevvies in a very cool atmosphere. And so ended Day 1!
Day 2: Port Alberni to Hornby to Courtenay
Day 2 was probably my favorite day of all the trips we took this summer. The riding was relaxed, the distances were super short and we actually stopped and just hung out instead of rushing to the next destination. One of the most amazing things about the BC Ferry system is that on most routes, motorcycles all go to the front of the line. I doubt we could have actually done Hornby for the day if that wasn’t the case. First you take a ferry to Denman Island and then from Denman another to Hornby.
The few people in the group who had been to Hornby before raved about it, but having never been, I had no clue. What a freaking gem! Seriously, if you haven’t been, you need to. Plan ahead though, as I mentioned a day trip is problematic. More about that in a bit. The ferries were quite small and it was two short hops. The scenery was gorgeous, it was a beautiful day and we rode alongside of the ocean for most of the short trip through the islands. We wound up at a 4-way intersection on Hornby that housed a gas station, a grocery store and a collection of small coffee shops and restaurants with outdoor seating all round. After a stop there to refresh ourselves and get a snack, we headed for the beach at Tribune Bay Beach. Those of us who hadn’t been to Hornby before were stunned at the white sandy beach, the yachts anchored out in the bay and the shallow, light blue water. We actually managed to hang out on the beach and in the water for several hours. Truly one of the most restful riding days I’ve had!
Sadly, we had to leave eventually. Back onto the bikes and heading for the ferries. On both the ferry from Hornby to Denman and Denman to the main island there were 3 sailing waits. We sailed right past the entire lineup to the front no doubt to the questioning ire of the people waiting at the back. Once the ferries were done, it was 20 minutes to Courtenay where we got our next surprise of the trip!
Turns out the hotel we booked in Courtenay, The Travelodge had half the rooms leased out to the government as a shelter for the homeless. Convenient of them not to mention that when we booked the rooms hey?! Then of course there was the price. $250 for one night!!!! There was nothing for it but to suck it up and stay. They did have 24/7 security which made us all feel a bit better about the whole situation. (The hotel burned down a month later)
Carley was the least impressed with the hotel situation. There may or may not have been death threats uttered lol. She tried for a discount – no go! Ahh well, nice try Carley, we all appreciated your efforts! It turned out to be clean and pretty quiet (except for our shenanigans of course).
It was Boston Pizza or bust for supper. Mid-COVID, there were such staff shortages that all the good restaurants were actually closed. Bevvies were more important than good food it seemed, so BP served it’s purpose. Our server with his super-obvious hairpiece offered up some seriously surreal conversation to the point it actually got awkward. However, another margarita or two made that seem more like a #firstworldproblem and we got on with the hilarity and so ended Day 2.
Day 3: Courtenay to Coombs to Home!
It was a late start on Day 3! Late night “activities” delayed our start by several hours. Not that we really had to rush but hey… Annnnnyways, we finally got some food in us and headed south for Coombs. Another place I’d never stopped at. It was good to do it, to say “I had” but it’s really just another tourist trap. I went through THE most tourist-y shop I have ever seen. Absolutely packed with crap I can’t believe anyone would pay money for lol. And it wasn’t cheap! See the pic below for a highlight of the high-quality product available!
The last day of any trip is always the worst for me. It always feels like a grind just to get down a boring road you’ve been down a hundred times before so you can get home and back to regular life. And so, that’s what we did. 3 hours later we were home in Victoria and waving as we all peeled off the highway at our exits with another trip under our belt.
Highlights of the Trip:
I didn’t talk much about it, but Swept Away Inn was a particularly cool experience. There are 8 cabins on board, each with a bunkbed. It’s tight quarters in the cabins, but the beds were clean and comfortable. They are licensed, so we were able to sit and have a couple bevvies in the indoor lounge before we went out for supper. In morning, they had a big dining table set up for us outside under the awning on the stern. The owners, Bouchra Zouhou and Daniel Savard are super nice, and Bouchra was the head cook and whipped up an amazing Moroccan themed breakfast.
Dog Mountain Brewing in Port Alberni was also a wonderful surprise. You enter through the kitchen and go upstairs to sit. The food, service, atmosphere and bevvies were all excellent.
Everything about Hornby Island was amazing. The vibe, the coffee, the food, the beach – all good. The only thing is the 2 ferries to get on and off. A day trip in a cage is definitely not recommended.
As always, riding with a crew of fun and easygoing riders was amazing. I’m looking forward to another season of great memories with these hooligans. Thanks for reading!