Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent and I rented bikes at the south end of Tofino and rode their awesome paved bike trail to Pacific Rim National Park.



When we got to the Long Beach parking lot, we dropped down to the sand.



We'd rented beach cruisers - bikes without gears and a belt drive instead of a chain. These are the only bikes the rental place allows on the beach.



On the waiver, I had to initial the clause saying that I knew how to ride a bike. "Of course", I smiled. Then I got on the darned thing with its high handlebars and practised braking by reversing my pedal direction - something I haven't done since my teens. No, it turns out I *don't* know how to ride a bike! Eventually, it started to feel a little more natural.

Long Beach is 16 km long, broken up by a few points. If you're going to ride a bike on a beach, this is the place to come.



The bikes were so upright that 'Bent's neck was OK. He can't ride a regular bike for long due to dentistry-induced neck problems, hence the recumbent bike.





In a couple of places, we walked our bikes inland through the rainforest to get around obstacles.





We stopped for a picnic lunch near our turnaround point.

Riding the wet sand while the waves crashed was a *ton* of fun.





It wasn't the cleanest ride we've ever had though, lol.

'Bent and I are staying in a seaside house in Tofino.



It faces west so I imagined beautiful sunsets. According to the weather forecast, it will be a miracle if we see any sun this week at all but it's still scenic. The house shares a "pocket beach" with two other houses. This is the view facing north. It's not possible to go any further in that direction.



Here's the view facing south. It's possible to scramble over those rocks to Tonquin Beach. We went out about 75 minutes before low tide. At first we had periods of light, misty rain and then the rain became steady.



There's nothing 'Bent likes much better than exploring beside the sea. He took a university course in marine biology in the Maritimes and it made as big an impact as any dental course he took.



We checked out all the tidal pools, admired the mussels and looked for sea anemones and starfish.













After making our way along the shoreline for a while, we got up onto the Tonquin Trail network and checked out all its loops, lookouts and spurs. It took us to Third Beach and Middle Beach.







I hugged a tree, of course.



Afterward, we went to the popular Tacofino food truck and had coffee at the Tofitian cafe patio. Ever get that weird feeling that someone is watching you?



[Elapsed time 2.5 hrs.]

After a very long day - a long week, really - we are in Tofino. The first two shots are from our house.