LUCKY LAGER ROAD TRIP
WESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
WESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
September 25, 2015 (Day 7)
Pacific Rim National Park & Tofino
Miles: 39 / Total Trip Miles: 636
Miles: 39 / Total Trip Miles: 636
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve:
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is characterized by rugged coasts and lush temperate rainforests. Its 197 square miles of land and ocean are located on thin strip along the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. To the east of the park lies the Vancouver Island Ranges of the Insular Mountains and to the west is the Pacific Ocean.
During fall and winter, the area is continually subjected to moist air masses from the Pacific Ocean. The presence of the mountain ranges causes the air masses to rise and deposit large quantities of precipitation … averaging over 118 inches per year. Autumn is the beginning of the wet season for the park. Strong and persistent southeasterly winds bring frequent and severe storms.
Safety:
Bears, cougars and wolves frequent the intertidal zone and rainforests. My rule for traveling in areas with bears, cougars and wolves, is to travel with someone who doesn't run as fast as me!
Lunch:
We had lunch at the Wickaninnish Restaurant located in the Kwisitis Visitor Center. The restaurant is attractive, with decent food and incredible views of Wickaninnish Bay. See photo below.
Trails & Side Trips:
Shorepine Bog Trail: An easy half-mile-long trail via a boardwalk through an old-growth rainforest. (Rating = B)
Rainforest Trail "B": A .62 mile trail with many short flights of stairs. The trails is highlighted by lush vegetation and gigantic cedar and hemlock trees. (Rating = B+)
Radar Hill: Radar Hill dates back to 1954, and the early days of the Cold War when the Soviet Union was seen as a nuclear threat, and a series of radar stations were built by Canada and the Unites States. Now, only the cement foundations of Radar Hill remain. From the parking lot, the short walk to the top of the hill and viewpoints takes only five or so minutes. (Rating = B-)
Overall rating for the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is B+.
Radar Hill: Radar Hill dates back to 1954, and the early days of the Cold War when the Soviet Union was seen as a nuclear threat, and a series of radar stations were built by Canada and the Unites States. Now, only the cement foundations of Radar Hill remain. From the parking lot, the short walk to the top of the hill and viewpoints takes only five or so minutes. (Rating = B-)
Overall rating for the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is B+.
Photographs:
These photographs are the property of Leon Jackson, and are protected by copyright laws. Photographs may not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Leon Jackson. © 2015 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved.
Photo taken from the Kwisitis Visitor Center in the Pacific Rim National Park. The beach at Wickaninnish Bay is ten miles long.
[Flickr]
Rainforest Vegetation
A bit of light sneaks through the rainforest canopy, highlighting the leaves. Photo taken along the Rainforest Trail "B" in Pacific Rim National Park.
[Flickr]
Walking along the trail, we couldn't miss these conspicuous mushrooms. Their binomial name is Amanita muscaria. Poisoning from such mushrooms has occurred in young children, and in people who ingested the mushrooms for a hallucinogenic experience. Occasionally ingested in error, because immature button forms resemble puffballs. The white spots sometimes wash away during heavy rain and the mushrooms then may appear to be the edible A. caesarea mushroom. Three stages in this mushroom's growth can be seen in the photo. Photo taken at Radar Hill.
[Flickr]
Photo taken in the rainforest near Cox Bay Beach.
[Flickr]
3 comments:
Nice group of photos. I especially like the last two.
Lovely as usual... the red mushrooms are amazing to see! Sounds like a great scenic trip all around!
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