THE SEARCH FOR BIG TREES & LARGE ANIMALS.
Day 242 – It was supposed to continue raining today but again the forecast was incorrect. With the sun out and not too many clouds, we left a little before 11 a.m. to go see some more huge trees. We hoped to see Bears or Elk, also. We headed north towards Port Renfrew.
On the way to the end of Highway 14, we took a couple of muddy, dirt roads towards the Ocean, but stopped short at trailhead parking both times. It was very wet and muddy out.
We went to Bridgeman’s in Port Renfrew for lunch; they were closed the last time we came this way to admire the view.
The food was good but we were there almost an hour and a half; the service was so slow. Thank you COVID once again. There was one cook and one server for the whole restaurant during a busy lunch hour. Anyone wanting a job as a cook at a place with an incredibly beautiful setting, they have a help-needed sign out.
We decided to drive to popular Avatar Grove, take the hike through the trees if not too muddy and not flooded, and drive further to see Big Lonely Doug. The road to Avatar was very rough; it was muddy with potholes filled with water and mud.
“Port Renfrew, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is ‘Canada’s Tallest Tree Capital’. Close to this charming little seaside town grows the world’s largest Douglas Fir Tree, the massive Red Creek Fir, as well as ‘Big Lonely Doug’, Canada’s second-largest Douglas Fir. They are wonders to behold. Enroute to the Red Creek Fir is one of Canada’s largest Sitka Spruce trees, the San Juan Spruce, its massive limbs draped with mosses and ferns. Also close by is the Harris Creek Spruce and the amazing Avatar Grove, the ‘Cathedral Grove of Port Renfrew’, and home to ‘Canada’s Gnarliest Tree’. All of these magnificent ancient trees are in the traditional territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation people. Farther north are the incredible ancient rainforests of Carmanah Valley Provincial Park, the partially protected Walbran Valley, and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, home to Canada’s largest tree, the Cheewhat Cedar.” from the brochure, Experience Port Renfrew BC, 2022-2023.
There were signs up that stated the Avatar Grove was closed due to safety reasons. Oh well. We decided to drive further to see Big Lonely Doug, hoping he wouldn’t be lonely anymore, but we reached a patch in the road that was impassable. Oh well, again. We turned around, drove back to the paved road, Pacific Marine Road, and followed the directions in the brochure for the San Juan Spruce Tree and the Red Creek Fir. We turned off on the gravel road and continued beating up the Honda, (We’re seriously thinking about getting a Jeep for these drives.) On the way to the San Juan River Recreation Area, we saw a large Elk in the distance having her lunch. She wasn’t very concerned by our presence.
We parked off the road at the Recreation Area. We’d been following San Juan River on this route – pristine and lovely. We hadn’t seen any people or cars since getting on this gravel road. The scenery was beautiful. We walked down the pathway to the River. There was the occasional indication that someone had camped there – neat little piles of rocks creating fire pits. If we could’ve gotten the RV into this place, it would have been the best camping experience ever! Right in front of us in the middle of this primitive campground was the San Juan Sitka Spruce (circumference of 38 feet, height of 205 feet), and other large trees. The Spruce had a portion of it broken off and the debris was at the bottom of it. It was still quite impressive. We hung around on the trail for awhile, with the River beside the tall trees and Ferns draping the hills. Wow.
Back on the gravel road we decided not to go farther to see the Red Creek Fir; the road was getting worse. We drove back the way we came, passed by a U-Haul truck, the first vehicle we’d seen. (Can’t imagine where this person was moving to. There were NO houses on the road.) On Highway 14, driving towards our campground, a Black Bear had just crossed the road and was meandering off into the bushes on our side of the highway. We only got a quick picture of something big and black in the bushes, but we know for sure it was a Bear.
Shortly thereafter we pulled into the campground as it began raining. Great timing!