A car honked from behind me as I walked along the sidewalk. I jumped, wondering what commotion warranted the honk. There was no traffic, and no animals were in the road. Minutes later, another passing truck beeped lightly. Was it me? Was I doing something wrong? I cautiously turned around, only to see the truck saunter on.

A third time. This time the car was coming towards me. By this point I was quite alarmed, convinced it was me. I wondered which unwritten and unspoken rule I was breaking in this small town. But as the driver smiled and waved out his window as he rolled by, it all started to make sense.

Even people passing by in cars say hello in Ucluelet.

Ucluelet (pronounced yoo-cloo-lit…say that five times fast) was yet another unplanned locale for myself and my partner on a trip with a similar unplanned theme. Our efforts were originally directed towards Tofino, which is a popular town on the mid-western coast of Vancouver Island. However we had trouble finding available accommodations there, and in the spirit of “rolling with the punches” we decided to capitalize on some vacancies in the town of Ucluelet, 40kms south of Tofino.

The last few years have been good to Vancouver Island. The climate is always temperate, with temperatures averaging between 5-20 degrees (Celsius) throughout the year. It almost never sees snow, and although there is quite a bit of rain during the winter, the west coast also basks in over 1800 hours of sunshine each year. Pacific Rim National Park lines the mid-western coast of the island between Ucluelet and Tofino, where you’ll find over 20kms of pristine beaches and tidal pools. The newly built Wild Pacific Trail can take you to and through much of it, as you stroll along boardwalks through mazes of old rainforest and along the beach.

Ucluelet, until recently, has been known as a lumber and fisheries town, with lots of industry and very little character. The summer tourist crowd (which numbers over 1 million people each year) is attracted to this very western coast of Canada for sport fishing, whale watching, nature cruises, hiking, kayaking, surfing, beach combing, eco-tourism opportunities and just plain enjoying the wide open Pacific vistas. And the place to go for all this has typically been Tofino – a trend that is changing rapidly.

While driving west across the island along the magnificent Pacific Rim Highway 4 riddled with twists and turns that would make any driving enthusiast froth at the mouth with anticipation of driving it, you know you’re headed towards paradise. The towering Mackenzie mountain range hovers over you, and magnificent protected old growth rainforests like Cathedral Grove present some of the many viewing opportunities along the way. However, at the end of the road, everybody turns right, towards Tofino. Until recently. Now they are starting to turn left.

The amount of growth in Ucluelet is amazing. New hotels and resorts are going up everywhere, and Jack Nicholas (the famous golfer) is rumored to be building a 5-star golf course in town. We passed by a hand-written sign near one of the developments saying “Wanted: Labourers who show up, and Carpenters who know how to use a tape measure”. Obviously, they’ve tapped out their existing working population and are fairly non-discriminating in their need for help!

Despite this huge growth though, which would normally kill the personality of a small town, people are taking it in stride, and everything is carefully being built with an eye to preserving the town’s unique flavour.

Ucluelet’s name is derived from Nuu-chah-nulth word meaning place of “safe harbour”. It was originally settled by a group of First Nations natives for whom Vancouver Island has been their home for at least 4300 years. By the 1870s, fur sealers and gold prospectors began to move in, and Ucluelet incorporated in the late 1900s to reflect its increasing population.

However Ucluelet’s population still numbers under 1,900, and we felt it. There is one main drag (if you can call it that), zero traffic lights (one stop sign), and the town boasts one grocery store, some restaurants, hotels (including the new ones being built), cottages, a post office…..and….well…..not much more. Everybody – I mean everybody – says hello.

During the summer, Ucluelet has one of the largest fleets of guided charter vessels on the west coast, which will take you fishing, whale watching, bear and wildlife viewing, or to visit some of the First Nations native communities on nearby islands. You can also go scuba diving (wet suits are available and you’ll need them – the water is always cold!), to view the abundant variety of sea life or hunt for some of the many well-preserved shipwrecks.

If you would rather stay closer to shore and above the water, rent a kayak, canoe, or take a guided kayak tour to see the wild side of the inner harbour of Ucluelet.

Although winter is the low season for tourists, it is an ideal time for storm watching. There are a number of tours you can join that will allow you to safely view the eight-meter waves and theatrics of the raging open Pacific Ocean.

The people who live here are in love with the place – understandably. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and soul-soothing. A touch remote at times (if you have a medical emergency you have to be air lifted out by helicopter), but as long as you don’t mind remoteness, it’s a great place to set some roots and grow with a growing community.

We immediately felt at home when we arrived in Ucluelet searching for accommodations. Canadians in general are notoriously friendly, but we had never experienced such outgoing and unsuspecting strangers willing to take the time to help us out, give us some advice, and generally share their beautiful home town with us.

One evening on our nightly stroll, a passer-by suggested we go to a nearby dock where there happened to be a number of sea lions resting for the night. Earlier we had heard some faint barks from a distance, but didn’t realize a viewing would be accessible from shore. So off we went, following the sound of the numerous sea lions singing away. Once we arrived, we were amazed. An old closed wharf was littered with sea lions and harbour seals, all calling to each other, barking, burping, and generally lollygagging about. The sound was actually deafening.

During our time in Ucluelet, we enjoyed mountains and ocean alike. Our main goal was to hike the west coast, and harvest our own dinners: crabs, mussels, scallops, and whatever else came into our nets. Since sea life is abundant in the area, the locals are no strangers to catching their own fare. We received lots of tips and great advice about where to cast our nets off the docks, what to use for bait, and how best to cook our delicious prizes once we caught them.

One night we had mussels for dinner that were so big they made all the mussels we had ever seen before look absolutely puny. And all we had to do to catch them was spend an afternoon playing along the beach and searching some of the many the tidal pools during low tide.

Another night it was crab. This dinner involved an unfortunate afternoon of standing on the dock in the pouring rain, but once we dug into our gourmet meal (which would have cost us a fortune in any seafood restaurant), we knew it was a worthwhile venture.

Ucluelet’s town slogan is “Life On The Edge”, which is a statement referring to their geographic location. But I’m sure it is also indicative of the outgoing and adventurous personalities of its inhabitants. If I had any complaints, it would only be one: I twisted my tongue over Ucluelet so many times trying to correctly pronounce it, I eventually gave up even trying. I just decided to call it Paradise instead.


By: Nora Dunn, http://www.freedom30.blogspot.com/
Nora Dunn is a Travel Writer and Professional Hobo originally from Toronto, Canada. She sold all her worldly possessions to travel, discover, inspire, and educate. She currently has no fixed address.

Nora is searching for Travel adventures beyond the ordinary.