Where the Surf Sings My Song

I am replete with glorious images: sun and sea and sky and lashing rain ~ nature at its wildest. Every time one steps onto the beach, it is a different scene, different colors, changing weather, long stretches of sand or only a small strip of beach for walking, depending on the tide.

North Chestermans

These dogs captivated me. Tofino is Dog Heaven - they raced along the beach, sat waiting for the man to toss the ball, then dove into the crashing waves to retrieve it,  undaunted by the strength and size of the waves.

The round structure peeking out from the headlands is the world-famous Wickaninnish Inn restaurant. You can imagine the view from restaurant and all the rooms. And imagining is all one can do, since the rates are world-class as well!

The waves were big this first day. But they would get bigger and wilder the next.

And the sun came out!

This is South Chestermans, which I had not seen for a long time, since I  usually enter at the north end of the beach. This time I chose the middle, from which there are views of both North and South Chestermans, as well as Frank's Island, across the sandy islet that connects it to the beach proper, except when it is covered by the tide.

                                      

I have been in search of the elusive Wave Shot all these years. 

This day I came a bit closer.

Lone Cone on Meares Island in the background.

The village centre, the Roy Vickers Gallery 

on the corner, Lone Cone in the background.

One last look on my way out of town.

I was unable to stop at the gigantic Kennedy Lake, which looked breathtaking in storm. But at the top of the first steep pass through the mountains lies this cute small one, which I have always been fond of. So much water everywhere: lakes of all sizes, raging rivers, waterfalls, rock cliffs running with water. The rain was torrential most of the way, but it stopped at a few key moments, to kindly allow me to take  a few shots.

This was the last time I was able to pull over, to capture these clouds. I passed so many glorious photo opps, but the road is narrow, without  many safe places to pull over. Traffic whizzes by so fast, that after this shot, I decided to just keep driving, in order to avoid being splattered on someone's grille.

But the breathtaking things I saw, all ablaze with fall colors, stay with me. I keep remembering the images - beach, waves, sand, trees, cliffs, clouds, waterfalls, rivers, fall foliage. My soul got an infusion of beauty it sorely needed, and I feel well content. Also, Little Red Car handles beautifully,  so I will now be able to make many more trips to the sea.

Where the surf sings my song

is the place where

I belong.