Road Trip #3, Part II: The Playground in the Gallery

Quick: how many surfing songs can you think of? And are any of them not by the Beach Boys? Before this latest trip of ours, I assumed that classic surfing had gone the way of transistor radios and LP records ... but not so. Or at least not in this part of the world. Surfing is alive and well, and the Tofino area, it appears, is a surfer's Mecca.

This young devotee looked like she was having so much fun I almost considered giving the sport a try. Almost. I wish I knew who she was, so I could send her the photos!

All the surfers we chatted with claimed to be toasty warm in their wetsuits. I wondered why every single suit was black. I can see why one wouldn't want to wear blue or grey or white, but do these things not come in tangerine or fuchsia or lime green ... like cycling jackets?

"One person per wave"

"Do not snake."

OK.

There's something groovy (and, to me, intimidating) about "riding" water or wind — relying on those formidable and fickle forces to power you through space. I'm pretty good at powering myself through space (walking, cycling, rowing ...), but I think I'll save surfing, hang-gliding, and the like until I'm well into my eighties.

How surfing looked in my imagination before our trip:

Packing it in for the day ...

Surfing Freddie-style

Happy Dawgs, Mackenzie Beach

Walking with Freddie on Chesterman Beach

 

Welcome to the Seaside Gallery! Relax and admire Nature's handiwork ...

Don't miss the final episode of Road Trip #3, in which the Mom-and-Dad-Mobile reminds us why we don't own a car, and Heather goes tête-à-tête with the Queen of Alberni's Chief Steward!

May the wind and waves take you groovy places ...