Beautiful British Columbia livin'... our wild west coast from the Sooke potholes to Jordan River (surfers); Sombrio to Botanical Beach and (don't forget) Port Renfrew! Re-exploring our island and marveling natures beauty!

Seriously.... this island is absolutely breathtaking! But don't tell too many people!
It has been so much fun to get out and start exploring again with my mischievous sidekick, who is new to the island and bursting to see all of its majesty!
It has been a really long time since I ventured all the way up to Port Renfrew from Victoria. Only about a 3.5-hour trip, the weather was windy, and the skies were dark. It torrentially rained most of the way, which made the roads a little tricky, but honestly, this is what we love here! Our rain is unrelenting, ferocious at times, flood-worthy. It can feel a little alarming at times as you pass by large broken branches that have fallen on the highway and bright orange pylons marking the remnants of past mudslides.
The road to Renfrew is long and windy, and it has claimed many lives in my lifetime, including a very good friend of mine about 25 years ago. RIP, Michael Battle.
Once you hit Sooke, you have to stop by the potholes! This park climbs high into the mountain while following the Sooke River. The salmon were spawning when we made the short hike down to the water to have our picnic. There was a small group of humans gathered along the shore with cameras set on tripods, and many had binoculars. This was the first time I had actually seen the salmon spawning in this river. Usually, we visit Goldstream Park to witness this yearly event that draws thousands of visitors.

The salmon spawning at Goldstream Provincial Park is an annual natural spectacle occurring mid-October through December, where thousands of Pacific salmon return from the ocean to their birthplace to spawn and die. 
The primary species is the Chum salmon, which returns in the largest numbers. You can also spot smaller runs of Coho and chinook salmon, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout.
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The primary salmon species that spawn in the Sooke River, where we were, are Coho, Chinook, and chum salmon.
The spectacle of thousands of returning salmon also attracts wildlife, such as bald eagles and black bears, which come to feed on the dying fish.

Driving further through Sooke, you pass through a tiny little place called Shirley, which you will (surely) miss if you blink. There is a cute little coffee/ice cream shop called Shirley-delicious that is worth the stop.
Jordan River is next, and it is a tiny little place with an enormous following of surfers! The waves were wild and HUGE on this wild weekend of wind and we had to stop to watch the local surfing talent.
Heading further north, you will pass a few amazing beaches, such as French Beach, Sandcut Beach, China Beach, Mystic Beach, Sombrio Beach, and finally Botanical Beach. Each of these magnificent places offers something different and unique.
On this trip, we decided to head straight up to Botanical Beach, which is located at the end of the Juan de Fuca Trail. This beach is famous for its intricate and biologically diverse tide pools, best explored during low tide. Unfortunately, the waves were huge and the tide was high, so exploring the rocks was a bit difficult as we dodged incoming waves crashing in with floating debris!
It was incredible and loud and wild!




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The trail that leads you down to the beach is about 2.5 km long, and it is lined with old-growth forest, moss-covered trees, and a GAZILLION mushrooms everywhere! If you love FUNGI like I do, you will probably spend most of the time taking photos of these incredible mushroom species! Surprisingly, we ran into quite a few people on this trail that loops its way through the forest, along the ocean side rocks, then back up through the trees to the car park.
Rain does not deter us, Vancouver Island die-hards! We always say,
" If we never WENT  outside when it was raining... we would never BE outside." It rains a lot here and we love it!
Heading back down the island, we decided to stop by Sombrio Beach to check out the surfers again. We had no idea that the entire parking lot would be filled to the brim with vans! Apparently, today was an epic day to surf and EVERYONE knew it!
One final mention, if you decide to take a trek out of Victoria along Sooke Road and out to Jordan River, is to stop and feast at Stoked Wood Fired Pizzeria & Market. Simply the BEST wood-fired Pizza I can think of on the island! We had the margarita pizza and added sundried tomatoes (highly recommend), and it blew our socks off! Definitely a popular place for locals as well as surfers heading to and from Sombrio/Jordan River!
Enjoy!
Shine on!
With Gratitude,
​Lexie
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