If winter weather’s a thorn in your side, it may be time to gain some new perspective. A trip to Ucluelet on Vancouver Island during storm season reveals that there’s nothing quite as exhilarating – or cosy, if that’s your MO – as watching a tempest roll in off the ocean, whip the waves into a frothing frenzy and cast a dark, ominous gloom across the sky. Here's how to make the most of your storm-watching adventure:
Stay: Whether you want to snuggle up by the fireplace to watch the rolling waves beyond your window or trek along the Wild Pacific Trail to snap the perfect photo, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is the place to take in wicked winter weather. Warm up with specialty coffees in Float Lounge or relax in the outdoor plunge pool, featuring a front-row view of awesome Pacific Rim storms (and splashing sea lions, to boot). Forget your raingear at home? Ask for a slicker and brolly at the front desk. Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, 596 Marine Dr., Ucluelet, B.C., 877-762-5011, www.blackrockresort.com
See: The District of Ucluelet offers plenty of storm-watching tips and tricks – and even gives insight into how a local storm is brewed (the answer: arctic and subtropical air masses colliding over the Pacific Ocean). The website advises that the best time to view tempests in the area is between November and March, when gale-force winds tear along the coast at over 70 km an hour. A favourite storm-watching spot is the Amphitrite Lighthouse—an easy walk along the Wild Pacific Trail—where waves often send ocean sprays over the lighthouse itself. In the calm after the storm, beachcomb for driftwood, trees and Japanese glass fishing floats brought in by the sea. www.ucluelet.ca
Sup: Storm-watching works up an appetite! A 30-minute drive through Pacific Rim National Park (with plenty of photo and beachcombing opportunities along the way) to nearby Tofino yields such culinary delights as fried buttermilk chicken and navy bean chowder at the Spotted Bear Bistro, freshly landed salmon and foraged mushrooms at the Wolf in the Fog and signature donuts (try the maple bacon) at Rhino Coffee House. But that’s all after the fact; to fuel a full day of watching wind and waves, head to Blue Room Bistro in Ucluelet, where hearty breakfast fare, like a “Ukee-Ranian Breakfast” starring pierogies, is served at the crack of down. Blue Room Bistro, 1627 Peninsula Rd., Ucluelet, B.C., 250-726-4464, www.theblueroombistro.com
Let it storm, let it storm, let it storm.
