Trip report - part 4. Come on baby, let's do the twist!

After leaving the majesty of Cathedral Grove, we use the car heater to dry our soggy selves, and my shirt to dry the camera, both of us wondering why I had to take pictures of wet trees. Why?
Meanwhile, Dave speeds along the wet roads at breakneck speed, determined to make it really challenging for me to take pictures. 
"It's for the blog!" I wail.  "Slow down!"
Mario Andretti-driving-a-Honda-Fit obligingly changes from ZOOOOOM to ZOOM.
We soon reach beautiful downtown Port Alberni.  The only picture I take is the following, knowing that I won't see one again for some time...

As much as I love to patronise this institution, I really don't want to see one in Tofino.  It just wouldn't be right.

~~~

Finally, we start on the last leg of the journey.  The long and winding road to the fabulous west coast of Vancouver Island.

Let me stop for a moment and think of all the words to describe that last stretch of highway.  Twisty, curly, windy, convoluted, swirling, spiralling, curvy, twisty, curvy, twisty, curvy, whoop-de-whoop, roller coaster,  tilt-a-whirl.

And here we go.  Note: Yellow signs denote curvy sections, hazards, speed suggestions etc.  They could have saved a lot of money on signs if they'd just painted the whole damned road yellow.  Bright yellow.

At first, things seem fairly straightforward, albeit wet. 

Wet, and foggy, and snowy....

Soon, however, we start to see the little yellow signs.  This one says, and I paraphrase: Curves ahead! We suggest you slow to 50 kph (30 mph) for the next kilometer.

This one's not so bad.  They only want you to slow to 60 kph
(40 mph) for the next kilometer.

These 3 yellow signs say, respectively: caution, rocks falling, road getting narrower. Holy Cow!

In the distance we see another yellow sign.

This one says: Rockfall Hazard Area.  No Stopping for 1 km.

In the distance are three MORE yellow signs: a caution, another wiggly one telling you to go 40 km (25 mph), and then an abrupt turn warning.

This theme repeats itself a few hundred times over the next 90 minutes. 

I'm distracted, momentarily, from the hundreds millions of yellow signs  by this beautiful lake.  Kennedy Lake, I think.  It's lovely, and a welcome break from the yellow signs.

And then, at last, the yellow signs come to an end. The end of the curves.  The end of the rock hazards. The end of the danger.

 

In the distance we see other signs.  Green and blue signs.  A directional green, and a calm- looking blue.  We squint.  What does the blue sign say?

Tsunami Evacuation Route.  Oh boy.

to be continued...