I didn't get to Tofino

I hired a car, and planned to go to Tofino, but by the time I reached Nanaimo, I decided it would take too long to get there. In a fit of idiocy I decided to do the loop drive which includes Port Renfrew. However, the drive meant that it was twice as far back to Victoria, and it is full of slow roads made even slower by silly people in RVs or with large boats trying to negotiate a road full of one lane bridges (I only had to reverse once), and often getting very narrow - to one lane at times (even around hairpin bends). However, it was very scenic even if it was virtually impossible to take photos.

Why did I take so long on the major highway? There is a town called Duncan, and it decided to make totem poles a tourist attraction, so it got a lot of authentic totem pole makers to make poles and to tell the story of the pole. Each pole has a placard with its story attached. It is very well done. They put the poles all over town, and there are yellow footprints on the pavement to show you where to go. The fact that you visit just about every shop in Duncan in the process of the walk probably adds to the enthusiasm of the citizens for totem poles.

There is even one carved by a visiting Maori!

These are scenery from the main highway.