Oh, man, what a ride, what a ride! We got the ferry this morning from Hornby Island- missed our boat by one minute, but spent a nice hour on the wharf, cloud watching. I can't leave this island slowly enough! Across to Denman Island- amazing little artist community- then to the mainland where we set out south to pick up hwy 4 to the west coast of the west coast!
In Port Alberni we did lunch in a real, drive in diner. And the food was great! The road into Port Alberni was a beautiful, dramatic ride, with huge, old growth trees along the road.
From Port Alberni, the ride improved even more. This is one of Canada's great rides. It's a twisty little road with more than it's share of bumps- but what a view- rapids, mountains, big trees, clouds. There's magic at work here, and I totally understand why people come here and stay.Rolling into Ucluelet we headed over to Radio 99.2 FM to do the afternoon show with the Duke of Uke.
Had a great time doing station ID's and playing old Canned Heat records! To the Hotel where we were met by Jason and Jada, our hosts and the promoters of tonight's show. The old hotel looks pretty good- lots of wood, and the acoustics promise to be good. We are up and sound checked in no time, off to check in to our room where Jason and Jada arrived shortly after with a seafood meal. Jason had caught and cleaned all the fish himself- the ocean is his backyard. And he is a pretty special chef. I hope I can remember some of the cooking ideas he shared!Back to the club for an early, 7:30 show. The place seems quiet. We got the merch booth set up, and settled into a corner to wait. Still quiet. A few people trickle in, a few more... Jason suggests we wait a few more minutes before starting. We do- and by that time the place is packed! Folks have come in from Tofino and Port Alberni for this show, and the radio appearance didn't hurt, either. A bunch of people "off the boats" came by and introduced themselves. They were going to have a 5:AM start the next day!
A great crowd- one of the youngest we've played for on this tour, and they paid close attention all night. After a couple of encores we packed out. We could of stayed and partied all night with any of this crowd! It was so nice to be so warmly received, and the hospitality was overwhelming! Looking forward to touring a bit here in the morning before heading south to Saltspring Island.
Wish we could go oystering, surfing, etc. with all our new friends! We'll be back- hopefully for a longer visit! Thanks Jason and Jada! Have a great wedding and a great birthing!
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