Post Tour Rambles- Part Two, Running and Art

Things are good here on the coast. I had a great run yesterday at Long Beach, between Tofino and Ucluelet, BC. The tide was perfect when I got there, so off I went. I ran for about 25 minutes along the beach, and then the same back. Pretty smooth going, and a great firmness for running. I would of kept going, except I'm a bit of a neophyte with the tide, and the ocean was clearly coming in as I ran. As it was, my feet got wet. But this was surely worth it. The song of the ocean, the wind on my face, the smell of salt. Big piles of drift. I saw a couple of other runners, but don't know where they went.




The sun did come out eventually, for a few minutes... Great spot whatever the weather! The surfers were out on another nearby beach. Wearing wetsuits, going way out there. Wow.




Today I run the Wild Pacific Trail. There's a loop out of Ucluelet which is about 10km of mostly wild ocean and huge trees. It is raining, and it's off-season, so I have the trail pretty much to myself. This is probably the last run of the Tour. I've got to turn that truck around and drive it east for something like 2500km before catching a plane for home. But right now, here's what it looks like on the Trail— this is a great Canadian run, for sure.


The sign doesn't look so wild... but the trail is a trip to take, as I discover...











That's a Canadian dollar, a "looney," next to this snail. Everything seems to be oversize in this part of the world.




So where's the art? Well, the snail was kind of cool, eh?

Actually, I did get a song list together. Michael will be doing some recording in November and December towards his next album, and I may drop by the same studio and lay down some tracks, too. I think this record will be a little more hard core than my last one. I've got to talk to Colin Linden and also to Ray Kennedy... Hmmm... Things are cookin' in Bluesland. In the morning I'll point that truck east and get back to the real world.



Back at the shack I end up frying my insoles on the electric heater! Crap! Well, I'm bound for home anyway, and maybe I can pick something up somewhere along the way.



There are sea lions out back. They bark like dogs, maybe louder. They seem to bark all night. The leader of the pack is Sammy. I try to take a snap of him, but it doesn't work out terribly well. He's the top sea lion, and he has to bark all night to prove it. I don't know if he actually gets time to get laid, what with his busy barking schedule. Anyhow, this is pretty novel to me— a very authentic ocean experience— so I'm not too bothered by the racket. I'm wishing he'd stop by midnight. I've got a long drive to make... but tonight Sammy sings the blues. I drink wine and listen for a melody. It rains.