Three days in Tofino with no agenda — the best decision we made all year

We drove up in May, which turned out to be the right call: the weather was moody in exactly the right way, the town wasn't overrun, and the lodge had availability we couldn't have gotten in July. Long Beach at low tide in fog is one of those things you have to see to understand. We surfed badly, ate well at Wolf in the Fog, drank wine in the room while it rained, and slept more than we had in months. The drive back is four and a half hours and worth every minute of it. Shoulder season (May or September) is the move — you get the coast without the lineup for everything.