CallMeMaybe wrote:
That’s crazy! I just read about it at the Port Alberni maritime museum website. It looks like a beautiful place to visit. Why is it called Port Alberni if it’s 20 miles from the sea? The museum website has pictures of what look like tall ships. That river must be pretty deep?
I’d better find a map.
ETA I looked at a map, and that’s a big river. And it seems like an awesome place to live.
To be fair it's not technically a river but an incredibly long and narrow inlet. It's salt water.
Port Alberni itself is a sad, rough town. It was a logging town way back when but the mill closed in the 70's or so and the main industry collapsed. There is a lot of alcoholism, very contentious relationships between the townspeople and the indigenous community, and to make it even more depressing it is foggy and/or rainy like 260 days out of the year.
But, it is surrounded by stunning natural beauty. If you look up Tofino, that is 1.5 hours down the road and that place is nothing short of magical. We vacation there a couple times a year. Nearby is also cathedral grove, which is kind of like our version of the california redwoods with massive cedar trees.
So, the town itself is pretty dumpy but there is a lot to see in the area.
Long Chile was a silly place.