Marissa Miller's Road Trip: Canada
We caught up with Sisstr, Marissa Miller, to recap her 4,000 mile road trip from the Central Coast, to Tofino Canada and back down to where her journey started.
Where did you start the trip? We started on the central coast of California!
Where did you end the trip? The furthest north we went was Tofino, but the trip was a full loop, so we started and ended on the central coast of California. We drove inland on the way up and all the way down the coast on the way back down. I think we drove over 4,000 miles.
How long were you on the road? We were on the road for exactly 4 weeks! We originally planned for the trip to be 3 weeks, but we had so much fun along the way that we ended up lingering a little longer in our favorite places and then rounded out the trip at 4 weeks and made it back just in time before daylight savings time ended, when the sun starts setting an hour earlier in the afternoons. We planned it perfectly to catch the last of the longer evenings and the beautiful fall weather on the PNW (Pacific Northwest), and we made it out of there only a week before snow hit at some of the places we stayed!
Were you camping? We mostly camped along the whole way! We also stayed with a few friends along the way.
What gear did you bring? We brought longboards, shortboards, mountain bikes, climbing gear, and of course camp gear, and did it all along the way.
Where were some key/highlight stops? My favorite part of the trip was spending time on Vancouver Island in Canada! The ferry ride over to the island during golden hour was absolutely stunning. We surfed some really fun longboarding waves and also scored a couple fun shortboard days! We also stumbled upon some incredible lakes where we swam and enjoyed the views all to ourselves, drove through some beautiful forests, met some locals who showed us around their favorite zones, ate some delicious food, and learned about the local wildlife.
What was your favorite moment? Honestly, almost every single day there was at least one fun and memorable moment. Everything was new to me because I've never been north of California before. That stretch of coast is just incredible, and there are such beautiful intact ecosystems that are so alive with diverse plants and wildlife. I also had tons of fun hanging out with new and old friends along the way. I think one of my favorite moments was definitely rolling up to the beach in Tofino to find some super fun little longboard waves after not surfing for the first 9 days of the trip. We were so giddy with stoke and we surfed until our fingers and toes went numb. Our last night of the trip in Big Sur was also a highlight; we scored some fun head high waves with no one out and got to enjoy the most vibrant pink and red sunset that lit up the whole sky. It was a good way to end the trip for sure.
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Film by: Ali Huxman
Photography by: Andy Jones, Bryanna Bradley, Coleman Langstaff, and Steffi Jade.