Port Alberni is a small town on Vancouver Island. It's kind of, technically, on the western side of Vancouver Island's shoreline, but the inlet it's on is about as far in to be the east side without being on the east side. It's the last stop before getting to the west side of the island properly. It gate keeps the road to Tofino or Ucluelet. A couple of days away in the diviest of dive hotels. Mine was out of a time capsule. The pictures online showed a tube television but, according to the note in the room, it have been upgraded to "HDMI" in 2022. I presumed they meant "High Definition TV" and not the cable used to connect it to something. I drove there on the weekend of March 30, 2025.
The town is caught in a time rift and hasn't changed in 30 years, with the exception of a grocery store, and a couple of microbreweries; every town's answer to failing economies based on logging or similar. Housing seems to be an issue here like everywhere. In a town with 18,000 people in it, the homelessness shouldn't be so prevalent on the streets.
Not sure how I would have gotten two cars home from out there. My little Miata would probably fit in the trunk of this one. What I love about this image is how the car matches the building it's in front of.
Even here, in the middle of nowhere, the fences and barriers. The division of space with barriers, and then the taller poles weaving it all together into a single barrier despite the desire to construct isolated little bits within the fabric. Theoretical conversation with a local:
"Why do you live in Port Alberni?"
"The mountains."
"Can you see the mountains from your home?"
"Well, they are close by. But no."
Sunset Motel. Port Alberni, BC.
