Day 33 Seattle

As excited as I am to continue our adventures, it is with regret today that I leave Canada. To quote a shop owner in downtown Victoria, “how lucky we are to be able to walk out our front door and walk 5000 miles without a care.” Canada is a truly magnificent country and I am so thankful that we took this trip this summer.

We had a late ferry crossing today. While leaving at noon seemed like a great idea this morning, by the time we arrived in Seattle after 6:00 it seemed like a long day of travel. How spoiled I’ve become. Having to “work” at being a passenger until 6:00 is a hardship!

Our crossing from Swartz Bay, at the south end of the island, to Tsawwassen was visually different from our trip to Vancouver Island. On the return we wove our way through the many islands that dot the west coast and the scenery was, once again, very distracting. The 90 minutes flew by and we were back in our rig, the first ones off the ferry, able to watch the docking from water level.

The US border was not far from our debarkation terminal and after a lunch stop to eat up all the meat fruit and veggies left in the trailer before crossing the border, we were on our way. It was the oddest lunch combo you could imagine as the only rule was; eat as much as you can of the stuff we can’t bring into the States! Cliff, bless him, ate carrots until we were afraid he would glow orange, Liz ate more cold cuts than I’m sure she has eaten in a year … the result though, was when we pulled up to the border patrol, life was simple! She asked what food we were carrying. When I responded, “No meat, fruit or veggies, we just stopped for lunch and ate all those.” She wished us a good holiday and we were on our way in under 60 seconds! We have heard horror stories of folks in RVs having them taken apart! Can never tell about our trip back home, but so far so good! We certainly never try to hide anything, and we try to know the rules and follow them, but we can continue to say we have never had a problem at the border!

The drive through Washington was uneventful, just the way we like them. The mountains, ever the backdrop, were enveloped in low-lying clouds so they looked like giant, snow-capped rocks, suspended in the sky. Cliff and I were in awe and while I tried to get a picture, I’m not sure I did it justice. Of course it’s hard to be artistic and creative while David is grumbling that I am in the way of his mirror – sheesh!

We also made the RVers pilgrimage today to Mecca. We went to Camping World! Cliff and Liz were very patient as we poured slowly over the aisles. I was a little surprised that we didn’t find more ‘oh that is so cool, we have to have one of those’ kind of stuff. Maybe we are just very well set as we are. Of course, without needed anything, we did manage to spend over $200 (that’s $197 Canadian!!!), so I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t like it more!!

Mt. Rainier looks like a floating mountain peak.

Our campground is another great urban find with 65’ paved pads. It seems to be central to what we want to see. Tomorrow will tell! They have a great little cheat sheet with directions to various amenities. We went to Kent Station and found Dukes Chowder House for dinner. What a find! Not only did we find great local beers but the chowder, crab melts, hot sourdough and salads were all scrumptious! It’s sad really since we have more recommendations of places to eat here than we have days, and this one is a ‘do again’. Oh the trials of life on the road!

Cheers! It's Tuesday so it's pub night1

Day 32 Victoria

What a day, what a day, filled with surprises! As we were preparing to leave for brunch at Willie’s Bakery the young girl from the campground came by the trailer with a message from John and Roger. We knew it was actually Joan and Roger, our friend Julie’s sister and her husband. They had been following the blog and knew that we were in Victoria. We made plans to meet for lunch under the Carillon, in front of the museum. We have visited with Joan and Roger many times over the years as they came to Ontario to visit so we were very much looking forward to the visit on their turf.

Willie’s Bakery was a real treat. Cliff and Liz had been there before so it was a ringer for breakfast. A lovely little patio in the heart of downtown, we sat in delightful surroundings and enjoyed good, bold coffee and a delicious breakfast.

Enjoying breakfast on Willie's Bakery terrace.

Following our ease into the day, we went our separate ways as Cliff and Liz headed off to meet up with their daughter Joanna and her friend Morgan. David and I were looking forward to our time to putter through downtown discovering the countless treasures that lay in wait. We started out on foot exploring neighborhoods that presented themselves. Everywhere you look there is something to discover.  Window boxes overflow with blossoms. We even saw bicycles with flowers planted in front baskets. Statues, totems and interesting “street decorating” are everywhere.

Even back allies are decorated! Plants everywhere and the outside wall of one building painted like the sky

Beautiful flower boxes

Although it was still quite early, and a holiday, Capital Iron was open for business – and what a business it is! Where else I ask you, can you buy a crystal glass, shower curtain, shoes, a pipe organ, hot tub, chainmail and a musk ox in one easy stop? This was three floors of unbelievable. I have heard it said that such-and-such a place has anything you could ever want. Well, this is actually the place that really does. David and I wasted an hour foraging through shouting to one another to “Come look at this!”

Capital Iron

I told you there was a Musk Ox ... for $4000!!

Puttering back to the Carillon in front of the museum we met Joan and Roger. Although, as I think we proven time and again, we are quite capable of finding fun, it’s a special treat when you have a “local” as a companion – especially locals as lovely as Joan and Roger. Being very open to whatever they had in mind, we shortly found ourselves at the inner harbor boarding those little water taxis I have come to love. Harbor tours are great since they reveal a view of the city you can’t get any other way – so much to see and learn. Our skipper, a retired government employee (originally from N.S.!!), told us he had loved watching these little boats scoot around the harbor. When he retired he was looking for something to keep him busy and loves his decisions to sign on here for a part-time job. He certainly knows his stuff.

He tells us that Harbour Air Seaplanes operates out of Victoria and is the largest seaplane company in the world. Fun to watch them take off and land! On one point of the harbor there are two totems. We learned that, in the past, it was actually the largest totem in the world at 137 feet. However, it was hazard to the seaplanes at that height so had to be taken down and chopped into three pieces. Two remain on the site. The third was brought back to the reservation. On the pilings that pepper the harbor they have built purple martin condos! Apparently the birds disappeared from the area and the introduction of “free housing” has encouraged their return. We sailed by a pirate ship. These are really cute tours for families. Everyone dresses as a pirate and boards a galleon headed for sea. A nasty pirate in a dory lies in wait with the key to a treasure. As they approach, the kids fire “water” from a canon, to sink the boat and steal the treasure. Really looked like a lot of fun! I could see taking Cecilia on that in a few years. We learned about the three pods of Killer Whales that live in the straight just outside the harbor. Having resident pods is the secret to the “guarantee” on their tours. I learned (had no clue) that apparently Killer Whales have a very high infant mortality. So high in fact that although the whales have names, the baby born in J-Pod in July won’t even get a name until he is 12 months old! Victoria Harbour is home to seals who sun themselves on the rocks as we float by, and countless seabirds. It is also an international training site for military vessels. Today a four mast sailing ship from Norway was in dock. Next week apparently a Russian vessel is expected. They use Victoria Harbour and the surrounding waters to train young sailors. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Victoria by water before heading to Fisherman’s Wharf for lunch.

Our lunch of fresh halibut was indeed delicious. Served from Barb’s Fish and Chips window, the line was lengthy so we had a pretty good idea, even before it was our turn, that this was the place to be. Eating lunch right on the dock kept us in the heart of the action and made the perfect launching point for exploring a whole other world. An entire little community of people live and work here on the water. A completely alternative lifestyle, it was fascinating to spend an afternoon considering what life must be like for those folks who reside in The Float Home Village. The narrow streets that run between the houses are docks. No driveways or garages here, but each home has a boat tied to the first floor. Most homes had bicycles on a house rack by their front door – after all, where else would you put it? As the whimsical decorations would indicate, these are people with a different view of life.

With Joan and Roger in front of Mile 0.

Our little boat in front of The Float Home Village.

Where locals store their bikes.

Down a dock "street" of moored houses.

Feeding harbour seals. They were very friendly, when you had fish in your hand.

Perhaps best summed up by the sign someone had placed in their front window … “This is my home. It is not for sale. I couldn’t begin to put a price on this lifestyle. The rhythms of the water and wind have soothed my soul. There is an ease, a peace by the water. It cannot be explained, just experienced. Highly recommended!”

Deciding to walk back downtown from Fisherman’s Wharf provides the chance to see the other side of this southern tip of the island. Looking over at the snowcapped mountains, we marvel at how, on this hot day in August, we can still see snow from a place that rarely sees more than 2-3cm of snow annually! The boats, divers, fellow wanderers and the pleasant company make for a lovely stroll back along the seawall. We passed the spot that marks Mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway – we have now done the whole thing! A walk through Beacon Hill Park brings us back inland to the downtown core.

Sharing a bench with a local.

Marking the spot where Terry Fox was to have finished his run. The monument has a quote form him - "I believe in miracles. I have to."

True to my word - still drinking local!

Back at the campground David and Liz cooked dinner together. While the goulash was delicious and used the leftover meat that needs to go before we cross the border, the comedy routine of those two sharing a small kitchen was hilarious! Our day ended, led by a discussion of The Bard and the Banker, with Cliff and me (with s couple of Google assisted prompts from Liz) reciting The Cremation of Sam McGee – oh the funny things you do while on vacation!

Day 31 Victoria

A lazy, hazy day of summer, this may actually be my first. Cliff and I both slept in until 7:00 for heaven sake so we should have realized that today may have been a little slower-paced than we’ve been accustomed to! Sitting around outside in the sunshine, dragging breakfast out for a couple of hours, Cliff finally got started on his Kobo birthday present. I think really it’s just because David, Liz and I all have Netbooks that mesmerize us and he feels left out not plugged in!

Cliff has the cool kid toys now too!

Finally we got ourselves together and headed to The Butchart Gardens, a local tourist attraction. Mr. Butchart made his money in concrete, and Mrs. Butchart, wanting to rehabilitate an abandoned limestone quarry, began to establish the now famous gardens in 1904. We meandered through 55 acres of gardens that have been growing for over 100 years. The property has been divided into rose gardens, Japanese gardens, bog gardens, sunken gardens… you name it, and they have it! The riot of colour is overwhelming, the variety impressive and to realize the amount of work involved in the maintenance, let alone the establishment is unbelievable.

Hedges three stories high! Don't know who trims those babies??

Sunken gardens

Formal Italian Garden

Fountains everywhere.

A Monkey Puzzle tree that is as sharp and prickly as it looks!

Dancing Ross Fountian

A huge Sequoia planted as a seedling in 1934 ... just a baby!

Tacca - a bronze replica of a marble statue in Florence that was cast in 1620. This little pig is almost 400 years old!!! Rubbing his snout is supposed to bring luck. As you can see from the shine, loads of people have tested that claim in the last 400 years.

These are Gunnera leaves. They grow wild out here and we have seen roadside clusters taller than any of us. They are related to rhubarb but have massive leaves. They are believed to have gotten here on shipments from China when the leaves were used as packaging. Largest plants I've ever seen,

It was funny though, toward the end of our time as we wandered down, just outside the actual gardens, to the beach and dock site they used to offer boat tours to their visitors, I paused to rest on a bench in the woods. Away from the visual distraction of the vividly coloured flowers, I realized I felt much more serene than I had felt all day. I thought that I was relaxed as I wandered through the beautiful flowers. Sitting in a simple wood with nothing but the naturally occurring tress and undergrowth around me I realized a couple of things. Just like there can be sound and light pollution, there maybe can also be “visual pollution”. The riot of colour, while stunning, can also require energy to appreciate. I also suspect that while some folks may be garden people and derive energy from the beauty in the garden, some folks like me, are fed by the raw and natural beauty of a plain forest or expanse of sea. Probably way too much thought for a simple walk in a garden but my thoughts nonetheless as I sat on the bench and realized the exit of a tension I hadn’t even realized I felt!

My view from my bench in the woods.

We went back downtown during the early evening. We considered several other eating stops but knowing we had a winner in the Bard and the Banker we went back there as everyone wanted to try something else on the menu. We wanted to be downtown late in the evening since we have been told several times that we really shouldn’t miss the Victoria Symphony Splash happening tonight in the inner harbor. As a celebration of the civic holiday the Symphony, situated on a barge in the inner harbor played as dusk approached. I mentioned that several people had told us about it … my favourite was the young lady in the gift shop at The Empress. She told us that it was really cool. “The orchestra would play the 18 ½ music in time to the fireworks display.” It took me a minute to realize that she was referring to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture!!

Parliament building at night where the crowds sat to watch Victoria Symphony Splash.

All kidding aside though, everyone here has been very friendly and helpful. Waiting in the throngs of people for the show to begin we chatted with the people all around us and met folks from as far away as Texas and native British Columbians. Everyone is very friendly and the exchanges have been a very pleasant part of our days here. After a splendid evening appreciating life on the waterfront we headed back to the trailer to introduce Cliff and Liz to Bananahammock, and end the day with a little healthy competition.