Tag: canada

Downtown Victoria, BC

Monday I drove into downtown Victoria and parked in a multi-story Parkade deck about three blocks from the Inner Harbour. My plan was to walk to see many of the various attractions I had noted on my “things to do” list. I was a little concerned that the city and the attractions might be too crowded because large cruise ships dock near Victoria and discharge many of their passengers into town. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared it might be. Here are some of the things I saw as I walked around the city:

An “on the sidewalk” toilet:

A store selling some pretty amusing t-shirts:

Later in the day I saw two different people wearing the raven t-shirt. I believe what I saw out by the water was a crow, not a raven. Ravens have noticeably curved beaks while crows do not.

Some words of wisdom from the late Jimmy Dean (who died in 2010, yet still promotes his products in radio and tv ads):

A very hungry seagull which, surprisingly, I didn’t see all that many of as I walked around by the harbour.

City Hall:

Signs near Chinatown, including special street name signs:

I had to wait in order to walk out into the middle of the street for that one.

Some amusing signs:

Some nice tilework in an entryway to a courtyard in the open space between buildings:

But the thing that impressed me the most were all the baskets of pretty flowers hanging on the lamp posts around town:

They were everywhere. I think that always adds a nice look to a city street. I also walked around many residential streets near the harbour and they, too, were well adorned with pretty flower beds. The only place that overdid it a bit, IMHO, was the Empress Hotel, a swanky hotel near the harbour. Their display was quite gaudy and could have been cut way back without sacrificing anything.

I could have gone in to the Empress for high tea and sipped the nectar with my pinky extended but I’m too cheap.

I saw this statue near the harbour as well:

“I will now make this bird disappear by passing it through this horseshoe”

About a block from the Empress Hotel was this large whale topiary:

And finally, outside the ferry terminal building, an example why you might not want to buy a dark blue car instead of a lime green one:

My first afternoon on Vancouver Island

The ferry from Port Angeles, Washington State dropped us off in the harbour in Victoria mid-afternoon. I had a scenic drive which would take two hours each way planned so I decided to go ahead and get it checked off the list since I didn’t know my way around the city. It was easy to get on Route 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) from the ferry terminal and then I hopped on Route 14 which would take me around the bottom of the island to the southwest and then follow the Strait of Juan de Fuca which separates Vancouver Island from Washington State.

I passed through little towns like Langford, Sooke, Shirley and Jordan River. The road eventually turned inland and climbed up into the San Juan Ridge of mountains. Ultimately the road would end at Port Renfrew. I never made it that far. Once the road started climbing up into the woods, a) the drive became like something I could do in North Carolina or Virginia – driving through a tunnel of trees, but more importantly, b) the road had lots of curves, but more distressing were the severe undulations which often caused the car to almost bottom out if I went too fast. I now drive a Toyota Camry which, when loaded with all my stuff, sits pretty low to the ground (and I bought it with low profile tires on it compared to what I normally buy). I finally said “enough” and turned around. I was getting carsick on land!

Here are some panoramas looking west towards Washington State. The photos make them look tiny, especially using the panorama format, but actually looking at the mountains of Olympic National Park was very impressive, even from a distance.

This crow landed on the rock in front of me as I was getting ready to back out from my parking place by the beach.

That photo was taken at Jordan River and from there it would take me about an hour to get to my Airbnb for the next two nights.

Welcome to Canada, JohnBoy !!

I crossed from Port Angeles, Washington to Victoria, BC, Canada on Sunday, July 27.

We sailed aboard the MV Coho ferry:

It took about an hour and a half to traverse the Salish Sea in the Strait of Juan de Fuca before arriving in Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is located at the southeastern end of Vancouver Island, a huge island about the size of Kansas. Vancouver Island is the 8th largest island in the world.

Some of the deckhands prepping our ship for docking:

Some of the things we saw as we approached the harbour (I’m in Canada now and have to talk the talk):

A dichotomy of speed:

The Air Traffic Control tower (well, building) for managing approaching and departing seaplanes. One of the photos above shows a buoy with a sign reading “Water Airport”

Part of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet:

And once I got on land I treated myself to a reward, confirming that I was actually in Canada!

I have been on the road 2 days shy of 4 weeks. When I arrived at the ferry terminal in Port Angeles, immediately before leaving the United States, I had driven exactly 4,600 miles since leaving Durham, 759 miles over my projection (which was point-to-point mileage between the towns I would be staying in and didn’t include side trips).

JohnBoy travel update

I am writing this post from Boise, Idaho, where yesterday I went to the World Center for Birds of Prey facility operated by the Peregrine Foundation (think California Condors, Red-tail Hawks, etc.). I was there almost 2 1/2 hours and took lots of pictures which I promise I will post very soon. I travel up to Seattle tomorrow and will be there 4 nights before crossing into Canada, so I hope to use the early mornings and evenings there to make more posts. I also have several “multiple-nights in one place” stays the first two weeks in Canada so that should enable me to get caught up since I won’t have to unload and reload my car every day or two!

I’ve also been VERY lucky with weather in my first three weeks on the road but am sure I will encounter rainy days sooner or later. Many areas out here need the rain, but most of it I have encountered so far has been while I was driving or at night.

I have good news and bad news concerning wildfires. The bad news for people in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington state is that there are two wildfires there which just recently started and are destroying homes and businesses. The Cram fire in Oregon is currently the largest active wildfire in the United States and developed very quickly. The Burdoin fire, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, is also wreaking havoc. Crews are working diligently to contain both fires.

Fortunately for me they are both well west of the route I will be taking tomorrow morning from Boise to where I will be staying in Bellevue, Washington. I’m sure I will see the smoke, and possibly even have to drive through some, but I don’t expect any detours such as what I opted to take around Kansas City late last week to avoid massive flooding there.

The good news in Canada and Alaska is that, for now, the wildfires I have been monitoring there appear to be under control and should not be a direct threat to my plans. Of course, more could start at any time. There were Red Flag warnings in western Wyoming two days ago for conditions which could have enhanced wildfire development but I didn’t see any sign of any fires anywhere.

So fingers crossed that conditions will continue to be favorable for me.

And one update on travel conditions in western North Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yesterday it was announced that a 12-mile section has been reopened after major repairs of damage caused by Hurricane Helene last fall. Here is a “before” photo I found online this morning which demonstrates why the repairs (rebuilding, actually) is taking so long.

(Photo credit: FOX Weather)

There are still many more areas along the Parkway in North Carolina which need rebuilding, and logistically it is more difficult to get materials up there to make the repairs than it was for what they had to do on interstate 40. The Parkway is a major tourist draw to western NC so I am sure they are progressing as quickly, but safely, as they can.

So here’s the plan for 2025

No photo. (Already he starts with the “no photo” nonsense….)

I still plan to leave Durham July 1 – a week from tomorrow. Most of the first two weeks will be visiting friends and family in Pennsylvania and Ohio. I doubt if I will post anything during that time (well, I might sneak one or two in since I generally wake up well before anyone else when I visit people).

Once I hit the road in earnest I will be making a series of one or two night stops as I work my way to Seattle WA. I will stay there 4 nights before crossing into Canada. All those stops have already been booked, and I have a few activities and photo ops planned.

After I cross into Canada I plan to spend 8 weeks visiting the southern parts of British Columbia and Alberta provinces, and the southwestern part of Saskatchewan.

Now comes the tricky part. Wildfires. The worst wildfire in Canada this year (so far) seems to be in the upper part of Manitoba, well east of my target area. BUT. Many fires have erupted in all three provinces I plan to spend my time in and are getting more than a little close for comfort. I have booked about three of my projected 8 weeks in Canada already. That puts me near Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. After that, who knows…. I am not booking anything else until I get my boots on the ground in Canada and can assess the situation at that time. I have Plans B, C, D and E mapped out, just in case.

My original plan was to spend 8 weeks in Canada, return to Seattle, put my car in storage and fly to Alaska! I have 5 weeks available to spend up there before I must start my departure from Seattle to make my rambling trip through the western and southern US on my way back to Durham by Thanksgiving.

For anyone who might be thinking of robbing my apartment, I have cleaned out all the food from my refrigerator and freezer and have taken my clothes to Asheville and Swannanoa in WNC to help the victims of Hurricane Helene, so don’t waste your time picking the carcass apart in Durham…. not much left here! I have all the good stuff with me – my wits, phone, computer, cameras, FitBit, prescription meds, Passport, new-to-me car and, of course, my Platinum card.

I will start posting some pictures once I depart to head west (instead of north) about three weeks from now, both with road trip pics, though there will be many travel days when I just drive on the dreaded interstate, and several stops I have planned around specific activities. Once I get to Canada I will stop the hysterical historical photos and stories and focus on real time photos of The Great White North (let’s hope it’s not white quite yet).