On the Road Again!

 Tuesday,-Thusday June 2-5, 2025

Vancouver and Victoria BC

A Disney cruise to Alaska with the whole family has been something we've looked forward to for a very long time.  This trip has been in the works for over 2 years! We were able to get everyone's schedules coordinated and finally booked it in February 2023, so have been counting down the days...and it's finally here! Our cruise actually starts on Monday from Vancouver, so Jim and I flew in early to take in some sights in the area.  

It's strange to be travelling on a big trip without the motorhome!   It was hard stuffing everything into limited space.  My suitcase is right at the limit at 50 pounds and my backpack is 17 pounds, packed to the brim.  Unfortunately, that doesn't leave much room for shopping....ugh!   

The flight to Vancouver airport (YVR) included a layover at the Denver airport, where we enjoyed a local brew.  (We actually visited the New Belgium brewery in Ft Collins a few years ago.) 

                                 

We got up early on Wednesday and again took advantage of more local brew.  (Tim Horton's is the McDonalds of Canada--great coffee!)

 We boarded a bus that took us to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal for the 1hr 40 minute ferry ride to Vancouver Island.  The ferry holds about 300 vehicles and 1200 people!  When there's not a road to connect the island to the mainland, it takes a boat or plane.  That explains the volume of ferry traffic.

It is quite an operation...very coordinated and efficient, with 10 lanes of traffic staged to get on the ferry as soon as it docked. They were able to unload and load in a very short time.  We were on a bus, and the bus drove in to pole position in the lower level at the front of the ferry.  Semis, motorhomes and more buses followed.  

Everyone had to depart from the vehicles during the sailing and we enjoyed time in the lounges on the upper decks around the ship.  There was even a nice gift shop, but I had to remind myself that I don't have room!!

After docking, the bus was the first vehicle to exit, and delivered us to our hotel in Victoria, at the southern end of the island.  Victoria is the capital of British Columbia.  It is a city of less than 100,000 people, but has a big city feel.  The downtown area was bustling with people and bike riders.  (Bike helmets are mandatory in Victoria). We explored a bit and found the famous  Rogers' chocolate shop  (There's always room for chocolate!)

The beautiful Parliament building is right on the waterfront, along with water taxis to deliver folks around the island.

On Thursday, we took a city tour with our guide, Marcus who was quite a character.  He was a historian, storyteller and horticulturalist and kept things lively the entire day. 

We saw Mile 0 of the TransCanada Highway that runs from Victoria Island across Canada to the east coast, ending up in Newfoundland.  They are able to count this as mile 0 because the ferry routes are counted as part of the transportation highway!

Other interesting info we learned was that there are designated water lanes for planes and boats--this is the busiest sea plane port in North America.  

We could see the Olympic mountains in the distance,..a mountain range in Washington state which were a beautiful and scenic backdrop.  Marcus explained that the mountains cause much of the clouds to dump their rain before getting to Vancouver Island, so the island enjoys much better weather. than the mainland  The weather for us was sunny and pleasant.

Part of the tour was a trip to Butchart Gardens, an incredible place that was established in 1904, and still privately owned by the family.  It is 55 acres of themed gardens and meticulously cared for landscaped areas.  

The colors were amazing and the landscaping was impressive. 

My favorite was the Japanese garden which was quiet, relaxing, and zen-like.  It is so interesting that surroundings can have such an impact on your mood.

In the rose garden they had over 250 types of roses brought in over the years. 

The rhododendrons were in full bloom...The bushes were huge, and I've never seen so many colors!

There was even a gelato shop in the Italian garden...of course we had to try it.

It was a full day of exploring and tasting. We enjoyed dinner by the water before watching the Pacers bring home a victory. 

 (I've already been stopped once by someone who noticed the Pacer pin on my backpack! Yes cers!!)