We start most big cities with a Hop On/Hope Off (HO/HO) tour with buses which have many stops at all the most frequented tourist spots. Vancouver’s HO/HO allowed us to explore Chinatown, downtown architecture and night life, Stanley Park, and the Vancouver Lookout tower. As Colin had mistakenly booked the wrong day for the ferry crossing, …
We were treated to more of the spectacular mountain , lake, and forest scenery on our way back from to the East Coast of Vancouver Island. We had decided to go further North to Campbell River and plan a whale watching trip. We had two campsites in mind and ended up in Elk Falls Provincial Park, …
Highway 4 leads right up to the First Street Dock in British Columbia’s Tofino, a hamlet where Clayoquot Sound meets the Pacific on Vancouver Island’s west coast. Getting that far takes a three hour drive into the mist, around hairpin curves, and through the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to the ocean. The payoff is more than worth the …
Coincidences Picture the scene. Yesterday’s rain is gone, it’s a beautiful morning. We are strolling along one of Tofino’s beautiful beaches at the Pacific Rim on Vancouver Island. Cheryl is chatting to an old surfer hippie about best places to live, mentions Arizona as she went to the U of A. His buddy arrives …
We decided to break our journey from Victoria to the mid-island Pacific Coast at Port Alberni. This city, although nearer the island’s East coast, is a deep water port sitting on the Alberni Inlet estuary’ which stretches all the way to the Pacific. Local industries of logging, papermaking and fishing are giving way to more …
Warning: If you don’t like plant or flower pictures, give this post a miss. With permission. The Butchart Gardens (pronounced Boo-shar) were created in the early 1900s by Jennie Butchart. She wanted to create something beautiful, in particular, to replace the worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied her husband Robert Pim Butchart’s nearby Portland …
Victoria and Sidney Victoria, reputed to be “more British than the British” didn’t disappoint. We used public transport to visit the city centre, we found a Highland Piper at the Harbor (see movie below), sailboat racing at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, drank a real pint (imperial size) at a city centre pub, and …
Olympic National Park occupies most of the Northern Section of the Olympic Peninsula, NW Washington State. The National Park covers Mount Olympus (6,900 feet) and the foothills and valleys surrounding it. Because of the high snowfall in the area, it supports seven glaciers which feed the rivers surrounding it. The park has only radial roads leading …
Neah Bay via Lake Sylvia We planned to spend several days on the Olympic Peninsula, specifically the Olympic National Park as so many people had told us how much they enjoyed it. We scheduled a break after we crossed the extremely long bridge over the Columbia River Estuary at Astoria into Washington State. On …
Oregon Coastline in the Mist On our way to the Pacific North-West, we decided to travel up the coast. The rocky shoreline and expansive beaches were reminiscent of the West Coast of Scotland and we enjoyed the views, even in the mist that followed us most of the way. In addition to the many …
North to Oregon On our way from the LA area up to the Oregon border, we traveled most of the way on the Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1). When the coastal fog lifted, we had some beautiful ocean views. We also took a side trip or two, visited an ailing friend in Palo Alto …
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County We were very happy to visit old friends from the days when Colin worked in Cupertino when his family was growing up. The Tembrocks’ children were similar ages and played together. We have many happy memories of staying with them in a cabin at Lake Tahoe and visiting their orchard in the town of …
Continue reading “Wine, Redwoods and Junk Art in Sonoma County”
Heading south from the San Francisco Bay Area, we encountered the usual horrible auto traffic, but eventually made it to Manhattan Beach, where brother Michael and sister-in-law Maggie (M&M) made us very welcome. M&M had just become grandparents for the first time, so we were naturally anxious to see the new little peanut. (Sorry, …