28 September 2016, Wednesday We cannot resist another trip to Jam since yesterday’s breakfast was so good. O orders a waffle with blueberry topping. I have buttery pan fried oatmeal with lemon curd and blueberry topping. After breakfast we waddle back to James Bay Inn and then proceed to Butchart Gardens. The gardens are beautiful and colorful, reminding us of a smaller Longwood, but without the greenhouse. Unfortunately we arrive
27 September 2016, Tuesday Our day begins with delicious apple-cinnamon-walnut-maple cream cheese pancakes at Jam Restaurant. Followed by laundry. Followed by a trip to Victoria’s MEC. We also go on a pie acquisition expedition and find the Victoria Pie Shop. We order a small apricot-apple pie to be shared on the ferry back to Washington, and a large apple-blueberry pie to be shared later with S and K. Said pies
26 September 2016, Monday Miraculously, the stars were shining last night as we went to bed. This morning – still no rain. We pack up the tent only slightly damp and drive to Ucluelet for breakfast. We have 286 km to drive to Victoria. I take the first shift, driving past Port Alberni and stopping at MacMillan Provincial Park, also known as Cathedral Grove. This land was donated to British
25 September 2016, Sunday O has gotten in the habit of leaving the bottom of his tent door unzipped during the day with the idea that mosquito season is long over and, since the zipper on the tent door has been sticking lately and separating, he figures less use is better … until I discover a large banana slug making its way into the tent this morning! I persuade the
24 September 2016, Saturday O has finally figured out the weather here. When the barometer is falling, it rains. When the barometer is rising, it rains. And when the barometer is steady – it rains! Today starts out cloudy and gray. By mid-day it is raining. But hey, we are in rain forest. We start our day near Tofino and begin walking Pacific Rim’s trails in order from there. First
23 September 2016, Friday Rain all night. By the time we emerge from the tent it has largely stopped, but the picnic table beneath the tarp is soaked. The rain must have been blowing right under the tarp. We collect our ‘kitchen’ from the car and return to our soggy picnic table to cook up a yummy batch of raisin pancakes. The day is misty and damp so we head
22 September 2016, Thursday We sleep in until 8 am. Heavenly!! And no traffic to fight today. We cook up O’s favorite car camping breakfast – potato cakes with cheese and bacon jerky. Today we begin exploring the various trails in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The reason it is called a Park Reserve is because ownership of the land is still disputed by the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people, the First Nation
21 September 2016, Wednesday By 6:15 we are driving north, out of Vancouver and towards the Tswassen Ferry. We do hit some early morning traffic, but we arrive well before 8 am. We check in as a “tall vehicle.” The woman at the toll booth seems quite unconcerned about the height of Jazz. We note normal height vehicles in line with us, but we are also among large trucks and
20 September 2016, Tuesday We are on the fence about our plans for today. Should we do the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, or not? In any case, our first order of business is to find breakfast and a place to buy a pie for tomorrow’s breakfast on the ferry. I have found three candidate bakeries on-line, each recommended for their pies. The first is not yet open when we arrive,
19 September 2016, Monday After finding a small local bakery for breakfast, O and I drive to the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology. It is a fascinating place with an extensive collection of northwest First Nations artifacts. We learn there are more different cultures and languages amongst the First Nations of British Columbia than in all of Europe. The styles and methods of carving house posts vary widely