True to its name, the Sunrise Motel was in the full sun this morning – the longest day of the year. Unlike our hostel in Iceland which had thin see-through curtains in a land that has near-24 hour sunshine, this place had thick light blocking curtains. But we were still up fairly early, with a good 70-odd miles to drive north to Point Angeles where we picked up the ferry for Victoria.
We’re now on the ferry, with a huge mountain off to starboard which I think is Mt Rainier, over on the Washington mainland. Canada is a few miles ahead. I hope they let us in!
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Yup, we’re in. No troubles at the border, just a look at our passports and a few questions. I don’t think the guy even had a computer in his kiosk. Not like the US immigration!
We spent the afternoon exploring Victoria, including a wander around “Miniature World” which was an impressive set of model towns, villages and scenes from all over the world at various stages in history. Coming out of Miniature World we made a bee line for Bug Zoo which Rose had spotted earlier. Can’t miss an opportunity to get up close and personal with bugs…
The main town felt pretty empty, but I have a feeling that’s what a lot of Canada is going to be like. It was a hot sunny afternoon so the docks were busy; lots of tourists and locals hanging out in various sunny bars overlooking the attractive waterfront. We paid our first visit to MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) – I’m sure there will be more – to grab a headtorch for Rose and some gas for our mini cooker which we’ll take when we camp away from the van.
Late in the day we headed north, stopping at Goldstream park campground which unfortunately was full. Being so close to Victoria on a Saturday night that wasn’t surprising really. So we carried on up the Trans Canada Highway and eventually stopped at an RV park in Duncan. Nothing special, but a place to park for the night which was all we really needed.
Road and Ocean 