Port Angeles, WA, to Victoria, BC: April 21

April 21

Port Angeles, WA, to Victoria, BC

We arrived bright and early at the ferry terminal to wait in line for the ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. We were the first car in our line which meant we had a good seat to watch the trucks (including 18 wheelers) being loaded.

Driving onto the ferry (taken through the windshield):

Did I ever luck out! The cars are really packed in, and I was worried about getting out of the car. Last time we took a ferry like this there were only inches in between the cars and squeezing out the door was a real gymnastic feat. By chance my door opened in between cars instead of directly opposite another car door, so I could open the door all the way. Tom, on the other hand, had difficulty getting himself and the camera bag out at the same time as his side was against a wall. If I had been nice and thought of it in time, I should have offered to take the bag since I had all the room in the world.

It was very cold so I did not venture out for photo opportunities. Besides, I had a lovely seat next to the window, with a heater underneath. Tom did take some pictures out on deck. I took one of him in his seat inside.

It was an uneventful crossing with very calm seas. No complaints here.

Leaving ferry:

We drove out to Sidney on the Sea, a nearby coastal town.

All of Vancouver Island seems to be bedecked with blossoms.

There were also several bronze statues sitting on benches in Sidney. The figures range from young children to elderly people, sometimes alone, other times in pairs, some with pets.

We found a coffee shop and got lattes and brioche. We had passed a sign outside one of the small towns in Oregon that said “a good place to try something new” and we thought that maybe we should try something new in each place we visited. We had no idea if the brioche we had was typical or not, but it was delicious, and definitely not on our diets.

Tom had managed to find another lighthouse, so off we went. This was a Canadian historic site—Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse. Fort Rodd was more interesting than I thought it would be for a military site. It has been a coastal defense site since the late 1800’s. Most of what is displayed is from World War Two defenses, but there are some older parts. It is extremely well preserved and well documented. We had seen similar places in the States, but they were not kept as well.

I did go down into the munitions storage area. For someone who does not like dark enclosed spaces, I seem to have a morbid fascination with underground facilities. It was interesting.
Tom at entrance to underground munitions storage area:

There were some gorgeous views from some of the higher places there.

We wandered the grounds and read the informative signs. It was such a beautiful spot to have had such a war-oriented purpose. The Canadians certainly seemed ready for an attack or invasion, which was a possibility at the time. They also trained troops in this location.

Finally we came to the lighthouse,

which is across a causeway.

The causeway was not built until years after the lighthouse was no longer manned. It is still in use, but no longer has a keeper; it is fully automated. When it was lived in, the keeper and his family had to row back and forth in a small boat to their home at the base of the lighthouse.

Fisgard was the first lighthouse built in western Canada and will celebrate its 150th anniversary later this year. The whole light house except for the top containing the light (which is operational and used) can be toured, which was fun. We have not been able to roam around in too many lighthouses; most are outside sightseeing only.

Ye old Lighthouse keeper--he wishes:

By this time it was late afternoon and time to check in to our hotel. Our room was wonderful, with huge windows on two sides overlooking the city. I had hoped for city views from a height and was not disappointed.

There was a condo building on one side, so we were careful to make sure the drapes were closed when changing—we remember the views we wished we hadn’t had of some of the guests in the Sheraton across the street in Midtown Atlanta.

Time to relax.

This was my first introduction to a full service concierge floor, and I think I could really get into this. We went for “snacks” early in the evening and decided we needed no dinner after that. At 8:30 we decided to check out “desserts”. They had rice pudding (which I didn’t try, not knowing the kitchen), homemade cookies, and the leftover snacks from before, including cheese and fruit.

The concierage lounge was on the top floor, with huge windows looking out over the city. The view was great, if you could ignore the crane sticking out of the condo going up across the street. I felt back at home in Atlanta—"crane-enhanced" was our view there for months.

The government buildings in Victoria are outlined with white lights at night, and it is striking. We had a beautiful view of the lights from our window table in the lounge. It reminded me of some cities’ Christmas lights. We found out later that they have switched to LED’s for energy savings. The Canadians are truly serious about conservation of energy and alternate energy sources.

Prices in Vancouver are very high—everything has to be transported by ship or plane, adding an extra cost. But eating two meals a day gratis certainly helped!

I was surprised to find that the rate of exchange does favor US money at present. I thought it would be the other way around.

We are looking forwarad to sightseeing in Victoria tomorrow.