Category: Day Trip

Victoria day tripping, 5

There’s a lot to enjoy in Victoria, but one of my favorite go-to spots is the Royal BC Museum, located a short walk from the Coho Ferry dock. In addition to having wonderful First Peoples exhibits and a great selection of totem poles, there is an “Old Town” exhibit that recreates a British Columbia frontier town at the turn the the last century. It includes well-stocked storefronts, a small theater playing a silent film, a hotel, and windows onto daily life.

One of my favorite views is into this kitchen where the curtain in the window moves from a gentle breeze.

There is also a recreated fish cannery, a stable, and a glimpse of a mining operation. You can walk aboard a recreation of the HMS Discovery, the ship that Capt. George Vancouver used for his explorations, and see how his office and quarters may have looked. The floor gently moves, adding to the feeling of having boarded a real ship. A separate natural history gallery moves through a variety of environments. I just love having a spectacular museum like this a ferry ride away!

Victoria day tripping, 4

The Victoria Parliament is one of the first buildings you’ll see after you get off the Coho ferry. This beautiful marble building began its service in 1898. Take a look at A Powell River Photo Blog and scroll back to March 8th if you’d like to see some nice photos of the interior.

Okay, I know I’m titling this “day tripping,” but on this particular trip we stayed overnight. And we had an unexpected night view of Parliament from the back. I’m including this shot because it allows you to see a golden Captain George Vancouver, the British naval officer and explorer after whom Vancouver Island is named. He has a good view of Victoria from his perch atop the building.

Victoria day tripping, 2

Here are more Victoria harbour snapshots, taken in my pre-blog days. Above is one of the first sightings of land as you enter the harbour.

And this is a view of Victoria as it appears near the Johnson Street Bridge.

And, as the ferry moves toward the dock, there is the quintessential view of the Empress Hotel, a Victoria landmark since the early 1900s. Afternoon tea is served in the lobby. In the summers they serve up to 800 a day. I love afternoon tea, but I’ve not had it here.

Victoria day tripping

End of a long winter, bad weather, and a weeklong bout with the flu: what better time to look back on trips to Victoria, B.C. and post some pictures of a favorite neighboring city?

The Black Ball MV Coho ferry runs daily from Port Angeles across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The passage takes about 90 minutes – pretty painless for international travel. A passport is needed, though an “enhanced” Washington driver’s license may also be used. Until mid-May there are two daily departures from Port Angeles, and two returns from Victoria. There are more sailings during the summer months.

I’ve posted one of the early sights in the harbour, the blue Johnson Street Bridge, which is located at the west side of the entrance. It is a “bascule,” or counterweighted type drawbridge designed by Joseph Strauss, the same man who designed San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Bridge. You can read about its history here, but after no lack of controversy it was finally decided that this deteriorating span would be removed and replaced. Work has recently begun. A new bridge is being built to the north of the blue bridge, which will remain in service until its replacement is completed. There are live views of the work progress here.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, 3 of 3

The downside of making a day trip to the Skagit Valley from Sequim is that the schedule – and thus the light – is subject to the ferry crossings from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island. And this, regrettably, meant no soft angles of morning light nor honeyed evening kiss on the flowers. It’s a day trip worth making and as we left we began planning a “next time” in which there would be an overnight stay that would allow pictures at either end of the day.