Circling the U.S. Chapter 41: Victoria

Sunday, September 22, 2019
After leaving the Butchart Gardens we set off for Victoria. We stayed two nights at a Quality Inn downtown, giving us the full day on Sunday to explore the city. We did a lot of walking, first to the Craigdarroch Castle, then a big loop to the waterfront and back into the city. It wasn't a rest day.

When I first saw this monument, I was perplexed because I thought, we still have troops in Afghanistan, don't we? Then I remembered, this is Canada.

The history of Craigdarroch Castle included turning it into a rehabilitation hospital for WWI soldiers. All the pictures and stories reminded me of Downton Abbey. Then it was used by a local college and later, a music school. Other than that, it was really just another example of a rich person's artfully done conspicuous consumption.

The walk along the waterfront was stunning, as the clouds were quite dramatic, even as they kept the view of Mt. Baker a secret. We've been told it's there, but just like Denali for those who make the trek to see it, some are lucky and some are not. We were content that the rain kept its distance.

Rain threatened, but it never came.

The Trans-Canadian Highway begins in Victoria. Or ends here if you start in St. John's, Newfoundland, like Terry Fox and Stephen Fonyo did.

I got choked up when we saw this. Running has been a large part of Rob's and my life together. But besides that, I've always been inspired by people who don't let disabilities get in the way of their dreams.

Terry Fox was unable to complete his run so Stephen Fonyos did it for him.

The waterfront in downtown Victoria. There were many tourist booths offering cruises to see wildlife, particularly whales. I wasn't interested.

Here's a story I've promised one of my readers.

Why I Never Go On Whale Watches

It was 1989 and Rob and I were bicycling around Nova Scotia. We took a day off before tackling the steep and winding Cabot Trail in Cape Breton and decided to splurge for a whale watch. Neither of us had ever seen a whale before. After an hour or so spent cruising around in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the captain said, "It doesn't look like we can find any whales today so we'll take you over to a dead whale on the beach." Which he did. So now, whenever there's a whale watch available, Rob says, "Do you want to see a dead whale?" 

Here's a trivia fact for you. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. This is the Parliament building. 

Our time in Victoria was quite pleasant and we enjoyed a couple very good dinners. Monday morning we woke to rain and boarded the ferry to Port Angeles hoping that the rain would stop by the time we landed. It didn't.