O Canada!

(This blog is part travelogue, part advice on traveling with a dog, part discovery of what’s on the minds of Americans, Canadians and other nationalities, part commentary, and other musings.)

My Travels in British Columbia, Canada – & some thoughts & observations

(Sumas border crossing from Washington state to British Columbia, Canada.)

Maybe Not Sumas?

I enter Canada through Sumas, east of Vancouver, B.C. I’m grilled by two Canadian border patrol agents. They take everything out of my car and do a thorough search. They confiscate several Asian pears and a Washington apple. I was expecting an easy-breezy-Canadian nice welcome. I hear later that the border patrol agents in Sumas tend to be particularly strict.

Sierra’s Invaluable Guidance

I meet up the next day with Sierra Treloar-Searing at the Tsawwassasen ferry landing outside Vancouver, B.C. for a 1 ½-hour sailing trip to Vancouver Island. Sierra and I were fellow volunteers at an English immersion program in Spain in 2016 (which was a fantastic experience). She grew up on Vancouver Island and was an invaluable source of information on things to do and places to go on this gorgeous island. On the ferry trip, she notes that Canadian elections will occur Oct. 21 (it was obvious to me because of all the political yard signs I saw throughout my drive). Unlike all my friends who would swoon to have Justin Trudeau as our president, Sierra tells me that Justin is no hero in Canada. But she thinks his Liberal party will get the majority vote in the parliamentary election. She also tells me that Canadians, except super conservatives, are appalled by Trump.

(Sierra, me and Luca on the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada)

The 75 Canadian-dollar ferry ride to Vancouver Island is stunningly beautiful. Dogs are limited to a pet “lounge” or an area on the lower bow of the ferry.

(Ferry ride from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada)

Canadian Thanksgiving Camping in Goldstream Provincial Park

Luca and I get to the gorgeous Goldstream Provincial Park campground, about half an hour drive from Victoria, fairly quickly after disembarking from the ferry. No rain was forecast for the day, but the weathermen lied; I barely get the tent up when the rain begins, and it continues throughout the night. But Luca and I are cozy in the tent, and the next day is sunny and beautiful.

(Luca cozy in our tent on a rainy night in beautiful Goldstream Provincial Park outside Victoria)

We arrive the first day of a 3-day Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. From conversations I have with several people, it appears that Canadians have their big meal maybe Sunday, maybe Monday, maybe both days… and maybe followed by a “Friendsgiving” meal.

Yes, it’s true: Canadians are nice

At a Shell gas station near our campground (and by the way, gasoline is about $5-plus-per-gallon in Canada), a guy about 60 years old engages me in conversation after noticing my California license plate. We have a long conversation. He tells me his wife is dying of cancer. He is still trying to wrap his head around that. He confesses to drinking too much beer because of this crisis in his life. I tell him he’s going through a tough time. I wish I could tell him something comforting but I come up short.

My contacts with Canadians in stores, restaurants and other places reinforce my expectation that our neighbors to the north are indeed nice.

Victoria: Queen of the Island

Sierra tells me about Fernwood, a charming neighborhood in Victoria. I fall in love immediately with its theatres, coffee houses and interesting mix of homes and apartment houses. A local resident walking her dog says there’s a housing shortage in Victoria, but a one-bedroom apartment would go for about 1,400-1,500 Canadian dollars in the neighborhood.

(Belfry Theatre in the charming Fernwood neighborhood of Victoria)

 The Equity Belfry Theatre, housed in what was clearly a grand church, dominates the neighborhood and offers up cutting-edge fare. I poke my head into the more intimate Theatre Inconnu around the corner and am delighted to meet the artistic director and one of the directors attached to the theatre. They are about to hold auditions for their 2020 season; apparently they don’t cast for individual plays but instead pull from their season pool of actors. They tell me Victoria has quite an active theater scene. I’m even more smitten with Victoria.

(Lovely Beacon Hill Park in Victoria)

 After a lovely lunch on the sun-drenched patio of a restaurant kitty corner from Belfry, Luca and I take a drive through the lush Beacon Hill Park and along the pretty coastline with miles of walking paths.

Botanical Beach

On a rainy Tuesday, Luca and I head to Botanical Beach in Juan De Fuca Provincial Park in Port Renfrew, on the rugged and gorgeous west coast of Vancouver Island (which, Sierra tells me, is bigger than England!). I had hoped to go to Tofino, farther north than Renfrew, but because of distance and delays on the route because of roadwork, I choose Juan De Fuca. Sierra tells me Botanical Beach is one of her favorite places on the island, and I agree. Luca and I hike about two miles through thick forest to rugged coast and back.

(Botanical Beach, Juan De Fuca Provincial Park, Vancouver Island)

 Canada’s affection for Nancy Drew

By the time I get to Victoria for the morning ferry to Port Angeles, Wash., I find the boat is booked. So, I have about five hours to kill in Victoria until the afternoon ferry sails. Not a bad place to be stuck. I get Luca with a Rover Pet Care sitter and get to have a breakfast (indoors!) at a charming restaurant by myself in the heart of Victoria’s tourist district. I’m amused that the restaurant has Nancy Drew books on each table – just for shits and giggles. Apparently, Canadians are enamored with Nancy Drew books! Great, healthy breakfast. Then I spend some time on the Victoria coast, with its miles of pedestrian oceanfront paths.

German Tourist on Ferry Ride from Victoria, B.C. to Port Angeles, Wash.

I talk to a German woman from Hanover on the 1 ½-hour ferry ride from Victoria to Port Angeles, Wash. She and her family have traveled all over the Northwest – Boise, Idaho; Yellowstone National Park; Vancouver Island, and more. She laments one of the family’s 8-hour drives (she said it’s so long; that would be the drive from the north to the south of Germany). But she praises the beauty of the area they covered. And she is very positive about Americans – she says they are very polite.