Victoria and Tacoma

 

A great summer past-time in Victoria - hitting the patios for after dinner drinks.  This patio  overlooks the inner harbour.

 One Sunday, we went on a bike ride with Mark  along the "Galloping Goose" bikepath, which goes from downtown Victoria to Sooke -- the whole trail is about 60 km one way.  We cycled one of the most beautiful parts, which goes by the "Sooke Potholes" (big pools cut into the river--look at the people way down there at the pools)

 Of course, after the bike ride, we needed to refuel ourselves...

 The above picture is from a recent road trip to the Tacoma area (south of Seattle). We drove 4 miles up a mountain to this lookout point.  If you look really really carefully, you can see the stunning view of Mount Rainier in the background (the mountain looked a lot closer in person--honest!)

One reason for going to Tacoma was to watch a practice round of the US Open -- a major golf tournament.  Tony practices his swing at the opening gates, hoping to be discovered!

 

Here is an overview shot of the golf course, called Chambers Bay, with Puget Sound in the background. The course is a very open, links-style course that was built on the site of an old gravel and sand pit.

 
For those "in the know," here are Phil Mickleson, Ricky Fowler, and Brandt Snedeker. Truth be told, Tony was hoping to be invited for a foursome with these 3 heavy hitters.  Alas, he had to be content just watching them on the sidelines.

 Tony gets his cap signed by Jason Day!

 

After the day of golf, there was a night of camping, at Penrose Point, on a peninsula west of Tacoma.  After an extremely cold swim, we warmed up by playing a game of camp bocce ball.  Despite Tony's intense focus in this picture, Carolyn is victorious!

After camping, we drove back to Victoria, via Tsawwassen-Vancouver, where we had dinner with our friends  Jerry and Ann from St. Catharines, who happened to be visiting Whiterock (near Vancouver) at that time (unfortunately no pictures!)


Now, back to Victoria... When we want a long evening walk, we go down to Ogden point where the cruise ships dock; on this particular night, there were three of them sharing the pier.

  

Carolyn and her childhood chum,, Nicola - we haven't changed at all! 

We got together with Nicola and her son at a picnic, where they had excellent games for the kids, including the giant hamster balls in the background. We busted our way through the lineup of children to it a try ourselves (you get inside the ball and run in it like a hamster wheel - a surprisingly good, if not very graceful, workout!)

 Lots was going on this past Sunday in downtown Victoria, including a no-car festival (several blocks of the main street closed to traffic, with food, crafts, etc) , and the jazz festival.  Here we have a beer while listening to an awesome jazz band from one of the local high schools.

 

It was a warm day, so Tony and Carolyn cooled off afterwards at the giant watering-can splash pad in Beacon Hill Park, across the street from our apartment.

 Another photo from Beacon Hill Park--the rose garden, now in full bloom!
That's it for now -- only a few more weeks in Victoria, then we head north to Quesnel, BC (south of Prince George) to see Carolyn's younger brother, Stephen, and his partner Lauren, before starting the long drive home.
Love to everyone,
C & T

Victoria and the Sunshine Coast

 

In Victoria, the harbour is a place that many tourists flock to, and we too sometimes go there for a walk in the evenings or on the weekends.  Here is a colourful scene with assorted sailing boats (there was a race the next day), along with the famous Empress Hotel in the background.

  

 Speaking of walks, one weekend we did a steep climb to a viewpoint (Mt. Finlayson) in Goldstream Provincial park just outside of Victoria. 

 

The same day in Goldstream provincial park, we did another steep climb--it's funny how BC has its shares of steep hikes!--to a trestle bridge affording another great view of the area.  If you will notice only Tony ventured out on the bridge, as it was a bit daunting for those with a fear of heights (or those who have enough sense to stay safely off such lofty bridges).  Eventually, Carolyn ventured out, but only on the promise that Tony would not let go of her hand!

 Here Tony applauds the "running of the goats" in Beacon Hill park near our apartment.  (Actually, that is not Tony, who is considerably older...). The goats are released from the pens promptly at 10am each morning and they race down paths to a feeding area.  It is quite the sight, but make sure you don't get too close or you could be run over!

 On a recent weekend, we took a road trip.  We first stopped in Vancouver where Tony met with a colleague from the University of British Columbia. After Vancouver (a beautiful, dynamic city!), we headed up the mainland of BC to what is called the Sunshine Coast. To get there you have to cross a number of channels by ferry.  It is not a burden to take these ferries as they often are a great way to view beautiful scenery. Speaking of beautiful, here Carolyn poses at the railing of our first ferry, with mountains and ocean in the background.

 The first stop on the Sunshine Coast is a town called Gibson's Landing made famous by the fact that it was the town site for the CBC television show of the 1970s called "The Beachcombers".  Here is a local haunt that the regulars of the show used to frequent--Molly's Reach.  This picture is for you, Brian! 

 

On the Sunshine coast, there a number of towns and sites that we visited, including Sechelt a growing village with lots of retirees. Sechelt was also  a one-time home of  Carolyn's grandparents (Joan's parents), so we visited the area where they used to live.  Another stop was Skookumchuck Provincial park, where tidal effects are dramatic and often create strong rapids and whirlpools. Here a boat navigates up the rapids. 

In the town of Powell River, we stayed in an atmospheric B &B (the old courthouse) set in the heart of the old historic district that includes an old paper mill and lots of old buildings.  Powell River is an interesting contrast of features.  It contains beautiful scenery along with being an old logging town embracing its past but also trying to re-invent itself.    

 

At the end of the road on the Sunshine coast, is the town of Lund. The town actually contains the end of road 101, a west coast highway that starts in South America and, yes, literally ends in Lund (no roads beyond it).  Here Tony surveys the scene from a small tourist booth at the harbour.

 
We have done our share of weekend roadtrips, and on this one to the Sunshine coast we achieved a bit of a milestone (or is it kilometerstone?)  when we reached the 5000km mark in our new car!

Clearly, though, more adventures still await us and our new car. Love to all.  C& T