Sweet Willie
Nov 9, 02, 8:03 pm
Started our trip from Port Angeles, WA. Took the Coho ferry http://www.cohoferry.com/ over to Victoria, crossing took ~90 minutes, cost ~$35 for car and two people. I liked this ferry because during the summer, they have a 9pm crossing that allows for one to enjoy the whole day rather than traveling during the day.
Stayed in Victoria at the B&B Edwardian Inn http://www.bctravel.com/edwardianinn/ . The owner Ingrid serves a great breakfast. Sadly we only used the Edwardian Inn for one night and did not get to explore Victoria. Looked very interesting, but I was anxious to get to our main destination the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.
Before leaving Victoria, we visited the Butchart Gardens. I am not really a garden person, but this place was amazing. Just beautiful.
Spent two hours there, but a garden fan could probably easily spend the day. http://www.butchartgardens.com
As soon as you are outside Victoria, the road gives way to some gorgeous terrain. We headed up Hwy 1, past Nanaimo to Parksville where we caught 4 over to the west coast. If we thought 1 was gorgeous, we were even more pleased with 4. There are some very twisty turns and some washed out areas of 4 so make sure to allow enough travel time. I am a fast driver and the trip from Victoria to Ucluelet took 4 ½ hours.
In Ucluelet we stayed at the Ocean's Edge B&B. http://www.oceansedge.bc.ca
The Ocean's Edge is a house in the cul de sac of a typical suburban street, what is not typical is that Ocean's Edge is on it's own little peninsula on the ocean with a bald eagle's nest on the property (in a tree next to the garage). Ocean's Edge is a little over a mile outside town and is a nice walk, say to/from dinner. The owners, Susan & Bill, are very gracious and knowledgeable hosts. Bill conducts hikes in the areas, which we took advantage of. His knowledge was incredible, seeing as he used to be the chief naturalist of Pacific Rim National Park. My wife and I would have gone on the hikes and enjoyed them, but Bill's input made the hikes that much more informative. He also has that typical quirky Canadian humor. During our hike, whales were 1/3 mile offshore, frolicking. We did not have to use binoculars they were so close. The trial we hiked with Bill was the Wild Pacific Trial http://www.wildpacifictrail.com
Uclulet is not a shopper's town (thank God, I found one! J) it is a town that has two purposes, local industry and tourism, but not commercialized (although I can imagine in 10 years time it will be L).
The town of Tofino is a 35 minute drive to the north of Uclulet. Tofino is more developed and has more of the kitschy knick knack shops, but it is not overwhelming.
Between Uclulet and Tofino is the Pacific Rim Natural Park. http://parkscan.harbour.com/pacrim/ We hiked many of the trails in the park and all were fascinating.
Saw bear and other wildlife.
Some activities we did not do, (that we definitely will next time) are some ocean kayaking, and taking a seaplane tour of the area. I would also like to come back during storm season in the Fall to see some of the mighty storms hitting the coast.
We were taking a British Columbia 10am ferry from Nanaimo to Vancouver ( http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/ ) , Susan said we should leave early to make sure we make it in time for the ferry. We therefore left before breakfast that day, but Karen put together some juices, muffins, granola and some yogurt for the am drive. As I said before, I'm a fast driver and we arrived at the ferry terminal in Nanaimo with over an hour to spare. But because we had an advanced reservation (you pay extra for confirmed res) we were put first in a row of cars. This was terrific because as they were letting cars onto the ferry, we were directed onto the upper level and had the very center front row parking spot on the ferry. MAN what a view! Opened the sunroof and laid back taking in the view and listening to the radio. We sailed from Nanaimo/Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay north of Vancouver. Crossing took 90 minutes.
We had a Priceline reservation at the Sheraton Guilford. Some think the Guilford is too far out of downtown Vancouver. For the great Priceline rate we got it for and the fact that it is located a five minute drive from the Skytrain(which we took everyday downtown) we did not think it was bad at all. But if the rates are in the same proximity of downtown locations, don't bother saving a few $ and stay downtown.
In Vancouver, we did many things. Wife did some shopping; we went outside the city and hiked for a day at Mt Seymour Provincial Park http://www.vancouverplus.ca/profile/386457 . Following is a quote from Lonely Planet re: Mt. Seymour "Mt Seymour Provincial Park, This park is a quick escape from the city. There's a road most of the way up to the peak of Mt Seymour, or you can relax on the chair lift. There are several hiking trails and the views of the city and surrounds are beautiful. The park is 13km (8mi) northeast of downtown across the Burrard Inlet; you can get there by car or bus." Even if you don't hike, the drive alone to the top of the mountain within sight of Vancouver is well worth it.
Near Seymour mountain is Lynn Canyon Park. Following is a quote from Lonely Planet re: Lynn Canyon "Set in thick woods, this park gives a good glimpse of the rainforest vegetation so different from that found in eastern Canada. There's a suspension bridge over Lynn Canyon, many hiking trails, and a wealth of picnic and swimming spots. The Lynn Canyon Park Ecology Centre has displays, films and slide shows about the biology of the area. The park is just a few kilometers north of Burrard Inlet, about 10km (6mi) northeast of downtown, and is accessible by car or bus." We hiked to the pedestrian bridge across a river. You are very high and swinging back/forth, cool and scary.
There is another suspension bridge, called the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which is "the greatest suspended footbridge in the world, spanning 137 metres (450
feet) across and 70 metres (230 feet) above the Capilano River Canyon." While that sounded neat, there is a charge here, while Lynn Canyon is free. We had thought about taking the gondola up to the top of Grouse Mountain but some locals we met said that there were two reasons why we shouldn't #1. there was a mountain bike race going on so it would be crowded, and the other more important reason was they said the hiking on Grouse Mtn is poor compared to Mt. Seymour.
We also rented bikes at Spokes Bicycle Rentals (1798 W. Georgia St, phone: 604.688.5141) which is only two blocks from Stanley Park. For being next to a large city, Stanley Park is incredible in its beauty. Make sure you spend some time here. We also biked south to Sunset Beach and then back to Spokes. Although we did not take a dip, there are some great looking beaches in Stanley Park and a pool with the terrific location of being right on the water.
Walked through Chinatown, toured the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/
Our Priceline rate was up at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel and we wanted to stay two more days, not a surprise but the Sheraton would not extend our rate. So we moved downtown and stayed at the Westin Bayshore Resort and Marina. Very nice hotel, close to much in the city.
There were great eats in Vancouver and Vancouver Island, I've listed our dining experiences in the Flyertalk Dining Forum.
Sadly our trip had to come to an end so we drove back to SEA to fly home. United's airfare to Vancouver from ORD was outrageous so we flew into SEA for less than ½ the price.
We loved Vancouver and Vancouver Island. For sure will be back.
Stayed in Victoria at the B&B Edwardian Inn http://www.bctravel.com/edwardianinn/ . The owner Ingrid serves a great breakfast. Sadly we only used the Edwardian Inn for one night and did not get to explore Victoria. Looked very interesting, but I was anxious to get to our main destination the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.
Before leaving Victoria, we visited the Butchart Gardens. I am not really a garden person, but this place was amazing. Just beautiful.
Spent two hours there, but a garden fan could probably easily spend the day. http://www.butchartgardens.com
As soon as you are outside Victoria, the road gives way to some gorgeous terrain. We headed up Hwy 1, past Nanaimo to Parksville where we caught 4 over to the west coast. If we thought 1 was gorgeous, we were even more pleased with 4. There are some very twisty turns and some washed out areas of 4 so make sure to allow enough travel time. I am a fast driver and the trip from Victoria to Ucluelet took 4 ½ hours.
In Ucluelet we stayed at the Ocean's Edge B&B. http://www.oceansedge.bc.ca
The Ocean's Edge is a house in the cul de sac of a typical suburban street, what is not typical is that Ocean's Edge is on it's own little peninsula on the ocean with a bald eagle's nest on the property (in a tree next to the garage). Ocean's Edge is a little over a mile outside town and is a nice walk, say to/from dinner. The owners, Susan & Bill, are very gracious and knowledgeable hosts. Bill conducts hikes in the areas, which we took advantage of. His knowledge was incredible, seeing as he used to be the chief naturalist of Pacific Rim National Park. My wife and I would have gone on the hikes and enjoyed them, but Bill's input made the hikes that much more informative. He also has that typical quirky Canadian humor. During our hike, whales were 1/3 mile offshore, frolicking. We did not have to use binoculars they were so close. The trial we hiked with Bill was the Wild Pacific Trial http://www.wildpacifictrail.com
Uclulet is not a shopper's town (thank God, I found one! J) it is a town that has two purposes, local industry and tourism, but not commercialized (although I can imagine in 10 years time it will be L).
The town of Tofino is a 35 minute drive to the north of Uclulet. Tofino is more developed and has more of the kitschy knick knack shops, but it is not overwhelming.
Between Uclulet and Tofino is the Pacific Rim Natural Park. http://parkscan.harbour.com/pacrim/ We hiked many of the trails in the park and all were fascinating.
Saw bear and other wildlife.
Some activities we did not do, (that we definitely will next time) are some ocean kayaking, and taking a seaplane tour of the area. I would also like to come back during storm season in the Fall to see some of the mighty storms hitting the coast.
We were taking a British Columbia 10am ferry from Nanaimo to Vancouver ( http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/ ) , Susan said we should leave early to make sure we make it in time for the ferry. We therefore left before breakfast that day, but Karen put together some juices, muffins, granola and some yogurt for the am drive. As I said before, I'm a fast driver and we arrived at the ferry terminal in Nanaimo with over an hour to spare. But because we had an advanced reservation (you pay extra for confirmed res) we were put first in a row of cars. This was terrific because as they were letting cars onto the ferry, we were directed onto the upper level and had the very center front row parking spot on the ferry. MAN what a view! Opened the sunroof and laid back taking in the view and listening to the radio. We sailed from Nanaimo/Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay north of Vancouver. Crossing took 90 minutes.
We had a Priceline reservation at the Sheraton Guilford. Some think the Guilford is too far out of downtown Vancouver. For the great Priceline rate we got it for and the fact that it is located a five minute drive from the Skytrain(which we took everyday downtown) we did not think it was bad at all. But if the rates are in the same proximity of downtown locations, don't bother saving a few $ and stay downtown.
In Vancouver, we did many things. Wife did some shopping; we went outside the city and hiked for a day at Mt Seymour Provincial Park http://www.vancouverplus.ca/profile/386457 . Following is a quote from Lonely Planet re: Mt. Seymour "Mt Seymour Provincial Park, This park is a quick escape from the city. There's a road most of the way up to the peak of Mt Seymour, or you can relax on the chair lift. There are several hiking trails and the views of the city and surrounds are beautiful. The park is 13km (8mi) northeast of downtown across the Burrard Inlet; you can get there by car or bus." Even if you don't hike, the drive alone to the top of the mountain within sight of Vancouver is well worth it.
Near Seymour mountain is Lynn Canyon Park. Following is a quote from Lonely Planet re: Lynn Canyon "Set in thick woods, this park gives a good glimpse of the rainforest vegetation so different from that found in eastern Canada. There's a suspension bridge over Lynn Canyon, many hiking trails, and a wealth of picnic and swimming spots. The Lynn Canyon Park Ecology Centre has displays, films and slide shows about the biology of the area. The park is just a few kilometers north of Burrard Inlet, about 10km (6mi) northeast of downtown, and is accessible by car or bus." We hiked to the pedestrian bridge across a river. You are very high and swinging back/forth, cool and scary.
There is another suspension bridge, called the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which is "the greatest suspended footbridge in the world, spanning 137 metres (450
feet) across and 70 metres (230 feet) above the Capilano River Canyon." While that sounded neat, there is a charge here, while Lynn Canyon is free. We had thought about taking the gondola up to the top of Grouse Mountain but some locals we met said that there were two reasons why we shouldn't #1. there was a mountain bike race going on so it would be crowded, and the other more important reason was they said the hiking on Grouse Mtn is poor compared to Mt. Seymour.
We also rented bikes at Spokes Bicycle Rentals (1798 W. Georgia St, phone: 604.688.5141) which is only two blocks from Stanley Park. For being next to a large city, Stanley Park is incredible in its beauty. Make sure you spend some time here. We also biked south to Sunset Beach and then back to Spokes. Although we did not take a dip, there are some great looking beaches in Stanley Park and a pool with the terrific location of being right on the water.
Walked through Chinatown, toured the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/
Our Priceline rate was up at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel and we wanted to stay two more days, not a surprise but the Sheraton would not extend our rate. So we moved downtown and stayed at the Westin Bayshore Resort and Marina. Very nice hotel, close to much in the city.
There were great eats in Vancouver and Vancouver Island, I've listed our dining experiences in the Flyertalk Dining Forum.
Sadly our trip had to come to an end so we drove back to SEA to fly home. United's airfare to Vancouver from ORD was outrageous so we flew into SEA for less than ½ the price.
We loved Vancouver and Vancouver Island. For sure will be back.