Dateline May 6, 2011 Vancouver Island, Bristish Columbia

As John said good-bye to his new friends on Whidbey Island we headed to Vancouver Island and Victoria.  We traveled over Deception Pass, unbelievable views on our way to Anacordes for the ferry to British Columbia.  Even with the rain the views from the ferry were great, I can imagine how wonderful they would be in the sunshine.  We stopped in Friday Harbor, one of John’s favorite spots in the San Juan Islands and then headed for Sidney, just north of Victoria.  Going through customs into Canada was uneventful. We declared our 26 bottles of wine (doesn’t everyone travel with a small cellar!!)and our Mount Gay Rum; lo and behold when the agent met us he gave us ideas on where to go and did not charge us duty on the wine..(I have always believed honesty is the best policy).  We have been on the island all week and I have to tell you this is absolutely beautiful!  Viewing the ocean and the snow-capped mountains in one place is exceptional.

On to Victoria, just beautifully set against the water..wow..we walked the streets and then took the drive around the city along the water as recommended by everyone.  We

then headed west toward Sooke for the night..what a wonderful choice, the area was beautiful and the place we stayed was quaint small town park setting right on the river.

In the morning we took a walk along the river and watched the swan attacking the geese with the babies floating in the river.

Next morning we left to see Butchart Gardens,   it was well worth the ride..the spring flowers were incredible..

There were so many beautiful things..here are a few of the pictures!

We then left the gardens and headed north up the west side of the Island. On our way we were reading our maps and a nice old gentleman came up to ask if he could help. He recommended Parksville as one of the most beautiful places, so off we headed north. On the way we traveled into the small towns with views that were incredible, one after another, then we came upon Mt. Benton Golf Course. We stopped in and the assistant pro said we could play the next day after 3 for $25 and also told us a bout a great RV place to stop up the road. Off we went and stayed the night at Rondalyn Resort, by the Nanimo airport it was a great stop right on the river and great clean showers and rest rooms.

The next morning off we headed to Parksville and we were not let down it was wonderful.

This is the beach at low tide, the tide goes out 1 kilometer so we were able to walk out

to the ocean and around the point. It was very incredible especially with the mountains across the island in the backdrop.

We then continued up the coast to a place called Qualicum Beach..and we found the golf course

to play it was the town course 4 oldest course in BC, every hole was a challenge (our first round since mid March). After we drank some wine and grabbed some food and found our next overnight at a park just north in Qualicum Beach..lovely place to stay for the evening.

The next morning we got the call that the camera lens was ready so we headed back to Victoria to pick up the lens. It was about a 2.5 hour drive down with a few stops along the way. The lens worked perfect so we decided to stay close to the ferry for our trip over to Vancouver and the mainland.

We will be spending the weekend in the wine country, will let you know how it goes..Only 8 more days until we meet everyone in Dawson Creek!