After a very long day of driving, waiting to board the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria and then finally heading north for the 1 hour drive to Cowichan Bay, we pulled up in front of our house at exactly 5pm. The first thing I noticed was our front lawn had been cut thanks to our good neighbor Ted! I backed the 5’er into the driveway and we commenced unloading some of the essential stuff and belongings.
Crossing the Columbia River at 7am from Oregon to Washington
At least we had more great weather for our last day on the road for this vacation. We ran into a few clouds in mid-Washington state but the further north we drove the warmer it got and the clearer the skies became.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge
About mid-morning we sailed over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and avoided the tolls as there’s no charge for the direction we were going. We had to pay on the way down though so we didn’t get off totally free.
Hood Canal Floating Bridge
Not long after the Tacoma Narrows Bridge we found ourselves driving over another of my very favourite bridges – the Hood Canal Floating Bridge. I think I’ve mentioned before I love driving over bridges – the higher the better and if they’re floating bridges that’s better still. Paulette hates bridges but keeps busy by snapping hundreds of photos with my camera.
The MV Coho in Port Angeles ready for boarding to Victoria
We arrived in Port Angeles just before noon in lots of time for our 2pm sailing to Victoria. I had made a reservation on-line the night before so we had to be there at least 1 hour prior to sailing time. It’s a good thing I did make a reservation as the ferry was full.
Paulette’s all smiles as we’re about to disembark in Victoria
Dogs aren’t allowed above the car deck on the ferry so while Paulette went up to the passenger lounge, I took Molly and Rylie into the 5’er and stretched out on our sofa with a couple of Paulette’s nice, warm quilts and enjoyed a nice 90 minute siesta.
Sailing into Victoria’s Inner Harbour
The big exit doors for vehicles were open on the ferry as we sailed into Victoria giving us a fantastic view of Victoria’s beautiful and busy Inner Harbour.
A Whale Watching boat heading out into Juan de Fuca Strait
Float Plane taxies for take-off
A short video clip of us arriving in Victoria
Once we were docked, we drove off the ship and went through Canada Customs who are setup in lanes right in the ferry parking lot. It was a breeze. The Customs Agent simply asked where we lived, how long we’d been gone, what was the value of the goods we were bringing back and with that said “welcome back to Canada”!!
Driving home past the Legislative Buildings
After clearing customs, we drove along Belleville St. right in front of the B.C. Legislative Buildings. Everything sure looked fresh and green and it was very warm out too – in the mid-60’s. We enjoyed the drive up over the Malahat seeing all of the old familiar places we enjoy so much like Thetis Lake Park, Goldstream, Spectacle Lake and, of course, Mill Bay Nature Park.
Yes, the flowers say we’re home!
Friday, we’ll continue unpacking the 5’er, sorting through 3 months of mail and generally getting organized. I’ve gotten a bit behind on some of your blogs, but I promise as soon as I’m fixed up here, I’ll do my best to catch up with all of you. It’s great to be home!
Have a great Friday, and thanks again for visiting!
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