Day 72: Victoria

Location: Victoria, British Columbia

We slept in the car again last night, which has become very comfortable. Julia woke up before me and decided to go for a jog with Data, which was probably great for both of them. I used to run in the woods with Data every day before we left for the trip, so he was probably thrilled. We then went back to Blenz for a few before setting out for the day. Our first stop on the way to the ferry was at the Fritz European Fry House, which Chris had recommended to us when we first arrived. We had fries and a veggie hot dog, both of which were good, but not as unique as one would expect from a place that specializes in fries. In fairness, I think their specialty is in their dips, toppings and sauces, not the fries themselves.

After walking around the area and stopping for gas, we set out for the ferry docks. We arrived at approximately 5 p.m., meaning the next ferry was at 7 p.m. We spent our free time relaxing, walking Data and browsing around the little shopping area nearby. Because the Thule top put the Suburban’s height at roughly 7′5″, we had to pay the oversize rate, which was about $90 ($60 for the car, $10 per person plus tax).

The ferry ride itself was easy and uneventful. It took about 90 minutes and we spent most of the time in the car watching an episode of The Wire that I had downloaded. There was a pet area, but it was basically just a small room with concrete floors and nobody in it, so we just let Data hang around on the back seat. We also walked around the passenger decks, but since it was raining, there wasn’t much to see.

Upon arrival at Vancouver Island, we had one initial mission: shower. We hadn’t showered since leaving Chris’, so we both felt grubby. We tried to find the nearest campground, which turned into an adventure. First, we turned too soon and ended up in some coastal town. Then, we couldn’t find the turnoff we needed at all, so we ended up about 30 minutes past the campground we were looking for. Luckily, we stumbled upon some other random campground, where we happily took showers and refilled our water bottles.

After showering, we drove back into downtown Victoria, stopping at McDonald’s for a quick snack. We can tell the city is nice, but since it’s rainy and dark, it will be interesting to see what it really looks like.

We initially went to the Marriott to steal some internet, but their network was horrible, so now we are sitting in the car in front of Subway, which has wireless internet.

Tomorrow, we are going to explore!

Here are a few photos from the ferry.

The Suburban in the hubcap of a tractor trailer.

Pipes on the ceiling.