0005 7th May - Saanichton to Duncan

Woke up to a beautiful clear blue sky – But chilly at about 10 deg C.  The sea was absolutely mill-pond flat.  Just cannot believe how lucky we are being with the weather at the moment – But we enjoy it in the knowledge that in this part of the world it will rain again shortly !!

Sat on the (rocky – like New Milton !!) beach by the van, having a cup of tea and shaving, watching another (or was it the same one as last night ?) Great Blue Heron catching fish for breakfast.  He caught one that was more like a snake  It kept wrapping itself round his beak !  Even got a photo of it !!

Meanwhile the many  people who were setting up everything for the TV shoot were coming down the (very narrow and steep) hill – Truck after truck – Generators, cabling, fake trees, motorhomes for the stars, fancy toilets – You name it.  All we know is that this is an American version of the British TV show called Broad Church, and the US version is going to be called Break Point, and stars, amongst others, Nick Nolte.  Anyway it was interesting to see how many people are involved in it all.

 

We eventually got out and wound our way up the hill and headed south towards Victoria.  We had been told to go to see Beacon Hill Park, which we did, and it was all very nice but, since we had been at Butchart Gardens only yesterday, we didn’t feel the need to explore on foot.  But lots of walking and cycle paths, and definitely a place to see again another time. 

We then went on into town, and found the Royal BC Museum, and after working out how the local street parking pay system worked, and with the help of a really helpful Indian cabby, we eventually reached the museum.  Excellent museum, with lots of First Nation information and history, but we were limited both by our parking meter and also where we wanted to reach this evening, so set off after a couple of hours.  We had a quick picnic in the park sitting in the sun, where Janet fed a hungry raven, and afterwards we eventually found the “touristy” part of town, along the waterfront, with restaurants, gift shops, yachts, float planes, B double bicycle rickshaws (yes TWO trailers !!) and a LOT of ice cream shops in which I caught Janet going into on several occasions, although to her credit she didn’t buy one !  (She had a couple of tasters though !!)   In the sunshine it was absolutely gorgeous, and we spent a good hour or so wandering around.  The Empress hotel is architecturally stunning, and is a part of the Fairmont chain like the one at Lake Louise, which would explain its similarity !!

 

After our wander through town, we took off out of Victoria, heading north on Highway ! Some of the views over Esquimalt Harbour, and later the Saanich Inlet, as we drove up the scenic coast road to Mill Bay and then on to Duncan, were stunning, and we were so lucky to have the clear blue skies so we could even see Mt Baker on the mainland in the US, that my sister sees from Anacortes.    I am planning to visit a Lotus acquaintance in Chermainus tomorrow, so we stopped in Duncan at about 5 pm, and found an “acceptable” camp site – Not as dramatic or scenic as last nights, but a lot cheaper and it has showers, toilets, and wifi !!

 No sooner had we parked than a Quebecois named Dennis Ranger saw our rig and came over for a chat !  Very friendly and another person keen to go to Australia and explore !  Lets hope his dreams come true and he makes it before too long. 

 

Lovely steak, and a bottle of red, and we settled in for the evening.

Photos here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0005VancouverIsland?authkey=Gv1sRgCMaq_7K52Mz9OQ#