From Astoria, Oregon, we headed north over the big bridge that spans the Columbia River. Along the way we encountered the following sight and even turned the RV around to go back for a photo. A chimney complete with smoke coming out of an RV!! We are spending the weekend here in Port Angeles at the home of old friends from Navy days. We are at the 'apex' of our trip. We have been gone 5 weeks now and we are as far from home as we are going to get. 1960 miles as the crow flies. (Can a crow fly that far??). When we leave here, our heading will be east and south, instead of west and north (hoping to find warmer weather). Port Angeles is on the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, west of Seattle. The peninsula is home to Olympic National Park with majestic mountains, rainforests, and scenic seashores. We toured this area 3 years ago over a long weekend, but didn't have time for a ferry ride to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. That was the focus of this visit. Our friend is a bee keeper and we have learned a lot about bees, but only a fraction of what beekeeping is all about. They have a successful small business selling the honey. In addition to gift shops in the area, the weekly Farmer's Market is another outlet. Since Saturday was a rainy day, Mary Lou and Winona spent the day making doll clothes. Winona is into quilting, and below is an amazing quilted wall hanging she made. Port Angeles is a quaint little town nestled between the Olympic mountain range and the Strait of Juan de Fuca which leads to the sea. Note the murals on the buildings and the large ship which is the ferry to Victoria. The ferry ride to Victoria takes about 90 minutes. Ferries are a major way to get around in this area, and several operate out of Seattle to the various islands and even to other parts of the mainland. They are quite comfortable with a snack bar, rest rooms, etc. Victoria is a fun tourist town with the usual shops and seaport sights. The Empress Hotel (to the right in the photo above) and the Provincial Capital building are magnificent sights from the Harbor. We have established a little fun thing about Mary Lou's friends. Below is another 'friend' photo, but this one should have been Chuck's friend! From the side, she had good legs too. Sorry we missed this opportunity. We took a 30 minute bus ride to the premier attraction of Victoria, and really, the main reason to come here. Butchart Gardens has been an attraction for over 100 years. Once the limestone quarry on the property played out, Mrs. Butchart began developing the gardens. The plants are changed out each season of the year with special attention at Christmas time. It take about 2 hours to spend time wandering around, but best to follow the prescribed route to see it all. The following photos are a brief sampling of the beauty of the layout as well as the flowers. Click small images below. This day was Mother's Day and the British Columbia Concert Orchestra was here for their annual Mother's Day performance. What luck! Another friend. Victoria harbor had these little local ferries that seemed to scurry around like water bugs. There were houseboats here, too. We've had a great visit here, but Monday we head south. But not far. Stay tuned.
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Who Are We?
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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