Travelogue: Vancouver Island, Part 2 (Days 26-29)
Vancouver Island is pretty big; about 460km from top to bottom, which is just about the straight-line distance from Toronto to Montreal.
However, it feels much bigger than that, because unlike a Toronto to Montreal trip, there are no long, straight highways to get you from one pace to another. Everything winds and climbs and drops and turns. It's a bit like travelling by roller coaster.
After spending a fantastic three days in Tofino, it was time to explore Vancouver Island's lower third; that is, the capital of Victoria and its surrounding area.
Our first stop south from Nanaimo was the little town of Duncan, known for its totem poles. Well, I suppose the entire island is known for its totem poles, but Duncan did the clever thing of comissioning dozens of totem poles by various artists and putting them all over the town, connected by little yellow painted feet on the sidewalk. In this way, tourists are invited to walk the trail, unwittingly walking a circuit past most major downtown businesses.
In addition to seeing the many lovely totem poles, the other thing I noticed on the way around Duncan was that the mayor, who was running for re-election at the time of our visit, has the last name Duncan. Which seems like an unfair advantage.
Victoria and its suburbs were easily the highlight of this part of the trip. Or rather, a series of highlights, including:
The weather, which was between 18 and 22 degrees each day
The huge skatepark, pump track, and playground at Topaz Park
The Legislative building, which lights up each night like it's Christmas
The incredible Malahat Skywalk; an observation tower with a playground at the base, and perhaps Canada's most epic slide swirling its way down the middle
The small town of Sooke, where we stayed, and its friendly seals that swam past our window each morning
The drive up the coast to Mystic Beach, where we picnicked in a seaside cave and watched a waterfall empty directly onto the beach
I felt a slight pang of guilt for having spent an entire week just on Vancouver Island, when we'd driven through the entire province of Saskatchewan in just a day, but in my defense, 1) we will see more of Saskatchewan on our way back, and 2) Vancouver Island is unbelievable. Another week would have been easy to fill; we didn't even go "up island" as the locals say, to visit anything north of Nanaimo, which is the island's approximate mid-point.
Next up: the Yukon!
But before you go...if you believe in the power of play (and if you're here you probably do) please consider donating to our cross-Canada road trip by clicking here. It would mean a lot!
