Picture of Vancouver
Caption: Canada or Bust Summer
2018 An 11-day long roadtrip
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: 3:30pm Leave office for home. Arrive at Home, load up car and head out. 7pm 9pm Sleep and wake up for next leg. 5pm Arrive at Black Butte and set up camp.
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: We were already stressed getting to camp in the darkness, then finding the earth too hard to even get tent pegs into, being swarmed by millions of bugs while eating and worst of all the sweltering night heat in the 90s. The next morning the temperature has dropped and the bugs disappeared.
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: Lake Shasta Little did I realize I'd be back here later in October.
Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: Day 2 Portland, Oregon
Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: TO Eat Our last visit to Portland, we found Noraneko ramen and this time, we tried out Yama Sushi & Izakaya on SE 21st and SE Clinton.
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Caption: Portland to Victoria, B.C.
Via
Port Angeles Day 4
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Caption: I had driven from Seattle to Medford several years before, but I never had driven up the Olympic peninsula before. Here in one of the United States' rain forests, lay a lush land, peppered with homes on the water, painted wooden boats rocking against the slightest waves.
Our ultimate goal was to reach Port Angeles to catch the noon ferry to Victoria.
Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: Arriving in Port Angeles after what seemed like an eternity on curvy back roads, we were greeted by a sleepy town on the northern tip of the Olympic peninsula. The ferry that would bring us into Victoria would be here in a few hours.
Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: Trip time: one hour, thirty minutes Canada Bound
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: Car safely stowed on board, the MV Coho would take us on the short journey across the border. She has been working continuously since the 1960s and full of vintage charm.
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Caption: A relatively calm crossing. See you USA, we'll be back in a few days!
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Caption: Victoria,
British Columbia
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Picture of Vancouver
Picture of Vancouver
Caption: We got to see miniature world in the lower level of the empress hotel! I've always wanted to see this.
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Caption: The Empress Hotel from Parliament Lawn
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Caption: The day we were supposed to leave, we met up with my cousin at her restaurant in downtown. Agrias specializes in 100% organic, farm to table food.
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Caption: EAT & DRINK Brioche french toast with organic ice cream.
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Caption: Me Kristan Jasmine Ben
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Caption: Sunken Garden
Butchart
Gardens
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Picture of Vancouver
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Caption: A secret view
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Caption: Day 6 Victoria to Vancouver
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Caption: My grand uncle had worked as a chef on the BC Ferries back in the 1970s until he retired. Our ferry slipped away from the docks at Swartz Bay bound for Tsawassen on the mainland.
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Caption: The first day out, it was hot and humid as we wandered around Vancouver.
The only solution was cold beer and pizza.
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Caption: From Stanley Park you can see all of the city. There's a regular sea plane service between the two cities. There's even a chevron floating gas station for all the boats and ferries.
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Caption: The tiniest little tugboat
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Caption: Our last full day here, we ventured into North Vancouver to explore the Lynn Valley
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Video of Lynn Valley
Lynn Valley
Caption: Be a Visitor Our last full day had tuckered us out in Lynn Valley so the last thing we did was visit Granville island to enjoy the markets and various artists shops
Picture of Lynn Valley
Picture of Lynn Valley
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: Day 9 Across the Border:
Tillamook bound
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: Filled with fond memories of Canada, alas we had to say farewell and return back to the United States. Our route would take us down I-5 through Seattle, past Tacoma and into Portland and hopefully we could camp in one of the few spaces in the Tillamook state forest.
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: It however was not meant to be. Oregonians are notorious for their love of the outdoors and every single camping spot was taken. We tried calling a state park on the beach with over 200 spaces and every single one was filled. We found camp at an RV park across the road from the Tillamook cheese factory. Not ideal but better than not knowing what to do.
Picture of Lynn Valley
Picture of Lynn Valley
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: -Steven Cojocaru "I was on the bridge overlooking the carpet...I think it went all the way back to Oregon."
Lynn Valley
Caption: Our final full day on our trip, we drove the majority of the length of the Oregon coast, from Tillamook to Port Orford.
Picture of Lynn Valley
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: We awoke, shrouded in the fog and shivering. Probably the first time the whole trip. One warm breakfast later we were ready to make the final drive all the way back to the SF Bay.
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: Our way back would take us down highway 101. Unfortunately, we had gotten news that the day after we passed through Redding, the Carr fire had just started and we were heading straight for the Mendocino Complex.
Picture of Lynn Valley
Picture of Lynn Valley
Caption: A sobering end to the trip, we had covered over two thousand miles in the last few days. #roadtrip #canada #washington #oregon #oregoncoast #portland #victoria #vancouver #ferry #wildfire #camping #travel #beepbeep
