We started early from Dallas today. The 7 AM Air Canada flight took us to Vancouver by 9.30 AM. Uneventful customs and baggage pick-up (a snafu here would have been a considerable trip-up) saw us sitting in the rental car by 10.45 AM.
We made our way to a quaint brunch place called Cora (www.chezcora.com). The weather was a bit chilly but was a refreshing change from 100 + degree weather in Dallas. The brunch was delicious. We grabbed a Gigi omelette, burrito and a medley of fruits along with a fruit cocktail. Great start to the day and tour!
There was a Bulkbarn nearby from where we picked up a couple of bottles of water and chocolates covered ginger. A 30 minute drive took us to the BC Ferry terminal at Tsawassen (www.bcferries.com). We reached around 12.30 PM and hoped to grab the 1 PM ferry. Looks like many others thought so too and we had to settle for the 2 PM one. A 90 minute wait sped by fast and we drove the car into the ferry at 2.
Ferry takes 90 minutes to reach Schwartz Bay from Tsawassen. It is a big ferry with two decks for vehicles, two passenger decks and a sun deck. We split our times between` the sun deck (still a bit chilly for the Texans!) and the passenger deck. The ferry weaved through couple of islands, traversed US waters briefly and dropped us off at Schwartz Bay exactly at 3.30. The ride and view felt like a train ride on water.
A short drive of 25 minutes from Schwartz Bay took us to the famed Butchart Gardens (www.butchartgardens.com). It was amazing to see how persistent human effort can convert a quarry into a thing of natural beauty. The gardens were gorgeous - especially the Rose Garden.
We then drove over to our destination for the night - Our Place Bed & Breakfast at Nanoose Bay. With a pit stop at a Wal-mart near Butchart Gardens to pick up some food, it took us three hours. The drive was easy and uneventful. We had earlier debated staying somewhere closer to Duncan but wanted to spend more time in Ucluelet than here. In hind sight, that was the right decision.
___________________________________________________________
7 - 9.30 AM : Flight from Dallas to Vancouver
9.30 - 2 PM : Airport - Brunch - Waiting for Ferry
2 - 3.30 PM : Ferry from Tsawwassen to Schwartz Bay
4 - 6 PM : Butchart Gardens
6 - 9 PM : Grocery pick-up and drive to Nanoose Bay
Distance covered: 250 KM
____________________________________________________________
What we could have done differently:
Reserve the ferry in advance - would have saved us an hour. And use that to visit the Butterfly Museum near Butchart Gardens. Or stop and see the totems at Duncan.
We had also considered going down the rim to stay at Port Renfrew - saving it for the next trip!
We made our way to a quaint brunch place called Cora (www.chezcora.com). The weather was a bit chilly but was a refreshing change from 100 + degree weather in Dallas. The brunch was delicious. We grabbed a Gigi omelette, burrito and a medley of fruits along with a fruit cocktail. Great start to the day and tour!
There was a Bulkbarn nearby from where we picked up a couple of bottles of water and chocolates covered ginger. A 30 minute drive took us to the BC Ferry terminal at Tsawassen (www.bcferries.com). We reached around 12.30 PM and hoped to grab the 1 PM ferry. Looks like many others thought so too and we had to settle for the 2 PM one. A 90 minute wait sped by fast and we drove the car into the ferry at 2.
Ferry takes 90 minutes to reach Schwartz Bay from Tsawassen. It is a big ferry with two decks for vehicles, two passenger decks and a sun deck. We split our times between` the sun deck (still a bit chilly for the Texans!) and the passenger deck. The ferry weaved through couple of islands, traversed US waters briefly and dropped us off at Schwartz Bay exactly at 3.30. The ride and view felt like a train ride on water.
A short drive of 25 minutes from Schwartz Bay took us to the famed Butchart Gardens (www.butchartgardens.com). It was amazing to see how persistent human effort can convert a quarry into a thing of natural beauty. The gardens were gorgeous - especially the Rose Garden.
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| Butchart Gardens |
We then drove over to our destination for the night - Our Place Bed & Breakfast at Nanoose Bay. With a pit stop at a Wal-mart near Butchart Gardens to pick up some food, it took us three hours. The drive was easy and uneventful. We had earlier debated staying somewhere closer to Duncan but wanted to spend more time in Ucluelet than here. In hind sight, that was the right decision.
___________________________________________________________
7 - 9.30 AM : Flight from Dallas to Vancouver
9.30 - 2 PM : Airport - Brunch - Waiting for Ferry
2 - 3.30 PM : Ferry from Tsawwassen to Schwartz Bay
4 - 6 PM : Butchart Gardens
6 - 9 PM : Grocery pick-up and drive to Nanoose Bay
Distance covered: 250 KM
____________________________________________________________
What we could have done differently:
Reserve the ferry in advance - would have saved us an hour. And use that to visit the Butterfly Museum near Butchart Gardens. Or stop and see the totems at Duncan.
We had also considered going down the rim to stay at Port Renfrew - saving it for the next trip!
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