Blogs from Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, North America

Wednesday 28 June We did the big pack-up and move today. A bit like the Salish people and their horse and teepee migrations. Fortunately our migration today is made up of little chunks and stops whenever I need to feed. The first ferry to Quadra Island had lots of warm sunshine and we saw whales playing. Actually we didn't see much of the whales, just misty squirts, so I don't really know what they are. They looked a lot smaller / further away than when we were on the yacht. I needed a stop after the ferry, so we had lunch in a nature reserve - Rebecca Spit. It was windy up top but past the logs on the pebble beach was warm, but only daddy went swimming. I liked the super tall trees and bald ... read more

Geo: 49.1892, -123.979Just by chance, we dropped by the Harbour View seaplane office/terminal that's next to Coal Harbour in Vancouver and they had a good rate on flights to Nanaimo so, never wanting to pass up a new adventure, we booked a couple of tiny seats on one of these floating and flying tin cans. I was really impressed with the whole experience- it was a reminder of what flying used to be before government bureaucrats and airlines turned it into hours of unbroken misery. Easy check-in and luggage storage, free coffee and muffins in a comfortable lounge, and free Wifi and computers. The Captain guided us along the dock area on a beautiful sunny day, and even packed our luggage in the hold- if transiting from one place to another was always this much fun, ... read more

o About 20 miles outside of Whistler, I see the best view Ive seen yet on the trip! This huge mountain range with a giant glacier on it. I sat on the side of the road and stared in awe for about 30 minutes.(see pics which wont do it justice). Then I headed into Vancouver which is my first big city in more than a month. I passed through downtown, past the stadiums, had some amazing thai food, then I wanted to get out of there. Cities are stressful, wheres the forest again? So I booked a ferry to Nainamo on Vancouver Island with the hopes of doing the whole island the next day before it rained. I got in and stayed in a hotel/hostel. Next day, im off to do the whole island and it ... read more

There are only 2 days remaining before I begin my trip accross United States and Canada.. I expect to visit Washington State..Oregon.. Idaho..Utah.. Colorado.. Nebraska.. Iowa.. Illinois.. Ohio.. Pennslyvania.. and New York State. I can only hope that I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. It really isn't that big a deal when I consider that each day I am limiting to about 500 kilometers. Motels will be my home and restaurants my kitchen. I'm a little concerned about just how much to pack. At this point, considering the limited space on my Harley, I'm planning on 3 change of clothes and an Amanda Washing Machine. Arlene is a little anxious as this will be the first time during our marriage that she has been left alone in the house. It's usually her that ... read more

Playing around with this... read more