Oh Canada!: A 'Whale' of a 'Tail'

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On this session of the Amazing Voyage (no relation to CBS's Amazing Race), our travelers had a quick overnight pitstop in Seattle, Washington on their way to British Columbia. They raced around Seattle on foot to see the traditional sights of the Space Needle, Pike's Place Fish Market, and the Sculpture Park. Pike's Place is a very large open-air market where the famous FISH management/work philosophy was based. These men seem to very much enjoy their jobs, throwing fish, yelling, and exciting the crowd with their antics (including a monkfish that they use to scare unsuspecting children(/me)).

The team with a full nights rest made their way northward to Vancouver, BC. Two nights in a hostel (Eric's first time in a hostel ever) and some sightseeing allowed the two to get accustomed to BC before they began the voyage southward towards San Diego, the official end of this summer's adventure. Vancouver's aquarium within the Stanley Park hike from the hostel, afforded the team with rare views of Beluga whales including a newborn, and the giant fish of the amazon, the Arapaima, and of course what journey would be complete without a cayman. Vancouver also has one of the largest Chinatown's, where the pair were able to dine in an authentic (hanging ducks in window, Caleb being ignored, entire menu in Mandarin, tea being served instead of water, water requests getting evil glare) Chinese restaurant. The trip through Vancouver seemed to pass very quickly as the soon to be cyclists head north once again.

A few days of cycling followed with overnights in Robert's Creek Prov Park and a primitive, but beautiful lakeside campsite near Mermaid Cover reached by a "road" which tested the very heart (and shocks/struts) of the Fit. The team faced challenges such as the continual alarm clock of a Canadian sunrise at 4:15am and cycling through more elevation changes than 'training' had prepared them for. Mid-journey through the descent through BC, the team detoured to Ucluelet, BC (pronounced you-clue-let) for none other than a Whale watching boat trip! The boat trip was purely awesome. Eric managed to sight the first (and only reachable) whale sighting of the day, earning his team top marks! The humpback whale provided many photo opportunities. Other wildlife observed on the trip included bald eagles, a sea otter, sea lions, seals, and the spout of what is believed to have been a grey whale. The town was full of surprises as it is also a pretty popular surf spot. Weather was beautiful in BC however with only passing rain throughout this leg of the journey. The team opted to leave Ucluelet and beginning to fully understand the passing joke that BC = bring cash, skip the remainder of the BC cycling and head directly for San Juan Island, WA, catching another ferry (totaling now 4 ferry rides) and passing through Victoria, BC.

Next time on the Amazing Journey: the team heads to San Juan Island, where the fabled Orca whales are rumored to be spotted by shore and possibly a kayak trip, furthering their trek southward through Washington State towards San Diego .

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Photos

Get Bitten!
So we were very close to Forks, WA

the Motherland
the first and best of them all. They were literally every 10 feet.

Needs No Title
Funnily...it is the cruise terminal

scary monkfish
fake monkfish to scare people

Kayaker
So at the end of a 5mile hike, you reach the 'Narrows'. This area of water can flow upto 16knots. These kayakers were enjoying the waves.

Woman in Wetsuit
Not sure why in Vancouver's Stanley Park, but there she sits

Comments

[Sarah]

Sunrise
Hey! I love the blog--I think you should maintain a life blog after this :). I feel your pain on the sunrises--I just moved to a new flat and don't have curtains yet (shops are only open working hours and I conveniently work during those...). The summer solstice was Sunday and sunrise was at about 3:30 (well, sunrise is actually later, but it gets light by then). This morning I woke up, sure I'd overslept my alarm, only to find that it was 3:50. I'm not sure months of no sun + months of too much sun = normal sun average. Can't wait to hear about the orcas! ~Sarah

[Pam]

If you see our gov, send him home...
Eric, just to keep you up on what's going on in SC, turns out our governor's been missing since Thursday. His wife says she doesn't know where he is, but told her he was going to do some writing. His staff announced yesterday he's hiking the Appalachian trail. Per one of our senators he took a SLED vehicle on Thursday, told his security to stand down, and "Ain't nobody seen from him or heard from him since." He could have prevented all the fuss if he'd done a travel blog :)

[Robin]

Wow! Oh to be young again...you might have a tagalong! Sounds like you're having great fun and I must admit that I am jealous!! We got Becka settled into her apartment in Jacksonville. Mark was NOT happy about leaving her alone in a Marine town for a week and a half, but she has become quite saavy and I know she will be fine. She knows Jacksonville like the back of her hand and drives the Dodge Ram like a pro. Beau is scheduled to be home on the 29th and Becka called me yesterday to inform me that he had called and told her to buy a new dress...a long one...(Caleb, I know you fully appreciate how excited she was about this!) for something special he had planned for her when he returns. They hope to get home for the 4th of July. So far the highlight of my summer has been finding LOTS of sharks teeth and some real sea glass on Onslow Beach at Camp Lejeune. See why I'm jealous??? Just kidding...I'm having a ball with my kids! Caleb, when you get home, PLEASE come by with pictures and tell us all about your travels! We're still anxious to hear about Argentina too!! Take care and travel safely. We're looking forward to hearing more from you soon! Today I am thankful...that I am not having to pedal your bike up and down all those hills!!! Love, Robin