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Published: June 28th 2017
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We have joined many of the Canadian Coasters at the Saanich Fairgrounds, located in Saanich BC on beautiful Vancouver Island. It is great to see old friends and to meet our new travelling companions. There are still many that I have not had a chance to have a visit with and more will be arriving tomorrow. The excitement builds with each new arrival. Some we have not seen for seven years, so we have a lot of catching up to do. Rick Cathro and Bill Cross cooked us a yummy group breakfast this morning, so that got us all together to start the day. There is plenty to do and see so everyone went about their own ways after breakfast. Some cars needed some repair work. Some people went to dip their wheels into the Pacific and have their photo taken at mile “0”. Some went off to see some of the many tourist attractions or do a little shopping.
Saanich is a blend of urban and rural, a diverse community of entrepreneurs, artists, community-builders, and farmers, bordering on the City of Victoria. Victoria, the capitol BC is the second oldest city of western Canada and as such
Ab on the ferry to Swarz
Ab enjoying the view and the sunshine on the ferry has many beautiful old buildings. It is known as the City of Gardens. The downtown area is a mix of heritage and new. The weather has been marvelous, so everywhere there are people out walking and cycling.
We have been to the Butchart Gardens, the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings before so we choose to explore Craigdarroch Castle today. This legendary Victorian mansion, built between 1887 and 1890 on a hill overlooking the City of Victoria, announced to the world that Robert Dunsmuir was the richest and most important man in Western Canada. The family only lived in it for 18 years. It housed a Military Hospital, Victoria College, Victoria School Board and Victoria Conservatory of Music, before becoming a Historic House Museum. From the tower on the top floor there are panoramic views of the city, the ocean and the mountains beyond. With four floors of exquisite stained glass windows, intricate woodwork and fabulous Victorian-era furnishings, it is an amazing structure worthy of a full half day visit. We only managed an hour but I recommend a visit if you have the time, if only to see how the upper crust lived during the early
Meeting another ferry
Meeting another ferry in Active Pass days.
Tomorrow will be a busy day with several parties arriving, a meet and greet, the Send off Luncheon and a Car show and shine. The next day we will be on the ferry back to the mainland and on to Agassiz in the beautiful Fraser Valley.
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Dave and Dar
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Hi
Such an interesting blog read Shirley. Love your pics of Ab too. Keep it up and look forward to reading more. Have a wonderful adventure across our beautiful country. You'll have so many great experiences. Keep safe and healthy ...the same for Ab??