The last bits

Misty beaches make opaque pictures.

There is a large surfing community in this area.  The normal response is, "Well, they wear wet suits."  So?  It still seems very cold for surfing to me, but what do I know?

The little sea birds don't mind, of course.

We left our cozy cottage and headed back to Victoria.  This is the famous Empress Hotel.  You need deep pockets to stay here but it's fun to wander around inside and see how the other half lives.

The Parliament Building is an interesting structure, both inside and out.  Built in 1893 it remains in use today.

I'd seen pictures of these phone booths before but never in real life.  Who knows how long it will be there now that everyone has cell phones.

We took the ferry back to Seattle and spent the next day exploring again.  The Space Needle is probably the most recognized structure there but what we really enjoyed was the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame and the Sci Fi museum that goes along with it.

We returned home almost a month ago.  I had so much to catch up with at work that there has been very little time for blogging, but for now our little excursion has ended until the next great adventure.

There are bound to be more Scenic Sundays in our future.

Bear Watching in Tofino

In Tofino we signed up for a bear watching trip on a Zodiac boat.  We took a chance and it was so worth it!  There are many islands and passages to get lost in.

We wore big red suits for insulation because it was cold on the water.  Life vests were built into them.

The fog and the water played on each other in so many mystical ways.

And then we saw the bears!  We could hear them crunching on fresh crabs and watch them pull rocks aside as they searched for food.  Because we were in the boats we were able to get very close, unfortunately, I didn't have my zoom lens with me.  The boatman cut the engine and let us stay for a long time.

He said it was unusual for there to be two bears at once.  Usually they are solitary.  He thought perhaps there was a little courting going on here as they chased each other around.

We also saw a porpoise, an eagle and sea lions.  Seeing wildlife in their habitat is one of my most favorite experiences in life.

There are so many Scenic Sunday places to see.

Tofino, BC

Tofino is a little more touristy than Ucluelet, where we stayed, but it's entertaining with lots of good restaurants.

Isn't this a lovely place for lunch?

I could hardly believe my eyes when the sun shone on this beautiful flower.

Of course there are many water-related activities in the area.

It was a marvelous mix of clouds and blue sky that day.

We headed off for another hike before a bear watching boat trip later in the day.

This trail was almost entirely made out of wood and stairs.

We found these at the bottom.  And yes, of course, we had to walk all the way back up!

That was My World not too long ago.

Evening in Ucluelet and Morning on the Pacific Rim Beach

We played tourists for a day in Seattle and then the next day took the Victoria Clipper to Vancouver Island.  Rather than renting a car in Seattle, we used their excellent public transportation system.  Once we arrived in Victoria we picked up our rental car.  The agent there recommend a great place for lunch and we ate in a remodeled bus.  We visited the famous Butchart Gardens.  I had hoped to have endless, amazing pictures of it all, but unfortunately it was raining too hard that day to even consider hauling out the cameras.  The best I can do is suggest your visit their website, or better yet, plan to see it in person.

After a night in Victoria, we drove to the unusually economical cabin at Bird's Bay Retreat in Ucluelet, British Columbia.  It's about a five hour drive if you don't stop along the way, which we did, a lot.

As soon as we settled in we headed to the beach.  By then it was dusk.

Someone is very happy to be in the Pacific Rim Forest.  Truthfully I had never heard of it.  Gary said it was on his bucket list, so before I knew it was on mine, I was already there!

Most people know that the northwest is very damp and foggy.  It was.

The early riser in my life was up and ready to go the next day.  I lagged behind until we got a mocha espresso and pastry for breakfast.

Someone else explored the beach too.

There were signs on the beach warning visitors about large, dangerous waves.  They must be if they can move these huge logs up on the shore.

Tide pools are always fun to explore.

Who doesn't love waves crashing on the rocks?

So many scenic views there.

A glimpse of Seattle

The moist environment in Seattle seems to be perfect for growing flowers.

I love being able to walk along the water.  We had a delicious fresh seafood meal at Elliott's the night before.  I had the most divine crab cakes ever!

This talented young woman was outside dancing with her hula hoop to earn money for nursing school.  She posed for me so I donated a few dollars to the cause.  

I fell in love with otters on our trip to Alaska and was intrigued by this carved chair.  This handsome young man just looked right at me when I pointed my camera at him and took the shot.

This gentleman was my traveling companion for the week we spent in the northwest.  He had been wanting to revisit the area for years so we decided pretty much on the spur of the moment to go.

In a perfect world....

The Pike Street Market in Seattle would exist in my town too.  Can we clone it?

Fresh pepper wreaths are colorful, delicious and nutritious.

So many amazing fresh flowers to choose from.

Lots of fresh fish too.

It was such a treat to see all the marvelous displays.  I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to be able to shop here on a regular basis.

This was part of My World only a little over two weeks ago.