In 2019, we spent an idyllic summer exploring Canada’s Maritime Provinces, followed by a leisurely fall journey down the East Coast of the U.S. It seems like a lifetime ago, and an alternate reality. I’ve been wanting to write about those adventures for almost a year. Instead, my attention has been consumed by surviving the […]
Archive for Canada
Every year, just for fun, I choose a few critters that I would like to see in our travels. In 2019, on my wishlist were Green Kingfishers (success in South Texas!), Atlantic Puffins, and moose. Our best bet for seeing Atlantic Puffins—and getting close enough to photograph them—was to head to the Maritimes. Of course, […]
After our low-key week in the Adirondacks, we entered Canada in early July for our summer of adventures. Crossing the border into Québec, we were greeted with a cheery “Bonjour/Hello!!” and were quickly on our way. Our first destination: Québec City, an enchanting 400-year old city with strong ties to its French heritage. It’s like […]
We’ve had a lot of wonderful adventures in our four-and-a-half years of full-time travels, but our five weeks on Vancouver Island was definitely one of the highlights so far. From outdoor adventures to world-class museums and farmers’ markets to gourmet restaurants, Vancouver Island offers all of the things we enjoy, wrapped up in a package […]
In mid-October, we wrapped up our Vancouver Island adventure with a few days in Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. It’s kind of like traveling to England without having to cross the Atlantic. Afternoon tea, flower-filled gardens, and horse-drawn carriages trotting along streets lined with grand Victorian architecture are reminders of Victoria’s British colonial […]
Just off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island lie the Gulf Islands, an archipelago of more than 200 craggy and wild isles. Many are little more than rocky prominences; a few are large enough to be quite civilized, in the unique Pacific Northwest style of artistic hippie chic, mossy forest trails, exquisite coastline, and a […]
There’s only one highway that traverses Vancouver Island from south to north. Which means that as we returned south from our northern and western explorations of the island in early October, we had the opportunity to visit places that we missed the first time around. Southern Vancouver Island boasts of a Mediterranean climate, which seems […]
Wading through thick fog on a late September morning, we boarded the MV Frances Barkley, a sturdy steel-hulled 1950’s vintage ferry originally built for the fjords of Norway. Along with 40 other passengers, bags of mail, and freight for outposts along the route, we chugged out of Port Alberni. Our destination: Bamfield, a remote village […]
“You ARE going to Tofino, aren’t you?” That was the query of everyone we met on Vancouver Island. Considered the gem of the island, Tofino has it all—astonishingly beautiful scenery, epic outdoor adventures, and a surprisingly sophisticated food scene. All this, in a town of 2,000 perched on the remote and wild west coast of […]
Nestled into a peaceful inlet on the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island lies a tiny, picturesque boardwalk village with a reputation for outstanding whale watching. This would be our furthest northernmost adventure on Vancouver Island, and we had been looking forward to it since we arrived on the island. Leaving Campbell River, we found ourselves […]
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