What's it all about?...

This Blog is basically my ramblings whilst on holiday - an electronic postcard!

Tuesday 11 August 2009

That's all folks!

It seems that the public are clamouring for more thoughts from Chairman Riddo!
But the holiday is over and like us reality has returned. The Holiday news is suspended until our next little trip.... I'll keep you posted. If anyone wants to check out where we stayed I've posted comments on Trip Adviser, (Tripadvisor.co.uk), on the following hotels and attractions:
Port Renfrew: Coastal Kitchen
Sooke: Sooke Potholes:
Field: Emerald Lake Lodge:
Sooke: Country Cupboard Cafe:
Vancouver: Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver:
Jasper: Lobstick Lodge:
Banff: Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa:

Bye bye, thanks for following, and watch this space!

Dave

Friday 7 August 2009

Day – 15 Loafin' around locally...





Nothing really thrilling to report today, we have been really lazy, went into Sooke to post yesterday's blog, had a coffee at “The Reading room” and bought some milk, (I said nothing really thrilling didn't I?!)

After all this excitement we went to a local park called the Sooke “Pot holes”, they are a series of deep pools along the Sooke river caused by the rocks and steep river banks, it was actually a nice walk, we saw some youths swimming and climbing the “cliffs” at the side of one pool to jump in – it looked impressive, and certainly very cold.

Further upstream we were able to get to the water and yes it was cold! We paddled and lazed about, we also saw some large pebble “structures” that someone had built by the water – these structures are based on the idea of “First Nation” statues, (a bit like Stonehenge, they are common in British Colombia).

Because not much has happened I've included a picture from yesterday – remember I said I saw a car in the forest?

Thursday 6 August 2009

Day – 14 Lumberjack country...




Another late start, sat around, ate brunch and read our books..... Later on we went into Sooke to do some food shopping, make phone calls and send blogs – the weather was relatively chilly today so Jan bought a “Canada” fleece, very touristy!

After we returned and stowed the shopping we decided to explore further up the coast – the terrain gets a bit wilder and everything is more remote. We went north west up the Port Renfrew road. The road is actually a virtual dead end 74km away, it finishes at an ocean headland, with only “logging trails” off the road at rare intervals.

Along this road we came to “China beach”, it's a bleak but beautiful stretch of sand and pebbles, and some really huge bits of driftwood, apparently they do have tsunamis along this coast, this may explain some of the wood “wreckage”. What can't be explained however is the wreckage of a car we came across, deep in the forest! How it got there is a mystery, the trees around it are dense, and the nearest road is a quarter of a mile away!

After China beach we kept on to Port Renfrew, it really is remote, very much like a pioneer settlement – we were hungry and hoped to find some kind of burger cabin for the hikers, but what we found was a truly remarkable café! - a very modest shack type diner, with plain tables and bare walls, but a fabulous choice on the menu – Jan was delighted with all the “veggie” options! The atmosphere was very friendly too and the prices were cheap, great!

Before returning, we decided we had to go as far as we could before falling into the Pacific, and so we went to the park at the headland, called “Botany Bay”, here we found another coastal gem! Rock pools, driftwood, big trees, and lots of atmosphere. A long drive back, but a really worthwhile, memorable trip – and the furthest west we shall be going.

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Day 13 – A close encounter with a grizzly.......




A very relaxing day, we are taking it easy.... There's a beach at the front of our cabin – down a treacherous footpath, and we went for an explore after our late,lazy breakfast. The beach was shingle and pebbles, and deserted, there was lots of bleached driftwood, and evidence that the sea must get really rough at times.

As we walked along Jan was watching some Canada geese – Canadian Canada geese in fact (!), I suddenly saw a dark shape to the left, mostly obscured by a sand bank, it was a big animal, it was black, it's ears twitched..... bloody hell! A big bear! Honestly my heart was racing, I ducked down and called Jan over, “there's a big bear just over that bank”, I said.... What to do? I wanted a photo but I also didn't want to be a Teddy bear's picnic..... We sneaked forward, and suddenly there it was, sitting down... a cow! (Well, have you have seen a cow on a beach?)

After we recovered our shredded nerves, we spent a great 45 minutes or so watching the Sandpipers,(or Dunlins?), flying about and feeding.

In the afternoon we visited the local town, Sooke – where there is a nice internet café, and enquired about whale watching trips. Apparently the weather is expected to change – to be possibly stormy, and so Jan didn't fancy it!

Tuesday 4 August 2009

Day 12 – Vancouver Island and the back of beyond....




We have left Vancouver, sailed across international waters, (for a while we were in the US of A....), and now we are in our little cabin overlooking the Ocean, relaxing with a lager.

The capital of Vancouver Island is called Victoria, and it's a wonderful place, it looks very English, there's a Captain Cook statue and several posh looking hotels – it seems like a step back to Bournemouth in the 1950's , ( I imagine!).

After a wander around Victoria we set off to our cabin in “Sooke”, only it's not actually in Sooke, its about 10 miles North west – the scale of things changes when you get closer, from Kimberley in Nottingham you may as well say “just up the road from Victoria”, but when you're here it's really 40 miles away Victoria!

The place is lovely, it has all the amenities we need, but no Internet! So blogging will be less frequent, I'll have to go into Sooke library every other day! Never mind, I'm sure you'll cope!

Sunday 2 August 2009

Day 10 - What a gay day!





Well, today was "Gay pride day" in Vancouver, lots of streets were closed down and there was a parade which lasted over 90 minutes, not just gay groups actually, the theme was "Pride" for all sorts of reasons. It was great fun, some really outrageous floats and "exhibits, it was loud, colourful, and busy - unforgetable!

In the afternoon we took the sea bus over to North Vancouver, to a place called the "Capalano" suspension bride, it is a long pedestrian rope bridge in a forest park, suspended woodland walks, log cabins etc. very relaxing. For our last night here we're off to find a cosy diner.

Tomorrow we will be on Vancouver Island, and I don't know how I shall be fixed for an Internet connection, so transmission may be interrupted.

Saturday 1 August 2009

Day 9 – Vancouver, Jan is well, and Stanley Park is bloomin' big!




Jan is back to her old self...... should I be worried? We explore Vancouver, it seems like a really nice place. The weather is good and so we walk, and walk, and walk..... first to “Gastown” which is an old refurbished, trendy area, where they have a steam powered clock! It chimes every 15 minutes and if you stand too close you get wet.

At the harbour front there are sea planes you can watch take off and land, or even go on I suppose.... There is a walk around this wonderful park called Stanley Park, it has beaches, forests, lakes, cricket, (yes cricket!), Native American totem poles, and loads more. We walked around it, and through it, you would no know you were less than a mile from a big city, really nice, but as I said big, and now we are knackered! But not too knackered to go out soon for some food and drink!

ps can I have an email from anybody who is reading this blog please? A kind of customer survey!
Dridsdale(at)hotmail(dot)com

Day 8 - "Phew! a funny ol' day on the Rocky Mountaineer!"




A funny old, long, long day indeed.... we awoke this morning to continue our train trip and Jan was suffering from a nasty migraine! Oh no! What to do? Obviously all we could do was grin and bear it, (or rather, all she could do...), but the prospect of a 9 hour journey in a coach full of fun-loving tourists was a bleak one..

We told our hostess Julie that Jan was feeling unwell, she called the train manager Natalie, and within 10 minutes Jan was given seats where she could lie quietly in privacy - she had an entire 88 seat "Gold leaf" coach to herself!! It was an empty, spare coach, they even put the air conditioning on for her!It didn't stop her from feeling grim, but if you're going to be poorly, better to do it in luxury eh?

The next issue to thwart our trip was a delay, a long hold up caused when a freight train in front of us managed to damage the track whilst entering some sidings, the damage was repaired, but in doing so the engineers caused some other damage.... then a car tried to "jump" a level crossing and cause3d an accident so the police were called.... 3 hours later we moved on.

As a result of this delay the train driver reached his maximum driving time allowance and so we stpped again whilst a relief driver was sent for.... 1 hour later we moved on.

Eventually we pulled into Vancouver 5 HOURS late!!! The journey had taken 14 hours, the delays were a real shame because they spoilt what should have been a wonderful second day...

Now we're in the hotel, (which seems excellent), Jan is feeling better, although already dozing, and tomorrow is ahead!

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