I decided that I didn't want to go to Vancouver, so I hopped on the ferry at Horseshoe Bay and skipped on over to Nanaimo Harbor on Vancouver Island. Nanaimo is north and east of Victoria, the capital of BC.
After camping in the Living Forest Campground with English Garry, Ted, Steve, Cat, Jan, Mark, and Art, I decided to head to Victoria in search of drier weather. My plan was to spend one or two nights in Victoria before heading south again, depending on the forecast. Well, I've got the forecast. First, here's a national weather map courtesy of NOAA. So, maybe I want to ride through it and just get south where it's dry, right? Check the forecast for Salem, OR. Finally, here's a satelite map . I'm no expert, and I probably wouldn't do too well in front of a blue screen trying to explain this to a tv audience, but I think it's safe to say things look kind of soupy right now.
I spent the day hiking around Victoria. There are some great gardens and parks around town. I found the Royal British Columbia Museum and went through there a while. I'd show some pictures, but the really cool First Nations exhibit restricted photography. There was a fascinating exhibit on how the arrival of white people in the 19th century decimated the native tribes in about 4 months with small pox.
I went hiking in the forest down by the shore and came across all kinds of wildlife.
