August 1-15, 2016

Setting out on my first self-planned trip, I took bus 96 (now 61) to Bayshore Station, where I got on bus 97 to Ottawa International Airport. As I waited for the first flight to Toronto, two people tried ordering food with too little time to spare before they needed to get on their flight. After I boarded my plane, a thunderstorm in Toronto delayed the departure by one hour. Arriving in Toronto one hour later than planned, passengers heading to Alberta were put on a later flight, after missing their connection because of stormy weather.

The morning after arriving in Victoria, I bought a return ticket to Tofino. When the driver, named Erica reached Nanaimo, everyone got off the Tofino Island Express Coach for 20 minutes. On the way through the southern interior, a second stop was made in Port Alberni, for everyone to get something to eat before the remainder of the trip. Getting to the Pacific Rim Highway, the driver turned south towards Ucluelet, to head to the last pick-up point, then head north towards the final stop. After arriving in Tofino, I received a call about attending water sport lessons for the next two days. With that done, the next thing I did was show a copy of an email to confirm plans to stay at the Lone Cone Hostel and Campground.

Taking a boat into Tofino on my first full day there, I mentioned to one woman visiting from Toronto that the Tofino weather seemed to match the San Francisco climate. After getting off the boat, I watched one Atleo River Air Service seaplane leave the docks. Along Campbell Street, I spotted a few decorated crosswalks with artwork depicting ocean waves and marine life, as well as cobblestone artwork of an ocean wave. When the Tofino Visitor Centre on Campbell Street opened, I went in to ask the woman working there for a map of the tide pools.

Inside the watersport school, I gave a woman named Kristi the payment for my lessons. On the way over, I accidentally headed to Chesterman Beach after getting off the bus. Showing up seven minutes after the time I planned to arrive at Cox Bay, I was told I got there in time for the moment of introduction, which started with instructors Jocelyn and Danni mentioning calling each other Josh and Daniel. When we were asked each student's favourite drink was, a girl named Anna responded by saying she was 15. As the wetsuits were handed out, one student named Evan was given one designed for female students, after it was presumed he was a girl. Also in the group was a visitor from Germany named Lukas and a woman named Tammy. For the next two hours, I was constantly getting knocked down a split second after standing on the board.

With one more full day in Tofino left, I took a cab to Chesterman Beach. Along the shore, I approached a man and a woman to ask where I could see tide pools. Having no luck finding them, I headed north on the path along Pacific Rim Highway, then stopped in to find out where my lessons were, being informed it was the same spot, with an instructor name Isabel. On the second day of my lessons, I managed to stay on the board longer than the previous day.

After getting off my last boat ride to Tofino, I headed to the coach terminal. On the way back to Victoria, the driver gave notice there was no time available to stop in Port Alberni. At one point, I spoke to to Lukas, before he got off the coach sooner than I would.

The first weekend of my stay, I took bus 72 into Sidney, getting off at the corner of Fifth Street and Ocean Avenue. Along the way, I stopped to photograph a Welcome to Sidney B.C. sign at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Second Street, which Ian would later tell me did not appear welcoming. With almost an hour before the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea opened, I spent a moment taking in sights nearby, which included sailboats going by on Haro Strait. Inside the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, displays included an octopus and starfish. After leaving the place, I stopped at the Sidney Harbour Chinese Buffet to get something to eat. From there, I took bus 72 to Saanichton Exchange, then bus 75 to Butchart Gardens in Central Saanich. The time I was there, visitors to the site included families from Washington and Utah, one family from Sidney and busloads of visitors from Vancouver.

To close the first weekend of my trip, I took bus 26 to the University of Victoria, then headed east to Cadboro Bay. On the way south from there, I found a group of black-tailed deer at Uplands Park, before taking bus 11 to the Royal British Columbia Museum, where I explored the Mammoth display and Living Languages exhibit.

Making my first trip to the Lower Mainland, I took a northbound ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, then bus 620 to Bridgeport Station, where I took a Canada Line Train to Waterfront Station. After taking bus 19 to the Vancouver Aquarium, I saw stingrays, turtles, seahorses and many fish species, which amounted to a bigger display of marine life than the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea offered.

At Brockton Point, there were nine totem poles near Legends of the Moon, each one with a plaque mentioning the story of it. Along Robson Street, there were Korean restaurants east of Denman. Outside BC Place Stadium, I stopped to photograph four statues of Terry Fox, before heading to Chinatown, where I visited Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden.

The morning after returning to Victoria, I took bus 50 to Langford Exchange, then bus 54 to Witty's Lagoon Regional Park in Metchosin.

With Sooke being the last place in Greater Victoria left to visit, I took bus 61 to Sooke Road, west of Felton Lane. As I went further west, I came across Ed MacGregor Park and Sooke Harbour, where I found the location of Sooke Whale Watching Tours. Above Sooke River, there were signs notifying people of the local salmon habitat.

Setting out to visit Thetis Lake Park, I took bus 50 to Six Mile Road, then headed north, spotting a brown cottontail rabbit along the way. Minutes after getting there, I headed up the Thetis Lake Trillium Trail. At the north trailhead, a sign informed visitors that alcohol is prohibited. Back in Victoria later the same morning, I purchased a ticket for a Harbour Air flight over the city. Before the flight was scheduled to leave the dock, I visited Beacon Hill Park, for a chance to see what once was the world's tallest totem pole. During the twenty minute flight, some of the things I saw were Swan Lake and Esquimalt Lagoon.

Making my first visit to the Southern Gulf Islands, with Ian and Debi, we had to walk to Ganges, because there were a lot of visitors, with their vehicles parked along Fulford-Ganges road. Near the Salt Spring Air ticket location, there was at least one visitor from Alberta. After taking a ferry from Vesuvius to Chemainus, a grey car was parked in front of an exterior painting of pioneer men, which Ian found interesting.

Hours before heading to West Bay Walkway with Ian and Debi, I took a moment to watch the Victoria dragon boat race. Along the shore, a swan sat on a large rock, only a short distance from where seaplanes took off, while a passenger ship pulled in, with an Orca Spirit Adventures boat docked nearby. When we got to Spinnakers, I ordered a House Paneer, then paid seventy dollars to cover the full cost of food and drinks. From there, I headed further east along the Songhees Walkway, spotting the Victoria Pacifica metal sculpture, before crossing the Johnson Street Bridge, on the way to Fisherman's Wharf.

With only a few hours left before I needed to be at Victoria International Airport, I made one last trip into Langford, stopping in Colwood on the way back. Inside Calgary International Airport, the spot where I waited for my connecting flight to Toronto was undergoing renovation, as part of airport expansion work. After midnight, I looked down at lights in the city, as my first time setting foot in Alberta came to a close.

June-July 2017

Making a trip to Vancouver, I got on a plane from Ottawa to Winnipeg. While I was able to leave Ottawa on schedule this time, the moment my flight approached Winnipeg International Airport, the pilot had to circle before landing, because there was a storm.

On my first day visiting Metro Vancouver, I took a train to Coquitlam Central Station, then took a bus to the site of a plaster monument to Terry Fox. Passing through Coquitlam a short moment after, I stopped along the way in Town Centre Park, before visiting Port Moody. From there, I took bus 182 to Belcarra, coming across a Takaya Kayak rental shop along the shore. When I got back to Moody Centre Station, I took a bus to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, to look at the track where Terry Fox practiced using a prosthetic leg. On the rooftop, a statue of Terry had one plaque on each side.

The next morning, I took a train south, then bus 351 to White Rock. When I made a short visit to Totem Park, a passenger train from Seattle passed on its way to Vancouver. Soon after, I took bus C52 (now 362) to Surrey, then took a northbound train to New Westminster. After getting off at Columbia Station, I headed north to the corner of Sixth Street and Carnarvon Street, then turned south, to photograph a few spots along that stretch of road, which appeared in part of the pursuit scene in the film Shooter. Making a short stop at the Fraser River Discovery Centre, I found out the place ran on donations. At the corner of Fourth Street and Royal Avenue, a decoration on a power box showed a frog next to a pond. Minutes before taking a train back to Waterfront Station, I stopped to photograph a painted crosswalk at the corner of Church Street and Columbia Street.

Setting out to find landmarks erected for the 2010 Olympic Games, I headed to Richmond Olympic Oval at 6111 River Road. After taking the northbound train, I got on a SeaBus ferry to North Vancouver, then took a bus to Gallant Avenue and Panorama Drive. Walking along Caledonia Avenue, I stopped by Cates Park, named for the family that donated an anchor, which now stands as a landmark. Around there, people were taking boat rides, going for a swim or renting kayaks at the Takaya location in Deep Cove. Heading further west while waiting for the next bus, I came across a wooden monument for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a short distance from the corner of Dollarton Highway and Raven Woods Drive. At Horseshoe Bay, a totem pole, whale sculpture, eagle sculpture and propeller dotted the area outside the ferry terminal.

With plenty of time before the single day return trip to Whistler, I took a moment to watch the dragon boat race in Vancouver. On the way there, the driver stopped at the Greyhound station in Squamish, now served by Pacific Coach Lines with service from Vancouver to Whistler. Next to the spot where an Inukshuk stood, two visitors headed along a path on bicycles. Looking east from the south corner of Northlands Boulevard and Main Street, I saw a mountains so tall its peaked was covered with snow in the middle of the year. Needing to get something to eat, I stopped at the Peaked Pies location at 4369 Main Street. In the short time I was there, I asked one man when the place opened. Before leaving, I asked a woman working there for a business card of owners Alex Relf and Kerri Jones, who quickly got one, then told me in a thick voice she had pies to bake. As I got ready to head back to Vancouver, I was informed the bus stop was temporarily relocated, because the usual pick-up and drop-off point was along a stretch of road under construction.

Heading into West Vancouver the next morning, I tried getting a photo of the lighthouse that appeared in Danger Bay, facing west, without having any luck finding a spot where it would be possible. From there, I headed to a lookout point, to get photos of Lions Gate Bridge facing east, as it appeared in the opening credits for the same show. One woman mentioning that a dolphin named Chester was rescued from Chesterman Beach in Tofino, with another dolphin named Helen being brought from New Zealand.

Khot-La-Cha Art Gallery and Gift Shop, now closed and only selling merchandise online.

Setting out to climb Pacific Spirit Regional Park, I headed to the trail entrance north from the corner of Queensland Road and Tasmania Crescent. After reaching the north trailhead, I headed east along the shore, before making my way the the Vancouver Seawall. Back in Stanley Park, I made a short visit to the Japanese-Canadian War Memorial.

Searching for the Spirit Wrestler Gallery after finding out it was no longer at 47 Water Street, I found the place at 1669 West Third Avenue. Visiting Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, the first thing I went to see was the mountain range west of the parking area. Nearby, there were wooden sculptures close to the visitor centre. When I got back to Vancouver, I asked one police officer at the Vancouver Police Stables where the Burma Star Memorial was, with no luck, before finding out I meant to ask him about the location of the Burma Star Monument.

The day before the 150th anniversary of Confederation, I took a ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. On the way to Victoria, I stopped at Lochside Waterfront Park in Sidney, then made a short visit to Saanichton Village. As soon as I got to Victoria, I went to see the Terry Fox Exhibition at the Royal British Columbia Museum.

Eleven years after my first time visiting Macaulay Point, I headed there to explore landmarks and the shoreline. Returning to the Southern Gulf Islands almost a year after my first visit, the ferry I was on had to wait before arriving at Sturdies Bay, because one passenger leaving Galiano Island got on the wrong ferry. When I took a three hour trip across the southern area, my guide Rachelle Hayden told me about aboriginal people catching fish along the shore. Close to the west shore, a retired caboose was being converted to visitor accommodation. After the ferry back to Swartz Bay left Lyall Harbour on Saturna Island, a woman on her way back to Duncan asked me where I was from. When I reached Victoria, police searched every bus entering the city, to see if passengers had any alcohol, which resulted in two passengers being taken off the bus.

On the last day in Victoria, I went with Ian and Debi to the Historic Nature Trail, before stopping at Whiffin Spit Park on the way to Sheringham Point Trail in Shirley. When I went to the spot where a lighthouse stood, the wind was so cold I needed to wear a coat around there. Heading back to Victoria, I took a moment to make a short visit to Blinkhorn Nature Park.

Taking one last look at Victoria, I photographed decorated Harbour Air seaplane C-FODH at Victoria Inner Harbour, close to three other Harbour Air seaplanes marked with standard decals. As the ferry headed north to Tsawwassen, another ferry and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel passed, both heading south.

Hours before taking the train to Vancouver International Airport, I visited Seaforth Peace Park in Kitsilano, then took a moment to photograph decorated Harbour Air seaplane C-FFHA leaving Vancouver Harbour.

September-October 2018

Taking the Mayne Island Community Bus.

Heading east along Esquimalt Road, I spotted three raccoons near the Shell station at the corner of Esquimalt and Tyee. As I approached, two ran up a tree and one hid under a hedge.

Continuing my plans to visit the Southern GuIf Islands, I took the morning ferry to Lyall Harbour, Saturna Island. With the ferry back to Swartz Bay arriving, a sign on the pub mentioned it opened only five minutes before my ferry ride back to Swartz Bay.

Spotting an elk along Esquimalt Road, on the south side.

Having no luck making the ferry to Pender Island, after being misinformed of where to get bus 72 further north.

One man commenting that route 412 should be replaced by an extension of route 480, on the way to the Richmond seaplane terminal.

With Whytecliffe Point next on my list, I waited for bus 257 heading west, but soon had to abandon such a plan, because the first bus to Marine and Whytecliffe in West Vancouver was full. After buying a ticket for a seaplane flight from Vancouver Harbour, I took bus 5 to the Peaked Pies location at 975 Denman Street, to buy a hopper. When the seaplane flight ended, one man mentioned to another passenger that flying above the mountains made him feel uneasy.

Visiting Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver.

The morning of my first day attending the Green Party of Canada biannual general meeting, I took the Canada Line train to Richmond Brighouse Station, then took bus 402 to the corner of Number 1 Road and Steveston Highway, before heading south to the streetcar museum at the corner of Number 1 Road and Moncton Street. Canvassing with Adrianne Carr. Bringing up the issue of handing policing back to the provinces. Carolyn Lucas mentioning that first-past-the post voting was dangerous.

Asking Gareth Hughes if there still were any streetcars in New Zealand, in response to comments from Elizabeth about increased use of combustion engines. Being told by Gareth that getting rid of streetcars accounted for a lack of foresight, before I mentioned to him that Sydney last used streetcars in 1961. Carolyn Herbert telling me she was taking the train back to Ottawa. Telling Ian that a minimum number of seats in the New Zealand Parliament are reserved for Maori politicians.

The morning of my last trip to the Southern Gulf Islands, I took the ferry to North Pender. After arriving at Otter Bay, I called a cab, for a ride to the north shore. When there was nothing to see around that area, I then told the driver the Gulf Islands Park Reserve was next on my list, only to be told it did not offer anything either. Before heading back to Otter Bay, I found one electric vehicle charging station.

On the morning of my flight back to Ontario, the flight from Victoria was delayed. Arriving in Calgary, there was snow on the ground. As soon as I got inside, I had to the gate where the flight to Toronto would depart. Waiting for take off after getting on the connecting flight, a man and a woman caused a needless delay by refusing to put away devices that could not be used. When I arrived in Toronto, I was put on a flight that left one hour later than the one I selected, because I arrived after my scheduled flight to Ottawa left Pearson International Airport.