Victoria to Merritt

Jane Reporting for 16th September

Pete, this one's for you.

We had another interesting day today (16th September) in Canada, heading out early to catch the 9am ferry to Vancouver.  We were a little worried about making it for the last check-in time but instead ended up on the 8am sailing which meant we missed out on having Ron Danvers' company on the crossing.

Lyn at the rail of the ferry

As we were last on the back door was closed hard on our heels and by the time we got to the top deck (the 'Sun Deck' which was something of a misnomer today) we were already underway.

We're off!

Despite the overcast weather we had lovely views; having made the Port Angeles - Victoria crossing on fog has made us much more appreciative of having any sort of view.  We even had a seal seeing us off but since my photo of him is of the 'if you squint and tilt your head to one side' variety I'll spare you the effort.

The end of the road

I haven't studied the map to figure out whether we were passing many small islands or bits and pieces of Vancouver Island but it felt rather like sailing on the Cook Strait ferry through the Marlborough Sounds, expect the land is much better treed in this part of the world.  The land dropped quite steeply into the water and no matter which way the ferry turned there always seemed to be land around, though occasionally we'd get at just the right angle to see a channel or passage between the islands.

Getting ready to leave the ferry

Once of the mainland we headed to Gastown in Vancouver to dawdle along another well-beaten tourist path.  Souvenirs must be bought as I have a few birthdays to catch up on when I get home.  (More on that tomorrow.)  With my current interest in the steampunk genre the steam clock was a 'must photograph item and here is Lyn standing beside it:

Lyn by the steam clock

Steam clock - detail

About the steam clock

All the photos in the blog can be enlarged by clicking on them and, if necessary, clicking on them again.

After we left Vancouver we stopped off in Mission for coffee with Dave and Irene Bryant.  Dave joined the Air Force with Gary in 1966.  There was a sure sign we were at the right place:

We knew we were at the right place

After that there was nothing for it but to head off to Merritt.  The GPS told us we would arrive about 6.30pm and we didn't want to be too late.  Driving at dusk or in the dark seems like just asking for incidents with the wildlife which we would rather avoid.

From Mission to Merritt

As we drove along Highway 5 we climbed to 1244 metres (4,147 feet) at the summit of the Coquihalla Pass and also passed through the Great Bear snow shed.  The temperate dropped from 62 degrees F to 50 and the country we passed through was very rocky and grey.

Not much for the trees to grow on

Here's a photo of the view from the back seat; Gary driving, Geoff as front seat passenger, and me usually snoozing or reading in the back.

View from the back seat

Our motel in Merritt is particularly nice and so gets its own photo tonight.

Super 8 in Merritt

Merritt is a small town of 7000+ people and a large, open cast copper mine.  Although they're surrounded by mountains they don't get much snow in winter but it can get very hot here.  Interesting place.


Dad's heading off on his trip tomorrow so have a good flight, Dad, and I expect to be able to read on here about your adventures over the next few weeks.