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CANADA
Across Canada with Via Rail Alberta Beef Alberta - Cypress Hills Alberta Dog Sledding Alberta's Edmonton Festivals Alberta - Edmonton Shopping British Columbia -Barkerville British Columbia - Vancouver and Victoria British Columbia - Victoria- Inn at Laurel Point British Columbia - Victoria - Spinnakers Manitoba's Beluga Whales Manitoba's Polar Bears North Western Aurora Nova Scotia Birding Nunavut Adventure Ontario - Toronto's CN Tower Ontario - Toronto's Fairmont Royal Hotel Prince Edward Island Kayaks Prince Edward Island Music Quebec City / Montreal Quebec City Quebec City Cuisine Saskatchewan VIA Rail's Fall Foliage Corridor VIA Rail's Scenic Canada Yukon - Dawson City
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CANADA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - VANCOUVER TO VICTORIA AND BACK: SEA LIONS AND SUNKEN GARDENS by Kevin Retief   They call her the Ocean Magic, and they mean every word of it.From mainland Vancouver to downtown Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, there is no more magical way to cross the ocean than aboard the Prince of Whales’ Ocean Magic. Whether you are heading to Victoria on business and need a few hour’s break from the cell phones, or whether you are looking for a change from the usual ferry routine or float plane experience, and especially if you are hoping to catch sight of a whale or two, a trip aboard the Ocean Magic is the best way to do it. Captain Gord (otherwise known as “Crow”) and his 1st mate Derek (inexplicably referred to as D-Rock) lead the crew welcoming you aboard the early morning adventure from the Seabus terminal in Vancouver’s downtown. Looking like a "zodiac on steroids" and capable of cruising at 30 knots an hour, the Ocean Magic seats 74 passengers comfortably. There is a choice of open seating on the top deck and on the poop deck, open mid-ship seating to provide a generous view from inside the cabin, and a forward cabin entirely enclosed behind large glass windows. Rachel (affectionately dubbed “Spunky” probably for her enthusiasm for spotting wildlife) is the naturalist aboard welcoming you with hot chocolate, yellow hoodies and sun screen - not to mention a wealth of information about the islands and wildlife. 1st mate Derek is also on hand throughout the trip with even more facts and figures.... All in all, the journey takes about 5 hours, and you are almost guaranteed to see a plethora of wildlife. On approach to the San Juan islands, we met with sightings of various bald eagles (who knew that partners of eagles are never out of sight of each other?) poised at the tops of the trees, disdainfully ignoring us and surveying the world about them. Soon after that there were seals sunning on the rocks and even a sighting of a pod of whales spouting in the distance. But this wasn’t enough for the crew - hearing of a sighting of a young hump back whale, Captain Gord pulled on the throttle and hurtled us past our intended final destination of Victoria and headed past Race Rocks where we joined a flotilla of small ships circling the antics of the promised young mammal spouting and diving, a couple of times showing us his tail before heading for a deeper dive. As far as wild life watching at sea goes - it really doesn’t get much better than this. On the way to Victoria, we slowed down at Race Rocks to see its famous lighthouse - rumors persist that the lighthouse keeper many years ago, having no luck with asking for a raise, supplemented his income by diving the many wrecks in the area and paying for his groceries in ancient gold coins! There we also saw an elephant seal - an unusual treat - as well as a sea lion - a rare sighting as only the very young or very old sea lions are in the area during the summer months. Breeding, apparently for them, holds no magic. Ending the journey in the Inner Harbor, despite the beauty of the city of Victoria from the water, is almost an anticlimax - but all good things must come to an end... But wait ... There is a return route to Vancouver that you can opt to do either on the same day or later if you’re planning a few days in Victoria - and it includes the wonders of the world renowned Butchart Gardens.  Gray Line West transports you from downtown Victoria (leaving from the bus terminal behind the Empress Hotel right on the Inner Harbour) to The Butchart Gardens - and you can pick your own timing depending on how much time you want in the gardens before joining the Ocean Magic once again at The Gardens’ own cove beyond the Japanese Gardens. The Butchart Gardens is one of the world's premier floral show gardens. Originally established by Jennie Butchart herself in 1904, she transformed an abandoned limestone quarry into the present-day, dramatic Sunken Garden as well as creating several other distinct gardens evoking a range of aesthetic experiences. Through successive generations of the Butchart family, The Gardens has retained much of its original design, and continues the Victorian tradition of seasonally changing the outstanding floral displays. From the fresh floral displays of Spring, through the summer abundance of plantings and waterworks and firework displays, to the world famous Christmas light display that begins on December 1st, there is never enough time to spend wandering the carefully ordered walkways and experiences that make The Butchart Gardens the #1 attraction for visitors to Victoria.  Back aboard the Prince of Whales’ Ocean Magic, boarding at the dock in The Butchart Gardens own paradisiacal cove, the journey back to Vancouver is shorter - just over 2 hours. But there is still time to stop and spot the eagles, seals and other wildlife, and enjoy the sunset return beneath the Lions Gate Bridge and back to the Seabus terminal in Vancouver’s downtown. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect way to access the Island from Vancouver - even harder to think of a better way to get back. For more information on Prince of Whales: visit the web site at www.princeofwhales.com For more information on The Butchart Gardens: visit the web site at www.butchartgardens.com Photos: From top - Kevin Retief, The Butchart Gardens, Kevin Retief |
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