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Saturday, May 28, 2016
Saturday
We all had to wake up early. There was a long road trip ahead. I skipped breakfast and even skipped morning coffee (again, long road trip--must think logically). We all piled into the minivan and headed north. Most of the drive went by fast.
Most of it.
About two-thirds of the way there, Google maps said one hour and 40 minutes left. But the whole trip was originally 2.75 hours. This was strange. And Google maps is almost always right. We checked Apple maps and it had about 50 minutes left. Was Apple maps right and Google wrong for once? Did the world just turn upside down?
Nope. Not likely ever going to happen. Google was taking into account a traffic jam near the end of the journey. Apple was taking into account...well, nothing. It provides directions, and occasionally they’re even right. Apple gave up trying to do maps well after “Mapgate.” They never recovered. They never even tried.
But this “time left” wasn’t changing. Even 30 minutes later, it was still about one hour and 30 minutes. Whatever was up ahead, it was not good. Turns out, after some Twitter research, it was a shooting involving a criminal and police on the main road. It was completely closed. Traffic was being detoured around the spot. And in that part of the country, there are no side roads to take--probably because rivers lead out to the ocean and there are few bridges outside of the main road. The “main road” is the “only road.”
No choice but to remain in stop-and-go traffic. (More stop than go.) Sadly enough, it happened just before Port Angeles (where our ferry departure was scheduled). We had only six miles left, but a whole hour and change was used to drive it. We missed the 12:45 pm ferry by at least an hour, and had to then kill time until the 5:30 pm ferry.
So when we finally reached Port Angeles, we bought ferry tickets and stopped at Walmart where I bought...candy! (And orange juice, but mostly candy.)
Oh, and some beef jerky, but mostly candy. We were out of California. My restrictions had been lifted. I was a free man (in terms of buying candy).
Everyone being famished, we had lunch at a small Mexican place in town. Actually, the others had lunch and I had two beers--the long road trip now being completed. I did have some Ghost Pepper Salsa. First time I’d ever seen in on a menu. Hey, I had to try that. And ... it was milder than I expected. Not sure what the deal was there. If you’re going to dilute ghost peppers, you may as well use habaneros or jalapenos. I’ve had Taco Bell sauce packets that were hotter.
During the time in the town, I realized that things looked familiar. I think it was when we passed a Jack in the Box and Wells Fargo bank. It occurred to me that I had been to that Wells Fargo before! I asked the others about it, and sure enough, we had come through Port Angeles to visit Hurricane Ridge about a year prior. I guess I sometimes don’t pay attention to my geographical coordinates during these vacations.
After walking around the little coastal town about a bit, it was time to board the ferry. The ferry boarding was fast and the ride was fun, although ferry rides tend to all be the same after a while.
Current ferry tally: Portsmouth to France and back, Staten Island, Bainbridge Island, Holyhead (Wales) to Dublin, and now Port Angeles to Victoria
For this one, it’s a little different since the snowy mountains are always in view. You’re never completely out in the open sea. You can either look forward or backward, but you’ll always have a frame of reference. (There’s a proverb somewhere in there, I’m sure.) I bought a beer at the concessions, but also picked up a bottle of duty-free vodka. It’s always handy to keep a bottle around in the hotel room. You just never know when it’ll be impossible to find a place to get a drink.
Soon, we docked entered Victoria Harbor. You could see the pleasant buildings come into view. It was a whole new country offering a whole new world of exploration. It was exciting. This was the city of ...
... the city of ... well, they probably have a slogan. I just don’t know it. Something Canadian is my guess.
The passport check went fast and we were free to explore. The first stop was our hotel because carrying luggage all around the city would not be terribly exciting.
The Royal Scot hotel is where we all stayed. It was a very short walk from the port. My room was shockingly nice--perhaps too nice. It had everything: a separate bedroom with a comfortable bed; a large living room with several couches and chairs; a kitchen with utensils, glassware, a coffee maker, a water kettle; and a dining room. This place was nicer than many condos I’ve considered buying. And it was roughly $122 per night. Go USD!
Once everyone got sorted out (my friends were in the same hotel), we walked to dinner. It’s quite a walkable city. Bring tennis shoes if you come.
Dinner was at The Mint, a nice Indian food restaurant. The dishes were tasty, though after a few drinks, I suppose the perception of how food tastes diminishes accordingly, or perhaps it increases, but either way, I don’t remember the details. I believe I liked it. Let’s just go with that.
Once dinner was complete, it was more walking around and exploring. We visited a few boutique shops, one even had walls of sweets. My kind of place. And the sidewalks are massive. One thing Canada does especially well is a great big sidewalk.
Being exhausted from the journey of the day, we then returned to the hotel. It was easy to fall asleep fast.