[slidepress gallery=’vacationsummer2009day4′]
KOA REVIEW:
The West Victoria, B.C. KOA is a place just off the highway, with only a few things to do. The weather would often bee cool if it weren’t for the heat wave covering almost the entirety of the
Our day started early in a rush to get on the road, with this being our only scheduled activity on the entire trip it was imperative that we be on the read without delay. We had in front of us a 4.5 hour drive at the end of which we were to get on a Ferry from Anacortes, Washington to Sydney, British Columbia, Canada. That was quite an undertaking as it was time imperative that we make our ferry to Sidney, BC so that we didn’t miss our reservations at the KOA. In typical Ford fashion we made it to the Ferry just in time to load and then leave.
This was the first time that Katherine and I would be outside of the United States since being married, and what a build up it was, looking forward to the cooler weather out on Vancouver Island. The ship took off quickly after our boarding with our Outlander, though I’m not sure how long the boat was actually docked in the first place for how quickly they are able to come and go from all of their ports.
Being the first time on a body of water directly connected to the Ocean, it was very fun to be out on the water, there was a since of excitement that couldn’t be broken. There were many things to photograph and many other photographers to talk to; we chatted about equipment and all of the many other things that a photographer can talk about. The boat moved quickly over the water to their first port destination, to take on additional passengers, it seems that a person is able to be picked up from any of the ports on the way to Sidney but not dropped off, that due to the fact perhaps that it is an international sailing. Stops along the way were Orca’s Island and another port that I forgot to grab the name of, every island along the way having it’s own charm.
During our sailing from the last port to Sidney we came across a Bald Eagle that had become water logged from it’s fishing and was attempting to swim it’s way to shore. The boats captain, wanting to be environmentally conscious I am sure, stopped the boat to attempt a rescue of the water logged eagle. During the launching of the rescue craft from the ferry the bird managed to swim very close to shore and by the time that the rescue craft got close enough to assist it landed itself on shore, there was a cheer from the people who had gathered on the rear deck to watch the attempted rescue. The rest of the sailing was spent watching the passing islands and looking at the wildlife accustom to the passing of the passenger ferry and other motor boats.
Upon landing in Sidney with the ferry Katherine and I were at the ready with our passports, hoping that we could get a stamp on them for entering Canada, they were not obliged to accommodate, and neither did I ask, though I guess that I should have. We were asked some basic questions about our intent upon entering Canada and with almost all the correct answers they allowed us onto the island to continue our adventure. One of the first things that we noticed was that the weather wasn’t as cool as we had expected, our extra set of shirts and shorts were going to come in handy as we dealt with the heat of Vancouver Island.
We spent little time looking around and headed directly to the KOA so that we would know where it was and figure out the rest of the evening after our tent was up, for the first time before sunset. Arriving at the KOA we were graciously greeted, our paperwork quickly filled out and our destination spot assigned. We quickly setup our camp sight and headed back into town to find some sustenance as Katherine and I had only had a snack style lunch during our voyage on the ferry. As a suggestion we quickly headed down the mountain to find a place called ‚ÄúThe Little Thai Place‚Äù not quite sure what to order we got what sounded good, the results of which were great, our salad more spicy than anticipated was very enjoyable and the entree full of a flavor all it’s own, we decided that we could come back here if time allowed.
Dinner complete we found some fixings for breakfast and headed back up the mountain to settle in for a good nights rest. The events of the long day and extraordinary amount of sun had sapped all of the energy out of us and we were ready for bed.