Early morning! I walked over to Wallie’s bakery for a real breakfast (they provide baked parties for high tea at the Fairmont Empress), maple bacon and all. Back to the hotel to pick up my things and walked to the rental car company. I headed out with my favorite tool, the Garmin assistant, out to Goldstream provincial park for some hiking. Found my way to the park in about 25 minutes and did the old change-in-the-car routine before setting out on the trail. I decided against the Mount Finlayson hike because there is some rock climbing and the rain made the path slippery.
Beginning of the trail and right away through the Niagra Valley. And it’s most beautiful sight?
Well, on I go, down the trail and through the woods. I am listening to music some of the time, and singing some of the time. Bears? Supposedly only near river trails (sniffing for salmon), but no reason to not be extra careful. Besides, no one to complain about my singing out here! I go through the whole camp repertoire, something I haven’t done since singing the kids to sleep. The trail goes up and down and all around, but is always green, lush and full of ferns and moss everywhere:
Wildlife, you ask? I come across two species of the wily slug:
the poop slug!
and the licorice slug:
I hike up to the train trestle and back around again, finishing up after about 2 1/2 hours. Presto, change-o and I hit the road again. I decided to drive around the peninsula and so head north up to the ferry terminal. The road comes close to the coast and I enjoy the view:
I pull up first in line for the ferry and wait for about an hour. I see the ferry pull up and wait for the high sign to come on board. A first for me!
My car is the silver one:
It’s weird sitting in the car while the boat is moving…something’s not right. I get out and walk around the ferry. Looking over the side….wait, what’s that? A seal! I didn’t even know there were seals around here, but evidently not only seals, but eagles and herons too. 25 minutes later, we pull off and I and in the parking lot at Butchart (boo-shart) gardens. Some history:
In 1888, Robert Pim Butchart, began manufacturing Portland cement near his birthplace. Attracted to the West Coast of Canada by rich limestone deposits vital for cement production, he built a factory at Tod Inlet, on Vancouver Island. There, in 1904, he and his family established their home.
As Mr. Butchart exhausted the limestone in the quarry near their house, his enterprising wife, Jennie, conceived an unprecedented plan for refurbishing the bleak pit. From farmland nearby she requisitioned tons of top soil, had it brought to Tod Inlet by horse and cart, and used it to line the floor of the abandoned quarry. Little by little, under Jennie Butchart’s supervision, the abandoned quarry blossomed into the spectacular Sunken Garden. By 1908, the Butcharts had created a Japanese Garden, an Italian Garden was created on the site of their former tennis court, and a Rose Garden replaced a large kitchen vegetable patch in 1929. The renown of Mrs. Butchart’s gardening quickly spread and by the 1920s more than fifty thousand people came each year to see her creation.
So many flowers…so many gardens. First, the sunken garden:
It’s hard to resist taking pictures of the profusion of colors and smells. Here’s one close-up:
As I continue along the path, I come to Ross fountain:
The fountain puts on quite a show, so I sit and enjoy. I keep walking and come upon a pond that looks like the lake at Giverny, where Monet painted so many water lilies. Hopefully you can see the petals on the water and get some inkling of what I mean:
And yes, dogs are welcome in the park (but you must pick up after, of course):
Deb in front of the trellis:
I head through the rose garden, which lists the name of every variety of flower, but they aren’t close to blooming (not until mid-June). I round the corner of the path and come up to the original Butchart house, the star pond
Then the formal italian gardens and I’ve finished the whole thing! If I’d brought my sketch pad, I’d probably still be there. I hopped in the car and headed along the scenic drive back down south. Unfortunately, there are homes between the road and the sealine, so it’s really not so scenic. I do get occasional glimpses and it’s reinforced how different the bodies of water seem and are so far north. It’s a different life, but I also pass greenhouses, nurseries and farmstands. There seems to be no problem growing abundant food up here in spite of what seems to me to be terribly chilly weather. I guess they have it figured out. People are laid back, so nice and helpful, and I see signs for yoga, healing, eating local and naturopaths as I drive through towns. More of my peeps! It makes me feel good to know they are in so many places and I hope they continue to spread their energy.
In about an hour I am filling up the tank and returning the car. I walk back around the corner to the Magnolia, smile at the guys at the front and head up to the room only long enough to drop off my stuff. I head right back out again to get some dinner (a morning glory muffin after the hike and that was it for lunch, albeit a muffin of gargantuan proportions) at Red Fish, Blue Fish, a seafood fish ‘n chips/taco spot down on the water. So hard to know what to get, but I order a spicy fish tacone and one piece of fried halibut and sit to enjoy while looking over the water. Sorry to report it’s only okay. I walk back to the hotel and chill – catch up on the blog, enjoy “A Fish Called Wanda”.
What a busy, fun day!