We’ll leave Fort Victoria RV Park shortly.   Skies are overcast with temperature at 59 F this morning.  We’d like to do some cycling with good weather.  Both the Galloping Goose Trail and the E&H Rail Trail run to the Johnson St. Bridge,  Our latest plan is to start at the bridge and head toward Sooke.  On less clement days, we’ll explore Victoria.

The Confluence of E&N and Galloping Goose Trails

CORRECTION!  Due to a brain fart on my part, we have an “extra day” in Victoria.  We’ll stay at Fort Victoria RV Park tonight then move to Salish for three days tomorrow. 

Taxis

The local taxi company, Fort Victoria Taxi, has poor Google ratings.  Most ratings are 1 star.  Blue Bird Taxi in Victoria has a four star rating.  A taxi will pick us up at the RV office and whisk us to the Johnson St Bridge for ~ $20.00.  We could walk back on the E&N Rail Trail.  It’s 7 km.  Smart phones and the web have made selecting services much easier than hit-or-miss yellow pages or a call to information as we did 30 years ago.  

Everyone we have spoken with in Victoria has been very friendly, and seem happy and up-beat.

Our taxi arrived early and whisked us to the Johnson St Bridge,

Johnson Street Bridge, Victoria BC

Chinatown Victoria

Victoria

Right away we searched for a bakery and spotted “Dogs in the Bakery” just north of us.  We walked into Chinatown, turned down Fisgard St. and couldn’t locate the bakery, but Chinatown was a trip.  Next we found the Victoria Pie Co.  Tempting, but who wants to walk around Victoria with a pie and there’s no way we’d eat one there.  Now we were a few blocks from the Dutch Bakery and Diner and Crust Bakery.  The Dutch Bakery features sweets.  Their diner featured a bevy of white haired elderly folks: not our style.  Even so, Ellen engaged a server talking about “another bakery we visited near by …”  I rolled my eyes and exited.  No need to give this gal our life history when we’re clearly not interested.

A Bakery in Victoria?

Sour Cherry Danish & Double Cappuccino

Just next door?  Crust Bakery with wonderful baked goodies and a line out the door.  The line moved quickly.  “I NEED a …”  I chucked as the woman ahead ordered.  We sat with our cappuccinos, a sour cherry Danish, and an almond Danish.  They were out of almond croissants, just as they were last year. We savored our crunchy Danishes as the four counter women pumped out baked goods and the line held strong at 10 people deep.

The clouds were breaking up as we headed to the inner harbor.  The sunny side of the street was becoming hot. We walked back down Johnson St and along wharf street.   The inner harbor is very much the same as I remember from last year.  “The Local” was very busy. We joined the mill of tourists walking the inner harbor.  The sea plane harbor was quiet, Restaurants were busy serving lunch.  We turned up a side street toward white capped turrets on a brick building.

 

Really a Bug Zoo

“The Bug Zoo”, I thought of Gavin and how he might like visiting.  We stopped but didn’t venture inside.  “Eagle Feather Gallery” practically next door looked inviting. Eagle Feather is one of the artists whose work are displayed.  A nature park in Belgium purchased 16 of his work for display in their visitor’s center.  Cool.  He’s entered a impressionist phase that’s unappealing to me.  His earlier work is fantastic. Check out the wolf below.  Ellen mentioned the art gallery we’ll visit in Jackson Wyoming.  That dampened my excitement at seeing the wolf.  Chris, the owner’s husband, recommended the restaurant on the corner as having great appetizers during happy hour and a reasonable prices.

“The Wolf” by Eagle Feather

St. Andrew’s founded 1866, we found the red brick building which turned out to be a Presbyterian Church.  We passed it many times but never had looked up at the spires.  The stained glass would have been interesting to see from inside, but the church was closed.

 

Back at the inner harbor, Ellen pointed out a party boat painted in a typical Haida style. Clouds and fog were forming in the distance, but the sun shown bright in the inner harbor. We walked into the Empress Hotel and the Hotel Grand Pacific.  We were not yet hungry.  Even so we were looking for a place to alight.  We watched the Black Ball ferry unloading then walked back along the inner harbor.

Party Boat in Unique Native Colors

Not that long ago Victoria was a quaint fishing village with very little in the way of tourist traps and few hotels.  How it has changed since the late 70’s.  There are hundreds of restaurants and perhaps as many hotels in town. There are remarkable native art galleries and typical tourist knickknack shops.  Bakeries are numerous.  Kiosks advertising whale watching tours, sea plane tours, party boat trips, schooner trips, and sight seeing bus tours stud the inner harbor.  They are understated in a “Canadian” way and not the rash in your face advertising you’d see elsewhere.  There are no street barkers and no neon signs.  Canadians assume you’ll find what you want with no need for hard sell.  It is refreshing.

The Empress, Victoria BC

Fog and Clouds approaching the Inner Harbor

Walking back toward “The Local”, I wanted to eat at “Finn’s Seafood Chops & Cocktails” while Ellen mentioned  “The Farmhouse”.  We dropped into The Farmhouse and found a coffee shop with sandwiches.  We were seated Finn’s outdoor patio.  We had seen a woman eating fettuccine with mussels that looked great but for the mussels.  They’re far from my favorite.  I asked Ellen if she would split an order of fettuccine and an order of Kusshi oysters.  She mentioned not loving mussels, but said ok.  Our waitress was fun.  She said we could go with all clams on the fettuccine for another $3.00 when the brought my Fat Tug IPA.  It was good medium hopped hazy IPA.   The six oysters were presented on the half shell over ice.  They were served with a slice of lemon, a bit of grated horse radish, and a small dollop of shrimp cocktail sauce each in a diminutive plate.  The Kusshi oysters are small and tasty, not at all chewy.  They were fabulous.  But the fettuccine with clams was a show stopper.  The pasta was served al dente, with a portion of steamed spinach, a bit of rosemary, and an olive/parmesan cheese/butter sauce.  The pasta was so very good and the clams were fresh and very tasty.  What a wonderful meal this was if you enjoy shell fish as we do.  The view over the patio of the inner harbor was great.  It was the meal that was momentous.  It brought me back to spaghetti con vongole in Sicilia.  It was that good.

What is That?  It was Mexican Bulldog!

Fettuccine with Clams Wonderfully Scrumptious

Where would we find the E&N Rail Trail?  We planned to walk back to Fort Victoria along the old rail right of way “just to see”.  Across the Johnson St. Bridge, three trails branch off.  One goes left along the inner harbor.  We had walked that one and knew it wasn’t the E&N Trail.  The left looked like it was or joined the Galloping Goose Trail to the north.  The center should be or lead to the E&N Rail Trail.  “Should”, how many times have I said “this should” or “That should be”.  Ellen tried to stop a cyclist to ask directions, no way a cyclist would stop.  A group of women said, “I think you’re on it.  This curves around to a bicycle shop and meets a trail there to the left”.  They were correct.  We found a sign for E&N  just past the cycle short fifteen minutes later.  The E&N trail “should” go right by Fort Victoria RV Resort.  Follow this trail and we should be home “in no time”.  No Time was an hour and a half.  We enjoy walking, though we’re out of shape.  We seldom walk more than a mile or so.

 

The E&N Trail

The trail did not replace the E&N tracks.  Rather it is a bi-directional trail beside the tracks.  IT crosses a number of low traffic streets and a few heavily trafficked roads.  It runs through the length of Esquimalt runs between Esquimalt Nation and Songhees Nation and into the town of Royal View.  We walked a sidewalk through a TBD section of the trail in Esauimalt Nation and walked faster than traffic on the road was moving.  A bit later the trail turns left and becomes much more scenic and rural.  We saw a few spectacular homes on an inlet with a private dock in the distance.  There were many rabbits along the trail.  The E&N is a mishmash of a trail.  I’m hoping the galloping goose trail is more trail and less urban.  We may see later.

The skies darkened as we walked.  Now and then a stray drop of rain fell, but we were comfortably cool and dry for most of the walk.  Toward the end the sky tried to rain, drops fell frequently, but never amounted to a rainfall.  We arrived “home” dry and happy to walk no further.

Home

J E T S jets, jets, jets

Ellen is watching her game now.  I’d say happily, but the jets are not doing great.  That could change, “could”.

Today was a great day.  Sunshine helps.  We love to see rain, but please not every day.  OK?