September 20, 2023 Day 6 Victoria 38.2 miles
We are headed to Butchart Gardens today. The skies are mostly cloudy but cleared off by about 9:30. The drive to the gardens was an experience all by itself. We twisted and turned, went up and down on a narrow road that zig zagged between trees. Houses are hidden somewhere back from the road. We saw driveways occasionally. The road is well paved and smooth with no lines. It is barely wide enough for two cars to pass. The speed limit is 15 mph. Eventually we came to a wider road. Unfortunately the surface was much more bumpy.
We arrived at the garden. The entry fee was $29.26 each. Several parking attendants guided us to our spot. Naturally flowers are everywhere. We did see several gardeners working too. The day is now beautiful. Cool but sunny. They have paths marked for wheel chairs and bathrooms in several places. The map doesn’t always show all the paths. A few more signs might have been helpful. Lots of tourists are here because several difficult languages can be heard. Sometimes congestion slows us down but usually the going is good. School age children are definitely missing. That helps with the crowds. A few babies and dogs. An ice cream shop is near the end. One scoop is $6.50 Canadian.
We decided to head for the warf to have fish and chips for lunch. The route takes us right through the middle of town. It’s bumper to bumper traffic plus pedestrians and bicyclists. The stop lights are close together. We had to stop at everyone. A protest was happening at the parliament building. A large crowd was gathered but they looked peaceful. We were lucky and found a parking place very close to Barb’s Fish N Chips where we hoped to have lunch. Parking costs about $3 US per hour. Even though the time was after 1:00 PM the place was busy. After lunch we walked down the pier a little. Water taxis are going all around the harbor. They are yellow with a checkered band. Some nice house boats are there too. Even a B & B on the water.
Back to the hotel for a short rest and then to Costco to fill with gas. The gas bar wasn’t as busy and the gift card worked just fine. Costco gas is ten cents a liter less than anywhere else.
Rob checked a few things on the car and then we watched the Hubley races. These are small Model A cars that race down a wooden track. The timing is accurate to 1/1000 of a second. What a fun way to spend the evening.
Spoffords Travel 