I wasn’t prepared for this hike!
Victoria, British Columbia (Vancouver Island)
Our first full day on the island; we got up and had our complimentary continental breakfast at the hotel restaurant - Matt’s carrot muffin was surprisingly good
We packed up, checked out and I blocked the camper with several cones in front to ensure we didn’t get boxed in by another car
We attempted to go to Walmart and clanked the bikes on a clearance bar (oops) that was nonsensically guarding a small strip of parking spaces; instead we went to Save on Foods - didn’t find what we needed, but picked up more bulk nuts and trail mix instead
Went to Fisherman’s Wharf and walked around, admiring the floating houses and cute outdoor restaurants serving fresh seafood
Drove over to downtown Victoria; walked through Victoria’s Public Market at the Hudson and resisted the pies, pizza and muffins
Walked to Chinatown and down Fan Tan Alley; it’s narrowest point is only about 36 inches
Went to Beacon Hill Park and walked along the shoreline, poking at the mysterious ocean gifts that washed up (lots of driftwood, crazy looking seaweed, goopy / jelly slime)
Went to another Walmart to get the supplies we needed; this one was a bi-level store
Picked up the camper from the Sheraton and towed it to our next campground - Malahat Mountain Meadows RV Park; nicely wooded, but the front was littered with old trailers, boats and vehicles; there are several full-time residents here and an empty pool - not our favorite campground so far
Tried to quench our munchies with loads of goldfish crackers and took a nap
Got up and headed over to the Goldstream Provincial Park; walked through the old forest and found a small plastic box nestled in a hollowed out tree trunk… a geocache that was stashed there with useless trinkets; nearly stepped on a five-inch slug and noticed a snail nearby
Walked along the riverbed that was extremely low (very popular spawning and fishing grounds for salmon in the fall)
Hiked up Mount Findlayson with Oslo; lots of steep climbs and rock scrambles near the top, so he had a chance to show off his mountain goat-like climbing skills
Campground: Malahat Mountain Meadows RV Park
