Vancouver Island Military Museum

As I am sure Tom Canning will attest, Vancouver Island is just about the prettiest and most scenic part of the 3.8 million sq miles which comprise Canada. If you are going to visit just one part of Canada, this would be it.

 

As I am sure Tom Canning will attest, Vancouver Island is just about the prettiest and most scenic part of the 3.8 million sq miles which comprise Canada. If you are going to visit just one part of Canada, this would be it.

Well Vancouver Island is the only part of Canada I've visited and agree it is a glorious place. I didn't know about Military Museum though, missed that on my trip

Lee

 

Canuck/ Lee....

I would agree that most of Vancouver Island is a beautiful area to visit - especially Victoria with it's magnificent Butchart Gardans and the many other gardens and old English Atmosphere etc - BUT -too many visitors miss the real beauty of ALL of Western Canada when they fly into Vancouver - have a quick trip to Whistler and go home and say that " theyv'e been there - done that "

What I usually recommend is that they fly into CALGARY Alberta - drive slowly through to Banff - Jasper - Lake Louise - then into B.C. and wander through Golden - Revelstoke - Nakusp Hot Springs -Vernon 's Silver Star -Kelowna - Lake Kalamalka-the vineyards of the Ohkanagan -thenyou have a choice- Merritt and Hope - OR Penticton -OsoyoosPrinceton - Manning Park -Hope-Harrison Hot Springs-Vancouver- ferry to Nanimo -Vitoria- tour the Island to Tofino for the surfing - back to Vancouver and Whistler - THEN home from Vancouver and boast that youv'e "been there - done that ".....

OR go back via Highway 1 to take in Kamloopsand the vast Shuswap Lake with the spawning grounds of the Sockeye Salmon at Adams River -Salmon Arm - Revelstoke - Golden and Banff again - the on to Hwy 1A from Calgary and home to really be able to say that - "been there - done that "

Now Owen and Colin Hopham and I suppose many others have done some of that and would agree - it's great !....
Cheers

 

Bloody hell Tom

That's a heck of an itinerary for someone stepping off a plane. You should have told them to get the 'unlimited mileage' feature on the rental car. That route is easily a 1,500 mile round trip.

 

Canuck --
Thought my promotion bit was long enough to mention that stepping off a plane after an eight hour flight - although the ticket only shows 1.5 hrs - landing at 6;30 p.m would of necessity require an eight hour sleepover in Calgary before setting of for at least a three week trip - sleeping over at most places mentioned .....


The Beaver must represnt EASTERN Canada whereas we go along with the raucous and very astute Bluejay.....
Cheers

 

Owen - you certainly have seen a great deal of what I usually recommend and I am sure that your remember every bump on the road - thinking about cost - I was amazed last May as I usually fly BA -but owing to a kerfuffle on dates with my daughter I travelled "Air Transat" - and was happily surprised at the $800 savings and first class service - Economy being even cheaper - only snag was landing and taking off from Gatwick - but that's the way I shall be travelling in future as the American security to-day is a pain in the... erm... ankle !
Cheers

 

Owen - meant to add -when you were at Harrison Hot Springs - you had to pass my present home in Agassiz - just off Hwy 9 and MacDonald on York crescent .....we often pop up there for lunch and just walk along the lagoon...we are under Mount Cheam....
Cheers

 

Owen -
you got me going now at your mention of whale watching at Tofino - Veronica's brother and his wife came over for a visit from Australia as we had been over there a couple of years back - so we had the big tour - at Tofino we chartered a six seater plane as a son and daughter had come along..

The float plane finally landed -the Pilot got out - excused himself as he was to have a cup of coffeee - five minutes later he was back - my wife asked " did you enjoy your coffee ? " -

" not really " he said - " I only need it to swallow my heart pills " !

we did manage to take off - see some whales and land safely without any undue
traumas - they have a slightly different sense of humour out here
Cheers

 

Owen -
as always - lost your PM ......"check out where I went ".....?
Cheers
TC

 

Back in 1991 I did a 3 week tour with my cousin , I had to drive, he'd been banned .
Flew into Vancouver & picked up car.
Crossed to Sidney on the Island & stayed with Roy Henley & his wife Midge.
He was a Veteran of both world wars & the Kinmel riots.
Looked around Victoria
From there up to Tofino for whale watching then Ucelet . Chemanius & few other places too.
Back across to Lower mainland & headed through the mountains for couple of days until we got to Mount Robson. Hiked to Berg Lake , camped over night in the wilds.
Then onto Jasper, Lake Louise Peyto Lake , Columbia Icefields, Banff & all that.
Stopped off at Revelstoke, saw a live outdoor gig by Bryan Adams, down to Kamloops stopped off at some new friends we'd made.
Down to Vancouver did all the sights there including a CFL game betwen BC Lions & Calgary Stampeders.
Bought my fluffy moose baseball cap that earnt me nickname Moose on return to work.
Superb holiday. Best ever as a single chap.
Sad to think it was 20 years ago this summer.

Then in 1996 went back over again only for 2 weeks, flew to Seattle as it cheaper, looked around there, up to Sidney , stayed with Roy & Midge again.
Up to Nanaimo, stayed with friend there.
Up to Campbell River for 1st Wedding Anniversay.
Over to mainland, up through Harrison Hot Spring & Hope [saw few sights that in first Rambo film] up Fraser River to Hell's Gate, big loop back to Hope, into Vancouver & up to Whistler then back to Seatle.

So yeah I think I've seen abit of it over there.

Lovely place.
Can't afford to go back until kids leave home now.

PS in 1992 went to Toronto & all around there, Algonquin Park, war museum in Ottawa, Niagara .
1995 called into Ottawa on an overnighter from USA when on Honeymoon.

Owen,

Good on ya. You've seen more of the west than most. I have an aunt in Sidney, various relatives scattered about B.C and a good friend up in Campbell River. He has a lovely home on the ocean with his salmon boat tied up 30 steps down (Nirvana).
My high school chum played a cop role in that first Rambo flick and my cousin was the producer for Stargate for many years down in Burnaby. I was in Vancouver once a month for 5 years for work reasons and I miss getting out there now. It's a 5 hr flight from Toronto.
Call me if you ever get the urge to revisit Algonquin Park. I do one or two canoe trips every year in that wonderful place. We'll get you up close and personal with a real moose!

 

Canuck -
Now you are getting me going with salmon fishing in Campbell River - friend of mine went off to do some fishing - when he got back I made the mistake of asking how did it go ....

"well" he said - " I woke early one morning and left the others asleep- got the boat out and went off on my own -pretty soon I hooked into a big one - fought it for an hour and half - got it close to the boat but my net broke - so I jumped in and pushed it into the boat " .....

By this time my eyes were glazing over..

recognising this he asked - "do you doubt me ?"

before I could answer he hauled out pictures - and the Mayor's certificate attesting to the fact that he had indeed caught a 74 pound Sockeye - which he had canned locally

So I asked where was my share and he floored me by saying that he was reserving those for people who believed him !

All true - and it's not the biggest landed there
Cheers

PS - its not the ocean there - it's the Georgia Straits

 

That was some trip Owen! Mine was a lot less spectacular. We were only there for a few days in the summer of 2008. We took the little ferry across from Seattle and spent most of the time in and around Victoria and a trip to Butchart Gardens. We were visiting my wife's friends who are lucky enough to live there.

As I hadn't been home to England for a few years, the British-ness of Victoria did make me rather homesick!

Lee

 

As I hadn't been home to England for a few years, the British-ness of Victoria did make me rather homesick!

Most of the U.K. expats that I know often refer to the "12 month cure".
After being in Canada for a number of years they become nostalgic and homesick for Britain. Some of them then make the decision to return home. After 12 months they rediscover all the reasons why they emigrated in the first place and then depart for good. I know at least 5 people who have been here for many years but made the move twice.

 

Canuck
now you know six .....we went back after 14 years but not from homesickness but rather to have the children educated in a drug free atmosphere as it was becoming a problem in Calgary at that time....it worked as all three went to traditional Grammer schools then on to University....I had by then opened a business and as retirement was looming - we again sold up and came back to B.C. in 1987....we go back most years to see our daughter and still many old friends - our daughter was over three times last year - she just left and is now complaining about the weather - In Dubai where she has to get the bell boys to move her lounger when the sun moves round...life can be really tough for some !
Cheers