After a day in Olympic National Park, it was time to set sail for our next destination: Canada!
Since it was early, we grabbed something to drink before we caught our ferry. The closest place to get a drink quickly was Dutch Bros. I had never been to Dutch Bros. before. I had seen them off the side of the road while driving on I-80 to and from Sacramento, but I had never been to one. I’m not a coffee drinker. My wife drinks coffee and told me we should avoid Dutch Bros. if we could.
I asked her if it was bad coffee, and she said, “It’s not bad, but it is overly sweet.” She also revealed her true reason for not wanting to go there: they talk too much. I did a double take because what do you mean they talk too much? It’s a drive-thru. How much talking could they do? She then told me that they will talk to you about the weather and ask you about your day and what plans you have.
Also known as: Customer Service.
I nodded like I knew what was going on and drove to Dutch Bros. anyway. As we waited in line, she made quiet little comments about how they were going to ask about our day and what we had planned. Meanwhile, I was looking for a smoothie or something.
Sure enough, we ordered our drinks and then pulled up to the service window. We paid, and then they asked what we had planned for the day…we told them we were heading into Victoria and would spend the day there. They said it sounded like a great day given the nice weather and wished us well.
How long did this interaction last? I have no idea, but it was not very long. It was long enough that I could look over at my wife in the passenger seat and see her mouth “I told you so” to me.
Now, you might be reading this and thinking, “What in the actual hell is happening?” Truth be told, I am filling space and embellishing a story to lengthen my piece with a fun anecdote about the beginning of our journey to Canada.
Drinks in hand, we drove down to the ferry terminal and waited to embark. Once the car was safely on board, we got out and made our way topside.
Being a stately gentleman, Indy wandered around the deck and took in the cool morning air. It was a roughly 90-minute trip that was super painless on both ends of the border.
I hadn’t been to Canada until this trip. Neither had Indy. We were both venturing into parts unknown.
As the ferry pulled into port, I was taken aback at how beautiful the city looked. It didn’t hurt that the sun was out and shining through the grey clouds, letting the buildings pop against the sky. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but the grey clouds really made the buildings, with all their glass facades, stand out.
Once across, we headed to our first stop on our Canadian leg of the trip: The Butchart Gardens.
Designated a National Historic Site of Canada, Butchart Gardens was once a limestone quarry, and when the limestone was exhausted, it became the lush, vibrant gardens we see today.
I was surprised and pleased to read that dogs are allowed to visit the gardens, as long as they are well-behaved. This is quite the contrast to visiting most local gardens back home. We don’t take this lightly either. We recognize that bringing our dog here is a privilege, and we wouldn’t bring him if he weren’t allowed. We are not that type of dog people.
We walked the grounds and took in all of its beauty. The gardens are well-maintained and teeming with life at every corner.
I won’t lie, it was truly a joy to walk the grounds with Indy. He sniffed everything he could and then some. We visited the Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and just about every inch of the grounds. They were in the middle of setting up for their Christmas light shows, so we saw strands of garland, red bows, and various light-up decorations being installed or already in place.
This was a beautiful place to go for a stroll. As we walked the grounds, we saw a few other dogs taking in the sights and smells. One woman without a dog came up to us. She said she usually brings her dog into the garden for their morning walk, which tells me the people at Butchart Gardens truly foster a sense of community by bringing neighbors together.
We stayed at The Fairmont Empress, right across from Victoria Harbour and a stone’s throw from the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. They are a dog-friendly hotel that even provided Indy with his own bed and water bowl. Cute!
After our walk through the gardens, we, guess what, did some more walking! This time it was around the harbour and the aforementioned Legislative Building.
I am not going to lie, this was a lot of walking for the older gentleman. By the end of the day, it came to close to five miles. That’s a lot for an 11-year-old. We would eat at a nearby restaurant that had outdoor seating and then call it a night.
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