March 19 Island time!!

March 19
After much research and debate on the best way to get to Vancouver Island we decided to take the Horseshoe Bay Ferry to Nanaimo and then drive south to Victoria versus driving south to Tsawwassen and taking the ferry to Swartz Bay (Victoria). We have never had our rig on a ferry so it was kinda new and exciting for us. Dave was smart enough to take the bike rack off and transport the bikes inside to save us a few bucks. We measured out at 57 feet and the bill was $323. Yikes! You don't want to go back and forth too often. It was a really nice day and we actually enjoyed our short wait giving us time to take Margaret for a decent walk before having to leave her in the truck for the crossing.

She was totally fine with us leaving her in the truck and curled up on her pillow before I had the door shut. The ferry was not very full and we had no space problems at all.

Horse Shoe Bay just before departure

So beautiful but quite cool and of course, windy.

Dave and I shared a late breakfast onboard as we wanted to drive straight off the ferry to our next home away from home.

Dave is really happy to be on the Island, Margaret...meh!

One of the only pics I took on the Malahat as my sinuses and ears were killing me.

Our new home for the next 15 days

All set up with tons of room to spare

Dave's brother John arrived shortly after and invited to his place for supper. We headed over there with some wine and enjoyed a great barbeque steak with all the trimmings. John's girlfriend, Patty, arrived around 7:30 and we had a great visit. Dave had a few glasses of wine so I offered to drive home. So I almost never drive Dave's huge truck and when I do it's in the country, I have serious issues with my night vision and we are in a strange city. Add to that a drunk and disorderly navigator. It was an interesting drive "home" but somehow we made it and are still married. Hahaha!

March 20

We had heard from Mark, one of Dave's oldest friends who he has known since he was 12. Mark has been driving truck across Canada and the U.S. for a few years now. Amazingly he was doing a run to the Island today so we made plans to meet up with him once he had delivered his cargo and had a few hours to spare. We picked him up and went for lunch at Mr. Mike's in Duncan.

Lunch was good and the conversation was great. It's been way too long since we had a good visit.

March 21

Fort Victoria RV is located on an excellent trail system, The Galloping Goose, an old rail line. We did another long walk after breakfast. Margaret is loving this!

Beautiful, clean and mostly flat trails. Lots of people walking, running and cycling. I picked the quietest moments to pull out the camera.

Margaret really enjoys all the new sights and smells

The entire trail runs 55km from Victoria to a small ghost town, Leechtown, north of Sooke. We really enjoy having it so close to us and are taking advantage daily. Got back home for a quick shower.

John came over and helped us give the trailer a good scrub. The wash we gave it in Vancouver was pretty basic and it needed a bit more muscle. Thanks for your help John! We rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Six Mile Pub. The guys enjoyed the Bangers and Mash while I opted for the Sheppards Pie. Delicious!

Another bonus of Fort Victoria RV Park is it is located mid-way between the Four Mile Pub and the Six Mile Pub. Perfect!! We'll show the 4 Mile Pub in another post, it's time to get moving today.