Family Vacation 2016 – Oh, Canada!

Government buildings at night

 Disclaimer: I wanted to avoid having the blog sound like a travelogue.  But after rereading the posting* about the last reunion, it was clear that ship sailed long ago.  I figured "Oh well..."

Victoria, BC was the choice for the family reunion this time.  It was a great location,  unusually good weather (a challenge in the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Island) with a touch of international travel.  At least Canada required a passport.  The week beginning the US National Political Conventions turned out to be a good time to be out of the country.  Canadians are too polite to say "What are you people doing down there?"

Disabled travel is a challenge under the best of circumstances, but a bit more complicated when ferries and customs are involved.  As we learned on our trips to Disneyland and Utah**, there are so many disabled travelers that cities and tourist venues are used to it and tend to be very accommodating.  All the ferries offered an assistant to disabled people to navigate the steep ramps.  I gratefully took it.  Earl and I embraced the unpredictability of disabled travel and went for it.

Gator and crab feed in Sequim
Since Sequim, Washington is so close to Vancouver Island, we stopped for a night to visit our friends***  for a fresh Dungeness crab feed and annual gator ride.
Classic cars on a ferry?
The next day, we got on the Coho ferry out of Port Angeles bound for Canada.  Earl and I noticed that there were number of very cool cars on the ferry as well.   Come to find out, Victoria was hosting a Classic Car rally that weekend and expecting over 1500 cars.  It was either going to be very crowded or a fortuitous 'twofer'.  Spoiler alert: yes to both. 

Butchart Gardens
As before, we travelled with Thelma and Skeeter—my portable, travel buddies.****.  Louise stayed at home.  Skeeter and I navigated the BC Museum, Butchart Gardens, and high tea at the Empress Hotel without taking out tourists, a museum exhibit or breaking any fine china at high tea. 
Girls of all ages at Tea
Since I didn't have to cover any territory at our motel or on the city tour, Thelma was my vehicle of choice there.  Between the two, I was able to see and do most everything I wanted.  In the past, whenever we travelled to a foreign city, we were in the habit of taking the 'Hop on Hop off' double decker bus to get an overview.    Recognizing that my 'hopping' days are over, we were able to find a city tour taxi service that could accommodate me, Skeeter, and Thelma.  We had enough people in our group to round out the quota. It made seeing beautiful Victoria more fun for me.
Hop on/Hop off? Pass.
 
Adventure tourism? Pass.
Some of the more adventurous family members went kayaking and zip lining. Surprise, surprise–I didn't go and opted for the BC museum instead.   Seeing Victoria from the inner harbor was an event in itself.  Like previous reunions, there was something for everyone.

Initially, our grandchildren were disappointed that the Victoria reunion trumped the traditional family vacation.  "What? No vacation in Sunriver this year?" they wailed.  However, that didn't last long.  When they saw all their cousins in one location, they were off having fun and never gave our generation a second thought.

It's hard to find a hotel that can accommodate a group of nearly 30 people of different ages and interests, in Victoria, and on one of the busiest tourist weekends.  Complicating that was the need for a few handicapped–accessible rooms.  The rooms and kitchens were fine, but the coolest thing was that they were together and backed on to a patio that was all ours. Good thing, because we were a boisterous group with lots of children up late. If there were noise complaints from other patrons, we didn't hear about it.  I have to say, that was one of the best parts of the weekend.

Generation Patio

The lesson: Although the first generation (seniors) vowed at the last reunion that we were passing the baton to next generation, it didn't happen.  This time we really meant it.  It's more fun to just show up and leave the planning to upcoming generations.

 *Previous post: The Generation Gaps
**Previous post: I'm Going to Disneyland!
***Previous post: The Right Vehicle for the Task
****Previous post: New Wheels: The 'girls'

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