First Month as a Snowbird

December 19, 2023
San Felipe, Baja, Mexico

Technically I spent February in Arizona, so this might be more properly called my second month as a snowbird, but I botched it up in February by leaving Spokane after it got cold and snowy, then returning while it was still cold and snowy.  Though I enjoyed the month in the van, I guess I just hadn’t quite got my head wrapped around how to be a proper snowbird.

So the plan was to leave before Thanksgiving and avoid the snow.  The day before I left, however, nature had the last laugh.

Pre-Thanksgiving Snow in Spokane

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Sweden: Gothenburg

June 27, 2023
Gothenburg, Sweden

A short trip on a local train across the Øresund, the straight between Copenhagen and Sweden, brought me to Malmo, where I caught a Swedish train to Gothenburg.  Or almost to Gothenburg.  About five miles out we inexplicably stopped and the passengers were all loaded onto busses that took us to the Gothenburg train station.

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Denmark

June 24, 2023
Copenhagen, Denmark

Technically, I’ve been to Copenhagen before.  I transited through the airport on my way home  from Germany for Christmas in 1981.  About the only thing I recall is the extremely strong coffee on SAS Airlines.  I can now confirm that small bit of Danish culture has not changed at all.  The Danes still like their coffee decidedly on the strong side.  Which is good.

Curl Your Toenails Black Coffee

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Cibola Road and the Mysterious North Yuma UAV Airfield

February 9, 2023
Kofa Wildlife Refuge, AZ

I’ve always been intrigued by backroads in remote places.  So Cibola Road, off US-95 south of Quartzsite, AZ, which seemingly leads right into Yuma Proving Ground, caught my attention.

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Fiona

September 23, 2022
Not In Newfoundland

As mentioned, were it not for van issues, I had intended to visit the Canadian Maritime Provinces via the Trans-Labrador Highway. Per the plan, I would right now be in Deer Lake, Newfoundland. Perhaps it was fortuitous that I opted for Vancouver Island instead.

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My planned location today, at the red X.

“Canadians are bracing for what could be the strongest storm to ever hit their country’s coast.”
— CNN

Victoria

September 21, 2022
Victoria, BC

It was a long and dangerous voyage, fraught with pirates, icebergs, gales, and a limited supply of hot coffee, but the ferry from Vancouver finally made landfall at Nanaimo mid-morning. Truth be told, it was the nicest ferry I’ve ever been on. With ample coffee.

Being Sunday, not much was open in Nanaimo and there was some kind of a pride event going on, creating crowds. I puttered around a bit, took a nice walk along the shore nearby, and showed up slightly early at my host’s place (more later on Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome).

Victoria was on the agenda for the next day. I first visited Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse. The former is a 100+ year old gun emplacement typical of numerous such sites once protecting the harbor, which was at one time home port to the British Pacific Fleet. All original concrete buildings, with period guns. A nice place to walk around on a balmy late summer day.

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Six Inch Gun at Fort Rodd Hill

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I’m pretty sure, with a few practice shots, I could sink those freighters.

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Period barracks at Fort Rodd Hill

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Fighting Foods!

While separately maintained, accessible for the same fee and but a short walk away is Fisgard Lighthouse. Worth a look if you’re there, though not terribly photogenic.

My campground was right on the water at the harbor. A bit pricey, but exceptionally convenient.

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View from my campsite.

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View from campground

I had been in Victoria briefly 30 years ago when a bunch of scuba divers flew to Seattle, then took a float plane to Victoria Harbor, followed by diving off the straits (which was phenomenal). Everyone should take a float plane into Victoria Harbor at least once in their life. It’s spectacular.

Street parking was remarkably easy to find even for the van, assuming you’re willing to walk a little (the van doesn’t do parking garages). And Victoria is a wonderful place to walk around. Very historic with excellent preservation of historic buildings. Precious little open before 10, however. Simply one of the coolest historic districts anywhere, and wonderful to walk around on a gorgeous day.

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Cool historic buildings.

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More history

A major attraction to the waterfront is the Empress Hotel, built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1908. Interestingly, the CPRR did not only rail travel, but also built steamships across lakes and built hotels. The Empress is rather colorfully landscaped.

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The Empress Hotel

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Empress Hotel Landscaping

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Empress Hotel Landscaping

Closeby I visited the Parliament building which was more interesting that you might think, and the Royal BC Museum which was nicely presented, though only 1/2 open due to construction.

The following day I paid a visit to the world-famous Butchart Gardens. It was pretty and all, with supposedly themed sections (Mediterranean, Japanese, etc.) though it all seemed rather similar to me. Quite impressive mixing of flowers for color combinations. Rather crowded. Worth doing once. I won’t likely ever return.

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Pretty Flowers at Butchart Gardens

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Pretty Flowers at Butchart Gardens

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Pretty Flowers at Butchart Gardens

Victoria was the highlight of the trip so far. Loads of great eateries and a really cool old town. I checked AirBnB rates and was surprised that they were fairly reasonable. I suspect a float plane arrival and a 3-4 night stay may be in my future.