Day 12

Final location: Victoria, BC; Final odometer: Not much different.

I woke up before the alarm, showered and got myself ready for the ferry ride. A quick breakfast at the Quality Inn and I was off. I had to find a mailbox for some items and then I was at the ferry. It was already quite busy and I had no time to go to duty free. Even though I had made a reservation, I had to stand in line and wait to pay the final amount. It was $44.50 for a motorcycle and trailer, in case you were wondering. I did have a chance to chat with a nice older couple on their Honda cruiser (VTX, I think) from Oregon. We were the only motorcycles on this trip. Once again, the solar setup became a point of discussion.

They squeezed me onto the left side of the ferry and their bike on the other because, you know, having them on the same side would tip the balance... I even lifted the back of the trailer and scooted it over so there would be more room.

Leaving the US mainland for a couple days. The gangway portal has the US and Canadian flags as well as the flag of the Black Ball Line. In 1816 Captain Charles H. Marshall founded the Black Ball Line, the first scheduled transatlantic passenger service. This service operated for over 60 years between New York and Liverpool flying the house flag, which consisted of a black ball centered on a red background. Today, Black Ball Transport Inc. can indirectly trace its origins back to the original line.

This one vehicle never made it. They'll have to wait until noon-ish for the next ride over. From then, I happily snapped some pictures around the ship.

We approached the Harbour and people started to jockey for good picture taking spots. As we got close, though, they called for everyone to get back to their vehicles. Since the motorcycles were at the back, I didn't rush.

My Dad was snapping some pictures of the ferry from land and managed to get me in one.

Mile 0!? Now, I'll have to start all over again!!

From the Mile 0 marker, we headed right up Douglas Street into View Royal. We walked across the street to Six Mile Pub (the oldest pub in BC, established in 1855) and each enjoyed a large plate of poutine, washed down by a couple of Race Rocks Ales. I then napped on the couch - it felt great!

We then attacked a nasty hijacker on my Dad's desktop PC, went to FutureShop to get a router, installed and configured said router and just generally relaxed all day. Hopefully, more of the same tomorrow. Back on the road Wednesday.