“Victoria is waiting
Just across the sea,
With shops all full of old antiques
And the Empress full of tea.
If you long for England’s shore
You’ll find it very near.
Victoria is famous
For it’s British atmosphere”
~ Elizabeth Pritchard Jacobsen
CHECKLIST
Check Canadian Customs Regarding Dog√
Passport √
CODY Paperwork from Vet √
Notify Bank of International Travel √
Notify Cellphone Provider of International Travel √
Blackball Ferry Reservation – Port Angeles to Victoria √
BC Ferry Reservation – Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen √
Admission for Butchart Garden √
Admission for Capilano Suspension Bridge √
VICTORIA TALLY HO!
It’s May 2018, the US Memorial Day weekend. Our Denver cousin’s Susie and Elle wanted to go Pawtripping with us to Victoria and Vancouver BC on what turned out to be a whirlwind 6-day Adventure, for “JUST A SPOT OF VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER!”
DAY 1 Thursday – PORTLAND, OR to PORT ORCHARD HARBOR, WA
Our cousins arrive early Thursday evening at the Portland International Airport to Lots of TAIL WAGS, LICK’S and BARKS; the CODESTER WELCOMING COMMITTEE!
From PDX, we join the holiday traffic North to Port Orchard, Washington, for a 3-hour drive, in order to get an early start and have a more leisurely drive the next day when we catch the Blackball Ferry in Port Angeles for Victoria BC.
Our digs for the night are at the Dog-Friendly COMFORT INN ON THE BAY in Port Orchard, WA.
DAY 2 Friday – PORT ORCHARD TO PORT ANGELES TO VICTORIA BC – BLACKBALL FERRY, VICTORIA, FISHERMAN’S WHARF
8 Bells (that’s 8:00 am MATEY,) Time to Rise and Shine You LAZY BONES, and hit the road for PORT ANGELES! “Hooray, up he rises, Earlye in the morning.”
It’s lucky we allow the extra time to the Ferry since the Hoods Canal bridge is up for Pleasure Craft.
No worries though, we make it with time to spare.
On the US side, they check to make sure we have our passports and the CODY DOG’s required paperwork before letting us in the ferry line.
We like the BLACKBALL FERRY because the CODESTER is allowed to ride in the dog-Friendly Cabin with Carole…after climbing a bunch of steep-pitched stairs, and with a little help from Dramamine (per our vet!) which helps with the choppy seas, that is… 🎶 HE’S CODY THE SAILOR DOG 🎶
When we arrive in Victoria we follow our phone carrier instructions switching to International coverage while we wait our turn; then drive up to one of several Customs Booths; Present our Paperwork; Answer Questions; and we are on Canadian Soil….BLOODY GOOD SHOW CODY DOG…”YOU PASS WITH CANADIAN FLYING COLORS!”
Heres a map of Victoria. If you look very closely you will see Pawprints where we Stayed, Ate and Visited while we were in the city. (It may require a Magnifying Glass ala Sherlock Holmes for you sleuths!)
First order of business, We check in at our hotel, the CAPITAL CITY CENTER HOTEL, located on the edge of town, where we’ll be for the next 2 nights.
Our pet-friendly room is right behind the reception desk making it a breeze to haul ALL of our belongings in and out. Plus, there is Free parking in a secure lot across the street.
For our first night’s dinner in Victoria BC we decide to check out FISHERMAN’S WHARF where there are 5 different restaurants and plenty of public dog-friendly seating. Think floating food court with a little something for everyone.
In addition to the restaurants on the dock, there are Homes, Unique Shops, Moored Pleasure Craft, Excursions, and let’s not forget the Squawking Seagulls. “YO HO, YO HO, THIS IS THE LIFE FOR ME!”
DAY 3 Saturday – VICTORIA & SAANICH PENINSULA – BUTCHART GARDENS, GOLDSTREAM PROVINCIAL PARK and NIAGRA FALLS with Dinner at RED FISH BLUE FISH.
“TOP OF THE MORNING TO YE SIR CODY DOG!” Today we visit the famous BUTCHART GARDENS . (A 30 minute drive from our hotel)
And, The CODY DOG has a BLOODY GOOD TIME walking through the different Gardens, Sniffing the Peonies, and checking out Fountains and Ponds in this most LUVERLY Setting!
Then, After A Picnic Lunch at the Gardens, we take a 30 minute drive to GOLDSTREAM PROVINCIAL PARK , and the CANADIAN NIAGRA FALLS. (NO PARKING FEE)
Then hop in the car and drive back to Victoria and Beacon Hill, where we enjoy the view “across the pond” of the Snowcapped Olympic Mountains in Washington State.
Tonight we decide to check out the Dog-Friendly RED FISH BLUE FISH , housed in an old shipping container on a dock in the Inner Harbor. A PAWPULAR SPOT INDEED!…AND well worth the hour wait for the SCRUMMY (that’s British speak for delicious!) Tacones!
(PARKING AT A NEARBY CARPARK FOR A FEE)
OTHER SUGGESTED DOG-FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS & RESTAURANTS WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO VISIT: Mt. Douglas, Ogden Point Breakwater Walk, Lido Waterfront Bistro, The Fish Store, and Cafe Brio
DAY 4 Sunday – VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER BC – THUNDERBIRD PARK VICTORIA, VANCOUVER, LYNN CANYON SUSPENSION BRIDGE, GRANVILLE ISLAND, BRIDGES RESTAURANT, DIGITAL WHALE
CHEERIO Victoria! Today We’re off to Vancouver, BC!
But before we say our fond farewells, we make one last stop at the Dog-Friendly THUNDERBIRD PARK to see the Totem Poles!
(PARKING METER)
Then it’s, Onward Cousins, to SWARTZ BAY (a 30 minute drive) to catch our BC Ferry to VANCOUVER.
Signs as we approach the terminal read “Sold Out.” (So Glad we took the advise of our Aunt Marlys who said buy tickets online when they’re available for purchase…with an emphatic, “DON’T WAIT!”)
The BC FERRIES do not let dogs, (That’s the CODESTER,) ride in the cabins, so Cody and Carole stay below deck in the car for this 1-1/2 hour crossing, listening to the rumble of the ferry engine, car alarms going off, and other dogs barking which drives the CODY DOG BONKERS!…”MAY DAY, MAY DAY, ABANDON SHIP”
THIS Ferry Ride gets a BIG TWO PAWS DOWN!
At last, we arrive at Tsawwassen/ Vancouver BC and DRY LAND and We’re on our way to LYNN CANYON PARK, and the LYNN CANYON SUSPENSION BRIDGE, an hour’s drive away.
This Park is a Madhouse, but we are determined, and all of us (including the CODESTER,) go across the Suspension Bridge, and back taking in the view of TWIN FALLS as we cross.
(NO FEE)
LYNN CANYON SUSPENSION BRIDGE
TWIN FALLS
from the Suspension Bridge.
Time to HOOF IT, or PAW IT in CODY’s case, BLOW THIS POP STAND, for downtown Vancouver, and our hotel.
MAP of VANCOUVER BC
with Paw Prints indicating where we ate at Bridges on Granville Island, and the Digital Whale sculpture.
For dinner, we drive to Granville Island and BRIDGES RESTAURANT , where we are seated at a dog-friendly table on the outer dock looking over the water….WHAT A VIEW!
And, Being the SALTY CODY DOG he i, he makes friends left and right with the neighboring tables of diners from Sweden, Germany, Scotland and England, as well as our waitress from Ireland…I’d say, A JOLLY GOOD TIME was had by All!
Chalk up Another Al Fresco dinner for the LANDLUBBING CODESTER – Boats, A Breeze, Sun, the Smell of Saltwater, and Seagulls Crying (as the poem goes)
On our way back to the hotel, we drive by the DIGITAL WHALE, our cousin Elle snaps this photo from the car (just one of Vancouver’s many unique works of public art,)
“MAKING A SPLASH!”
OTHER SUGGESTED DOG-FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS & RESTAURANTS WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO VISIT: Quarry Rock Hike, Burnaby Mountain for views and Totem Poles, Museum of Anthropology Outdoors for Totem Poles, Arms Reach Bistro (Deep Cove) near Quarry Rock, Public Art – TransAm Totem, Echoes, The Drop, The Birds, 217.5 x 13 Arc, and Lighthouse Park
DAY 5 Monday – VANCOUVER – CAPILANO PARK, STANLEY PARK, A-MAZE-ING LAUGHTER
Today we get up early, pack the car, and drive to CAPILANO PARK so we’re there when they open.
Here is a map of the Greater Vancouver Area with Paw Prints at both the Lynn Canyon and Capilano Parks for reference!
Capilano Park Map.
Dogs are welcome throughout the Park, but when the CODESTER starts across the Suspension Bridge, there is a line of people who aren’t moving. Definitely NOT THIS BOY’S CUPPA TEA, so Carole’s cousin Susie stays behind with the CODY DOG while her daughter Elle and Carole go exploring, then, meet up for lunch at the Dog Friendly LOGGER’S GRILL.
in the meantime what does CODY do? CODY entertains the visiting International Students who gather around wanting to pet Him and take His picture! He was CHUFFED (that’s British speak for pleased,) to say the least, from all of the attention!
LOGGERS GRILL at Capilano Park
Below is a Map of Vancouver with Paw Prints at Stanley Park, and other Public Art Installations.
After lunch, we drive back into Vancouver and STANLEY PARK
(Note: The way parking works in Stanley Park is you find a meter, estimate the time you will spend in the Park, enter your license number, and pay with a credit card.)
Of course we had to take a walk along the famous SEAWALL. And, Carole wants to make a brief stop for photos of, “Yes, you guessed it,” the TOTEM POLES.
From STANLEY PARK, we head to Morton Park to see ‘A-MAZE-ING LAUGHTER”… BRILLIANT!…Putting Smiles on all of our faces.
It’s now Time to say CHEERIO Vancouver, CHEERIO Canada, and head for the Border!
Overnight in Bellingham, WA at the dog-friendly Econolodge (this hotel is now closed)
DAY 6 Tuesday – BELLINGHAM, SEATAC AIRPORT, HOME
This morning, We hit the road for Woodinville, An hour’s Drive, to visit with our Aunt Marlys…then we drop off our Denver Cousins at the SEATAC Airport, with a “CHEERIO Susie, CHEERIO Elle,” before Carole and CODY DOG head down the I-5 for home …
“Home again, Home again, jiggety jig!”… singing 🎶 “Oh Canada Glorious and Free”… WE HAD A SMASHING GOOD TIME WITH THEE!
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
Day 1 Thursday – Portland to Port Orchard, WA
- Comfort Inn on the Bay, Port Orchard, 1121 Bay Street
Day 2 Friday – Port Orchard to Victoria BC Stops
- Blackball Ferry Port Angeles, WA
- Victoria BC Customs
- Capital City Center Hotel, Victoria BC, 1116 Government St.
- Fisherman’s Wharf Dinner
Day 3 Saturday – Victoria BC Stops
- Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, 800 Benvenuto Ave.
- Goldstream Provincial Park & Niagra Falls, Langford, 2930 Trans-Canada Hwy
- Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, 100 Cook Street
- Red Fish Blue Fish, Victoria, 1234 Wharf Street
- Overnight Capital City Center Hotel, Victoria, 1116 Government St.
Day 3 Sunday – Victoria BC to Vancouver BC
- Thunderbird Park, Victoria, 638 Douglas Street
- BC Ferry, Swartz Bay
- Tsawwassen
- Lynn Canyon Park, Vancouver BC, 3690 Park Rd. North
- Bridges Restaurant on Granville, Island, Vancouver, 1676 Duranleau St.
- Digital Whale, Vancouver BC, 1055 Canada Place
- Overnight Hotel
Day 4 Monday – Vancouver BC to Bellingham, WA
- Capilano Park, N. Vancouver, 3735 Capilano Rd
- Stanley Park, Vancouver
- A-MAZE-ING Laughter, Vancouver, Morton Park
- Overnight Econolodge, Bellingham, 3750 Meridian St. (has closed)
Day 5 Tuesday – Bellingham – Portland
- Visit with Aunt in Woodinville, WA
- Drop Cousins off at SeaTac Airport
- Home to Portland
Resources:
LODGING
COMFORT INN ON THE BAY
comfortinnportorchard.com
- 1121 Bay Street, Port Orchard, WA
- 1-360-329-4051
- Room Rate + Pet Fee per night
- Free Hot Breakfast, Drive Up Room, Free Wifi, Laundry Facility, refrigerator and microwave.
CAPITAL CITY CENTER HOTEL
capitalcitycenterhotel.com
- 1116 Government Street, Victoria BC
- 1-250-953-1000
- Room Rate plus Pet Fee per night
- Free Wifi, Pool, Restaurant, microwave, refrigerator, air conditioning
CANADIAN CUSTOMS – Bringing your dog to Canada
CODY’S PACKING LIST
Dog Food (according to amount allotted by Canadian customs)
Medications in bottles (per Canadian customs)
Dog Treats (in packaging per Canadian customs)
Paperwork (per Canadian customs)
Brush
Dog Bowls
Sheet
Dog First Aid Kit
Calming Vest
Regular and Hansfree Leash
Dog Waste Bags
Safety Harness
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