Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Mighty Coho turns the big Five-Oh!

Living on an island one becomes quite enamored of the ferries that link us to the mainland. The M.V. Coho, filled with 1950s character, not only provides a link between Victoria B.C. and Port Angeles, Washington but also provides a link to the past.The Coho was built in Seattle at a cost of $3 million - privately financed by Black Ball Transport.Since 1959, the Coho has transported 21 million passengers and five million vehicles over the 22.59 nautical miles between Victoria's inner harbour and downtown Port Angeles.A 2006 study showed the Coho, which can accommodate 1,000 passengers and 120 vehicles on any one sailing, ferried more than 205,000 return passengers and brought $123.7 million into the Victoria economy.And as a a deckhand explained to us before boarding on a very stormy day, "Oh, yes we're sailing. There's no seas rough enough or waves high enough to stop this ship."

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Happy Holidays from parking enforcement

Oh, no – what's that ticket under my windshield wiper?
It's not a ticket at all, but some interesting poetry and holiday wishes from Victoria's parking enforcement - considered one of the quickest to ticket in the world. Click on image to enlarge.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Niagara Falls, Goldstream Provincial Park B.C.

Yes Niagara Falls is its proper name and is not to be confused with that little trickle of water somewhere back east. If you are traveling north on Highway 1 you need to stop at Goldstream Park then walk north towards the interpretation centre from the parking lot. The access to Niagara Falls will be along the path and through a tunnel under Highway 1 - assuming that the water level is low enough. When we went there, quite a bit of ice had accumulated around the base of the falls.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Tuba Christmas

Tuba Christmas is an international event that began with a concert in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on Sunday, December 22, 1974. In Victoria, this annual event brought together over 50 tuba players from across BC and the Pacific Northwest to play traditional Christmas music at the old Market Square downtown.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Google Street View Victoria is online!

Finally, Google street view Victoria is online (http://maps.google.com/)! Google appears to have done some retouching though since most of the views appear as if the weather was sunny.