Pacific Northwest

 

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Summer 2024 was full of travel and adventure as well as learning, growing and connecting. After Maui, where I worked (and then we got to play), the girls and I went to New York and then finally we headed North. Pacific Northwest to be exact. The family was in different spaces throughout the summer, so this would be the first travel excursion of the summer with all four us. 

I had encouraged a trip to the Pacific Northwest because after my time in Northbound Washington in late Spring, I knew the family would love it there. I also felt that the earth, sky and water there was calling me to return and visit longer. The family was on board. We flew into Seattle and then drove a couple of hours north to Port Angeles where we boarded a car ferry to Victoria, Vancouver Island. We stopped in Port Angeles, to visit our neighbor friend, who has a home there and happened to up there when we were passing through. Brigette showed us the quite town, directed us the quaint local bookstore and took us a local spot for wonderful lunch.

The 90 minute ferry across was exciting and new. We'd never taken a car ferry. On the Canada side, it was easy to enter and make our way to a hotel for the night. We would only be in Victoria for brief periods so the next morning, while the family was still asleep, I got up early and walked around a bit. I found the city to have a sweet charm about it.

From Victoria, we drove 6 hours north, to the top of the island, to Port Hardy, the end of the road. The drive, while long, was green and lush. There were very few cars, making it a relaxing and peaceful drive.  Well, peaceful on the outside. Some of us inside the car were quite grumpy at times but that is par for the course. But over the course of a long day, it went fairly well. We napped, read and were mostly quiet.

Once we got to Port Hardy, we checked into a First Nations hotel. Knowing that the hotel was built and run by those who had lived in the area for centuries brought a feeling of sadness and relief. Far too long, colonizers have taken advantage of those they abused, stolen from and left with nothing. That there was a rare business that was not part of the colonial system allowed us to feel we were walking respectfully on the land and on the waters of this part of the planet. 

We spent the next two days on the water. Two full days, in remote areas, surrounded by breathtaking views of water and land. We experienced orcas, humpbacks, seals, sea lions and grizzly bear and cubs. We saw bald eagles perched in trees and a few taking flight. We drank in the turquoise waters and filled our lungs with fresh, cool air.  We learned about the local culture, the devastating impact of fish farms and how our local guide helped to shut them down and had the spiritual experience of hearing the sounds of the humpbacks speaking when a microphone was dropped in the water and picked up their most beautiful voices.

After a  couple of days in Port Hardy, we drove back down the island and close to Victoria (well 2 hours away), checked into a cozy cabin in the woods where we rested, relaxed and visited an 800 year old Douglas Fir that lived in a magical, lush green forest. The girls and I went to a quaint nearby town to do thrifting, find a book store and walk the sweet town. When we finally headed out to go back on the Ferry, we felt refreshed and rested and grateful for a week of beautify and awe.