Some scenes from yesterday, on our travel day. As the crow flies, it wasn't remarkably far, but Vancouver Island is only accessible by plane or boat. So we departed in the morning, leaving Vancouver in the Shadwick Lab van (a classic vehicle ca. NDP postdoc and JAG grad school days), with an extra trailer hitched on. Total luggage included around 14 large bags, including 100 lbs of food.
We took the ferry from Tsawassen to Swartz Bay, crossing the Georgia Straight in about 2 hours.
Bob and Nick chat about the conference semi-final round of the NHL playoffs while waiting for sightings of Phocoena phocoena. (Photo: JA Goldbogen).
Then we picked up team member Liz Nesbitt, who took a different passenger ferry from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria, the capital on B.C., on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. We then collected some other key field items (bread, milk, beer), and drove north past Sooke, Sombrio and to the end of the road at Port Renfrew. Truly the end of the road, and the western edge of civilization for North America. Port Renfrew was our departure point this morning, via chartered boat on the Michelle Diana, which runs the Juan de Fuca Express route up and down the western side of the island.
Relaxing after a long day of logistics and driving at the Trailhead Motel, while discussing the Oligocene, lunge feeding, and enjoying the amazing peace and quiet of BC's west coast. (Photo: J.A. Goldbogen)
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