Vancouver Island, BC

We stayed at the Prancing Horse, about 20 minutes north of Victoria.  Our suite even came with a resident cat, which made us feel right at home.  Lots of mini hikes between rainstorms, fish and chips, and bird-watching. 

28 weeks. 

Tom was determined to see a bald eagle on this trip.  He had nothing to worry about as we saw several of them fly right by our window in both Port Angeles and Vancouver Island.  Here's one we spotted on a beach hike. 

Port Angeles, WA: Hurricane Ridge

Trekking around Oregon

Marshes around Klamath Falls:

Agency Lake:

Salt Creek Falls:

Roadtrip 2014: Crater Lake, Oregon

SF--> Crater Lake--> Port Angeles--> Victoria--> Vancouver--> Portland--> HOME!

We've made a habit of doing at least one international trip a year, so when we started planning around our upcoming life event, we figured we needed to at least make it to Canada this year.  First stop, Crater Lake!

Otter Love

Whiffen Spit
Sooke, BC
4/17/2014

We were trekking back up the spit, feeling pleased with ourselves for spotting several harbour seals and two baby otters on the rocky, stump strewn beach.  And then...

An otter galloping toward...past...tackling a second otter on the beach two feet away from us.  We could see the struggle through the rock crevices, and a moment later one otter was being dragged by the scruff of the neck into the water.  And then things got very National Geographic.

We watched until it started feeling a little creepy.  Then, standing in the rain, we stayed for another half hour.  About twenty minutes in we noticed another tiny commotion thirty feet farther out in the water and realized that it was actually another otter couple going at it.  Oh, Canada!