Living in Seattle, we are incredibly lucky to be just a stone’s throw away from British Columbia. The Canada border is a mere 2.5 hour drive north from Seattle, and most of the time it’s a relatively peaceful and scenic drive. This past 4th of July, Martin and I took our annual Independence Day road trip north to B.C. Previous years saw us go south to the Oregon coast and as far northeast as Glacier National Park, but this year we decided to explore Vancouver Island. I visited Vancouver Island a couple times during and just after college for some adventurous activities including bungee jumping and underground caving, but this was the first time I had visited the island in quite a while.

Underground spelunking at Horne Lake Caves in Vancouver Island. Summer 2009.

We began our trip by driving up to Canada and taking a ferry from Tsawwassen to Victoria, staying a night in the charming capital city of British Columbia. The following day, we departed for Nanaimo, a small city dubbed the “Bathtub Racing Capital of the World.” Our Canada trip this time around focused on Gabriola Island, a little getaway that is a 20-minute ferry trip from Nanaimo. We stayed in a charming bed and breakfast, Marina’s Hideaway, in which we enjoyed our large private room with a balcony and outdoor hot tub on a cliff with a gorgeous view of downtown Nanaimo. Each morning, we were also treated to delicious home-cooked breakfasts, perfect for starting out days full of beach front walks and hikes and lots of wildlife sightings of seals, deer, and even an otter! Check out some of my favorite shots from the trip below, with the full photo gallery available here.

Vancouver Island road trip route

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