Following the much needed and enjoyable trip to Pender Island, the next morning had a slowed pace, meaning we didn’t need to wake up early and be out on the run by 6 am. Instead, we all got up by around 8, and r&r’d for a few hours. Mum had always wanted to see the new highway out to Sooke as there had been some construction. Plus, it had been a few years since our last visit, so it would’ve given us an opportunity for us to drive around, and relive our memories of us once living there.
So, after lunch (at around 1) we left the condo and were disappointed to see that our car had been covered head-to-toe with specs of dirt, dust, and other shmuck. That was the case due to the fact that there had been some leaf blower action in the parking lot for cleaning purposes. The fact that our car was dirty delayed the trip since it had to be washed up. For visitors like us who are used to there being many hands-free car washes because of there being a bylaw that in which bans Calgarians from hand-washing their cars, on the other hand, in Victoria, it’s legal, resulting in the scarcity of hands-free car washes. Lucky for us, there was one in Langford, down by the intersection from Goldstream Ave to Sooke Rd. It was a different experience though, considering that you pay before hand in the store, then drive in. It takes 5-7 minutes per car, and instead of the car being pulled by some sort of conveyer belt while being washed, you park the car in the washing room and a robotic arm washes you. For us, it was a very unique car wash experience. After the car washing process, we then made our way to Sooke. It surprisingly was uneventful considering I was driving. From the perspective of me who doesn’t really remember the old highway, I’m pretty sure mum and dad had their opinions the highway improvements. We drove to a marketplace in Sooke, and were surprised to see heavy traffic volumes at 3 pm on a Wednesday afternoon, plus, it was also quite windy.
We then drove by our old house, then shortly thereafter, drove back to Langford. We stopped over at Auntie Stephanie’s to socialize. I played Fall Guys with Zach and Brianna, while the adults (not including Zach) had a chat with the complimentary doughnuts and coffee from Tims. After visiting for a few hours, we said our goodbyes and left back for Grandpa’s. Mum whipped up some store-bought stir-fry rice and watched Ghost Town. After the movie, we cleaned up, and prepped for bedtime.
At around midnight, my sleep was disrupted by bright flashing lights. I then heard some guys having what sounded like some conversation. I got up, peered out the screen door into the parking lot, and saw a couple of police cars parked in the parking lot. I then saw some guy walking away from the cops, who seemed he didn’t want to be bothered. I have no idea what the deal was, and thus was was the eeriest, and most bizarre scene that I witnessed on this whole Victoria trip.
I woke up at 5:20 in the morning, cleaned up the air mattress, then began deflating it. The parents came in shortly after, and assisted me on the deflating process. I got dressed in travel attire, and most of us (except Grandpa) had some breakfast. We started packing up the car, and had to face a grumpy dad due to the fact that the packing process was slow. We said our last in-person goodbyes to Grandpa, then left off to the ferry. The time was 6:37 AM. There was light traffic, and we arrived about 10 after 7. We waited about a half hour, watched our ferry arrive, boarded to vessel, then sail the 8 AM out of Swartz-Bay on the Queen of New Westminster.
Dad drove from Grandpa’s to the ferry, I drove from the ferry to Hope, Dad drove from Hope to Merritt, Mum drove from Merritt to Salmon Arm. We went through a small detour around Chase and Sorrento due to the highway 1 closure because of forest fires. The detour went southeast on highway 97 towards Vernon, then turning north through a few winding backroads up to Salmon Arm. We stopped, had a quick bathroom break, got some drinks, then Dad drove to Revelstoke. I took all 3 of our lives in my own hands to Golden, and stopped for supper at DQ. We saw a mouse!
We ate as the sun went down behind the mountains. Because Mum was dead on her feet at that point, Dad drove the rest of the way home. We arrived by 11. The next day was spent readjusting to our normal Calgarian lifestyle. Always the hardest part of vacation.
They arrested him for trespassing