Day 7 in Victoria, BC & Vancouver

Given how early we had to be in line at the Blackball Ferry office today, I barely slept from about 3 on. By 5:30 I was up and in the shower and ready to face the day. We checked out of the hotel at 6:20, headed thru the drive thru at McDonalds for an "on the go" breakfast, and got our car in line at the dock.
We ate in the car and laughed about the craziness of the early morning, but I'm glad we were early. By the time the office opened at 7am there was quite a line behind us! It's just crazy to watch RV's and semis drive onboard. No way should that ferry hold that kind of weight, but they have it down to a science and things were smooth as could be during the whole adventure. I was like a kid in a candy store...so much to see! We sat with an older couple from Olympia who go to Victoria about once a year to spend the night and shop. They shared their insight and wisdom with us and Brian shared some of his camera knowledge with them. It was a nice way to pass the time. I love to people watch, too, and a ferry is an awesome place to do so. In about 90 minutes we docked in Victoria, BC and joined the frenzy of tourists exploring the fun shops & restaurants. It was kind of a freak show/yuppie festival all in one...we saw some crazy things! One of the locals pointed us in the direction of more halibut fish & chips where we had good food and a quirky, but funny waitress. Those Canadians sure are friendly! Once our legs were tiring, we headed about 20 miles north on I-17 to Swartz Bay to get in line for the 3:00 ferry to Vancouver. This ferry was so much bigger and held an amazing number of vehicles and passengers. It was another 90 minute ride, but this time we were too tired to stand on deck. Instead, we just people watched from the inside seats and only occasionally did we step outside. The scenery was gorgeous, but the passengers who smoked kind of ruined the atmosphere, unfortunately. Gross!! The clean, fresh air that should have been invigorating was a bit disgusting no matter where we walked outside. We arrived in Vancouver and drove off the ferry at 4:55...prime time for crazy drivers. The drive to the Hilton Metrotown was perilous and awful...people cutting in and rarely waving. Rude drivers for sure. But we made it to our hotel and unpacked, which felt pretty darn good. For dinner we walked toward the mall a block away to see what we could find, and now I'm pinging off the walls. That mall is filled with crazies!! I've never seen so many freaks and "street walker wannabes" in my life! Definitely lots to see, but it was too loud and frenzied for me. We finally found something to eat and headed back to "normal" at the Hilton. For all those people who told us to pack warm clothes and be prepared to be cold...fooey on you. It's hot and sunny here and WARM!! And now, I'm SO ready to crash!