defecting
— temporarily —
to
vancou ver Island
Our neighbor to the north pro vides urban and rural delights
C
hances are, in the past year you’ve probably
thought it, maybe even said it: Let’s defect to
Canada.
For many, our neighbor to the north
symbolizes an idealized other. In this case,
due to different forms of land management and protection,
the grass literally is greener.
18
October 5, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
In search of a memorable early-summer vacation that
spoke to our cosmopolitan and nature-loving sensibilities,
my partner and I headed north to explore Vancouver Island.
Our goal was to experience the city of Victoria and the
island in nine days.
Our route to Victoria was surprisingly easy. From
Eugene, we traveled to Port Townsend for two days. After
by Nadia Raza
exploring the quintessential hikes at Hurricane Ridge and
the Hoh Rainforest, we took a 40-minute ferry ride to
Victoria. On the upper deck we sat in the sun with fellow
tourists and spotted a few orcas in the distance.
In Victoria, we found the iconic landmarks of old-
world colonial grandeur: the Parliament Buildings and the
Empress Hotel. Nestled between these vestiges of the past