Couldn’t stop me from exploring, as I only have 3 days here…drove from Victoria, through the Cowichan Valley, 
and back to my accommodation for the night on the outskirts of Victoria. Very moody hillsides, with swirling white and grey clouds and the occasional deciduous tree adding a burst of colour. 
Passed through Duncan – known as the “City of Totems”, with one of the world’s largest, outdoor collection of publicly displayed totem poles – designed to attract visitors. The totem pole collection is located on the traditional lands of the Quw’utsun’ (Cowichan) people. Cowichan Tribes has the largest First Nations population in British Columbia. And some beautiful totems they were! 
Dahlias are out in many gardens and I stopped to take some pics of these beauties on the roadside.
My next port of call was Nanaimo – a vibrant ferry port on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Shops and cafes fill the Old City Quarter. Offshore, on Newcastle Island, trails lead to beaches and First Nations sites. I drove around to find some locations for photo taking tomorrow (when the weather is supposed to clear)…and on the way, found this delightful gate entrance with a Japanese vibe and colourful house on the edge of a rail track. 
Woo hoo! Lovely day today – off to shoot a waterfall – Elk Falls on the east coast, just outside Campbell River. And then tonight, revisited the beautiful Houses of Parliament and the Fairmount Empress on Victoria’s waterfront.
A day trip to the North Cascades National Park to experience Washington Pass, Diablo Lake and Baker Lake. The lakes are known for their blue and turquoise color & the surrounding mountain scenery, popular for canoeing, kayaking & hiking.
converge with lush ancient growth forests. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres of
the Cascade Range along the northern end of Puget Sound.
A much-awaited visit to Chihuly Gardens and Glass – Dale Chihuly studied art in Florence, then weaving and sculpture in Washington; travelling to Venice to work at the Venini factory on the island of Murano, where he first saw the team approach to blowing glass. He was involved in a head-on car accident during which he flew through the windshield. 
His face was severely cut by glass and he was blinded in his left eye. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in a 1979 bodysurfing accident. No longer able to hold the glass blowing pipe, he hired others to do the work. Chihuly explained the change in a 2006 interview, saying “Once I stepped back, I liked the view”. Chihuly describes his role as “more choreographer than dancer, more supervisor than participant, more director than actor.
and delightful Northern Lights ballroom/convention room. 
A gentleman’s club until the early 1970’s, its been renovated as a hotel and is now part of the Hilton chain.
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