A Cancer Survivor’s Trip Down the Pacific Coast Highway: Celebrating 10 Years from Vancouver to Oregon
February 17, 2024My incredible milestone celebration began on On April 17th when I celebrated 10 years from the date of my first cancer surgery. I have been cancer-free since then. It was a long treatment journey, but I am very grateful for the years that I have been in remission. During that time of treatment, you self-analyze many things in your life. I started a journal with my thoughts and created a bucket list as part of one of the entries. I always tell people that it wasn’t because I thought I would die from cancer, that never crossed my mind, but I wanted to live and accomplish things that you put to the side because life gets busy or you don’t have the funds for it. I wanted to embrace life and pursue my passions, including learning photography and eventually starting a full-time business. It started as a hobby, I just wanted to get the camera out of automatic and it became my love and passion. I ended up retiring from teaching young to start a full time photography business.
Through the years, I have crossed off things on the list that I have done or accomplished and added some new ones. Exploring the Pacific Highway and Canada was remarkable way to commemorate such an important anniversary and cross another item off my bucket list. My long-time friend, Tami, retired from teaching after 39 years. She wanted to take a cross country trip, I didn’t have that much time, so I opted to join for a portion of that ride. I flew into Vancouver, 3 planes and 12 hours later, I arrived. I know that it’s not part of the Pacific Highway, but I wanted to see Canada as well. So with no boundaries, we started our 15 day adventure there. We did a great deal of driving during those 15 days. This is not a sit and relax vacation, so put on your hiking boots and be prepared to drive and do lots of walking. We had breakfast and dinner with a snack on the car ride and we stayed at more reasonably priced hotels; our thought process was that we were only there for an overnight stay. We planned for more, but made decisions along the way and removed some of our choices to savor and enjoy others longer. What was really great about this trip is that most of the site-seeing was free or had just minimal fees. I took pictures along the way as a tourist just snapping away.
Day 1-2: Exploring Vancouver
There was quite the change in climate from our usual sunny warm Florida weather! As a Florida girl, this weather was unexpected. Adjusting to rainy and cold conditions was indeed challenging, especially when you’re used to warmer temperatures. I ended up buying more winter clothing and adding more layers to my outfits. Tami brought her jeep and we had the illusion of driving with the top down, that didn’t happen the entire trip. We Florida girls didn’t like that cold wind coming in, but, adapting to new environments and embracing different weather conditions is all part of the adventures of travel. It’s moments like these that make for unforgettable memories and stories to share.
What did we see?
We spent some time at Grandville Island a former industrial site now converted to a posh shops and eateries. We went to the Market place where you can purchase fresh catch, have a dinning experience, and purchase artist’s handmade crafts. We then went to Stanley Park, North America’s third largest park. There we explored the totem poles hand made by first Nations, Prospect Point which offers excellent views of the Lions Gate Bridge, North Shore Mountains and Burrard Inlet, the Brockton Point Lighthouse which was built in 1914, and the gardens with beautiful landscape trees and flowers. With 1,000 acres to explore, plan on spending some time at this beautiful park.
Day 3: Victoria Island
We took the BC Ferries to the island. This large boat not only carries people but also cars. It was definitely an experience. There is dinning and seating. Plan on making reservations and arriving early to make sure you don’t miss the sail time.
Once there we explored the Island. We began at The Butchart Gardens, expanding 55 acres, which was constructed in 1904 by Jenni Butchart on her husband’s former limestone quarry. Next stop was Craigdarroch Castle, a National Historic Site built in the late 1800s for the coal tycoon Robert Dunsmuir. The house has 39 rooms, lots of stained glass window, and furniture from the 20th century. We skipped lunch to wait for mid-day tea at one of the regions oldest hotels, Fairmont Empress. Participating in this time-honored Victorian tradition, was well worth the price tag. Mini stops included the Inner Harbor, China Town and the narrowest street called Fan Tan Alley, and the Parliamentary building.
Day 4: Whale Watching & Ferry Ride
One of the other big splurges was our outing to see whales, Orca Spirit Adventures Whale Watching. It was an open boat and you got all the gear to wear. Was it enough, nope, not at all; I was still freezing, but, it was a beautiful day and the views were amazing. I could only take out my camera on specific stops so that it wouldn’t get wet. Did we see any whales? Unfortunately, no. We did see eagles, lots of seals, and went by Spieden Island that is home to mouflon sheep, fallow and Sika deer. Who owns this Island? The island is owned by James Jannard, the founder of Oakley sunglasses and RED Digital Cinema.
We took the 2 hour ferry to Port Angeles via WA Black Ball Ferry Line.
Day 5: Olympic National Park & La Push Beach
I can not begin to tell you how amazing it was to hike the various points of Olympic National Park. What is so unique about it is that it has several different ecosystems, from dramatic peaks to forests. It is a massive area, so it is not something you can experience in one day. Knowing that, we just took our time and enjoyed the views. Remember to bring your walking stick to help maneuver and keep you steady in some areas.
What did we see?
Our first stop was Lake Crescent, a glacially carved lake. The views were spectacular. Next we visited Marymere Falls. Only a short 1.8 miles roundtrip, these ninety-feet high water falls are a must see. We then took a leisure stroll on the Moments in Time Trail. It was drizzling, but it didn’t stop us from exploring. We were also able to see the “Leaps of a Lifetime” at the Salmon Cascades. The Cutthroat trout and steelhead run up stream from March until May, while the Salmon run up stream in the fall. These fish are born in the Sol Duc River but spend most of their lives in the Pacific Ocean before returning home to spawn. Trying to gauge when a fish would jump to snap a picture was definitely fun and fascinating to watch. Another must see is Sol Duc Falls. Sol Duc Falls can split into as many as four channels and cascades 48 feet. We were able to see the waterfall from various viewpoints along the path as well as some snow. Someone left us a cute snowman as a welcome. Reaching very late afternoon, we missed the Rainforest section of the park, but were happy with everything we were able to see and drove towards our next stop, Forks and La Push Beach. Why there? We are both Twilight fans, I’ve seen the movies several times and read the books. We ended the evening with a sunset view on La Push Beach. They are listed as First, Second, and Third Beach. The First Beach and Second Beach are the home of the Quileute Nation. As you can see, we first stopped at the treaty line of the the Vampire/Native America divide. There are rules on not picking up or removing artifacts and objects, such as sand, rocks, shells, minerals, marine growth, driftwood from beach, eagle feathers, broken pottery, etc. In other words, come and enjoy, but leave it as it is. Sitting there and enjoying sunset on the west coast was just a wonderful peaceful experience. The sky and views as the sun sets around the sea stacks with full forests are just breathtaking.
Day 6: Twilight Connection, Ruby Beach, Kurk Cobain, & Long Beach
Visiting Forks gave us a great perspective on the Twilight Series. Although the author wrote the books based on this city, she had actually never been there. She researched the rainiest city in the United States and Forks was number one. Disappointingly, the movie wasn’t actually filmed in Forks either. Being a very small town, they didn’t have the resources to house so many people for the filming. They do have lots of memorabilia though and points of interest. We ate at the famous Bella Italia, the location of Edward and Bella’s first date. Being gluten-free, I was able to find some wonderful food choices.
Leaving Forks, we traveled to Ruby Beach, located 27 miles south of Forks and still part of the Olympic National Park. It is famous its reddish sand and large, rock islands known as sea stacks. It also has lots of beautiful drift wood and animal sea life visible during low tide. Ruby Beach is a must visit along the Olympic coastline.
Taking a bit of a detour, I wanted to stop and see the Kurt Cobain Memorial Park, located in Aberdeen, Washington. It’s a very small park that has a guitar sculpture, a likeness of Cobain with the lyrics to “Something in the Way,” and a headstone with some of his quotes. The park has tons of graffiti and a very interesting sign posted by the owners of the home sitting adjacent. If you are a huge fan, take time to go, if not skip it.
Arriving in Long Beach, Washington close to sunset and having the perfect form of transportation for beach driving, a jeep, we took a ride on the Longest Beach Peninsula. It stretches 28 miles. All I can say is wow, that was pretty and fun. Usually I take pictures of people during the sunset, this time we posed the jeep; I think she looks fabulous. We had dinner at the Pickled Fish, located at the top of the Adrift Hotel and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. What did I love about this restaurant? Not only was the view amazing, but, I was able to eat fries and crabs. What’s the big deal with fries? Being gluten-free, most restaurants fry their fries with breaded items and cross contaminating them.
Day 7: Cape Disappointment, The Devil’s Punchbowl, Haystack Rock, Tillamook Creamery, The Devil’s Churn, & Heceta Head Lighthouse
This was a long travel day with lots to see. Our final destination was Florence, Oregon, a minimum of 4 1/2 hour drive. We did numerous stops along the way with lots to see and do it was a long but absolutely amazing day. We took a bit of time at Cape Disappointment. There are four different hiking trails here. There are two functioning lighthouses. It also is home to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center; unfortunately we didn’t have time to check it out. The Devil’s Punchbowl was a quick stop. Why is it called that? Because during the winter months the water roars into the hollow rocks churning and making a violent brew. Another quick stop was Haystack Rock located in Cannon Beach. The sea stack, made of basalt rock, is 235 feet tall. At low tide, you can walk right up to it and find colorful sea stars and other tidepool sea creatures in its intertidal area. I wish we would have had more time to explore this quant town but with miles to go we just drove through. Next stop, Tillamook Creamery, YUM and YUM. Take a self-guided tour and see how they make cheese and ice cream. Warning there are lines to purchase ice cream or shop in their gift shop but so worth it. Moving on after eating a large Oregon Dark Cherry Ice Cream, we hopped back in the jeep stopping at The Devil’s Churn. The inlet is 80 feet wide and was caused by the churning or force of the ocean waves. There is a way to get up close, it’s a short walk. Our last stop before reaching Florence was The Heceta Head Lighthouse which sits 1,000 ft high on the Heceta Head. This lighthouse is the most photographed on the coast. It was first illuminated in 1894 and can be seen for 21 miles.
Day 8: Siuslaw National Forest-Oregon Dunes, Battery Point Lighthouse, & Crescent City
Our first stop was to see the Oregon Sand Dunes. We originally had on our “Things to do list” a ride on the dunes with either a big buggy or ATV, however the times didn’t match up for us so we decided to just explore on foot. This walk is not for the faint of heart, it was definitely a workout, especially since we missed the easy access entrance to the dunes. See the picture with the feet imprints? That was us trying to go down that sandy hill in soft sand only to find out that there was a really nice easy access entrance just below. We did bring our walking sticks which helped. Once you cross over you arrive at the beach. It looked hazy, but it’s the sand being picked up by the wind; a beautiful site but not for a camera, so no pictures there. Of course once you are done looking at the beach, you do have to trek back to where you started. Bring a bottle of water, you will need it. As much as I am complaining, I would do it all again. This is one of the largest temperate coastal sand dunes in the world and just an amazingly stunning view. A must see and do!
Our next stop, Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City, is only open until 4 p.m. daily and if the tide permits; the lighthouse sits on a small hill island surrounded by water. Its 200 feet between the mainland and the island. The lighthouse is still active; the lighthouse keeper and his wife live on the premises; you can see a picture of him giving us a tour. Its first lighting was on December 10, 1856 with the use of oil lamps. We were able to take a tour and look at the personal quarters of the keepers and their families. There are lots of artifacts left behind and exhibited. The Lighthouse keeper took us all the way up to the lamp area; you have to climb a ladder to get up there. We walked around the lamp to see the view of the city and ocean.
To read more about the rest of my trip down the Pacific Highway into California, go to my next blog post: https://www.imagesbyalina.com/blog/a-cancer-survivors-trip-down-the-pacific-highway-celebrating-10-years-The-California-Experience