For as long as we have been married (9 years) William has talked about his best friend Jon who lived on the West Coast.  I felt it was about time I get to meet him and his wife Stephanie so after leaving my family in Raymond, WA we drove back to Seattle where Jon would meet us.

Needless to say, Jon and Stephanie quickly became my best friends too!  We had a blast adventuring with them in Northern Washington and in Canada.

Only 25 miles north of Seattle we stopped to take a tour of the Boeing factory.  William loves factory tours so we had to do this.  Later I learned that Jon’s son-in-law works here at the Seattle Plant and my cousin Diane and her husband both were employed by Boeing as well.  We both were amazed at how many planes could fit inside the plant.  We learned that this is the largest building in the world by volume.  We saw the 747, 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliners on the assembly line before they were ready to take to the sky.

No cameras were allowed so I went to Boeing’s site to find this picture for you.  It was an amazing tour.

As we drove to Jon’s home in Bellingham we got several views of Mount Baker.  It is the third-highest mountain in Washington and it is one of the snowiest places in the world.

On our first evening Stephanie and Jon prepared a Seafood Smorgasbord of fresh caught fish including Sockeye Salmon, King Crab legs, and Clams.   As we enjoyed dinner together we finalized our plans for the next morning.  We would get up early to catch the car ferry and go to Vancouver Island.

Our first stop on the Island was to see the Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada. These internationally acclaimed floral display gardens started over 100 years ago and remain privately owned by the family today.

We would also stop in Victoria, the capitol of British Columbia where we saw the Capitol Building.

I was really surprised at how large the island was.  We drove over 100 miles from Victoria to arrive at our Airbnb at Qualicum Beach and there was still much more of the island north of us.  The Island is 290 miles long and 62 miles wide.

Our Airbnb was part of a resort so we enjoyed all the amenities including the hot tubs.  Below is the view from our deck.  I absolutely loved all the snow capped mountains.

The next morning we explored around Qualicum Beach.  William always loves seeing the boats.  This was a working harbor so lots of fishing boats were in.

We also found this little cafe, Shady Rest,  on the beach. with great food, breathtaking ocean views, and a casual relaxed atmosphere. Each and every table had an ocean view to make our experience memorable.  Here’s a pic of our entrees – Clam Chowder, Halibut and Chips and Shrimp and Scallop Cobb Salad.

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We went back to the resort, enjoyed a beautiful sunset dinner, and met some really interesting Canadians around the outdoor hot tub.

It was a relaxing day with lots of beautiful views of the ocean and the mountains.  It was also a great time spent with friends.

Tomorrow we will be off to Vancouver.