Portland to Portland - Driving around the U.S.

I am so tired today. I might have just hit travel overload. I'm spending 2 full days in Seattle and I can't seem to get my act together. I have done so much hiking and walking the past few days that my body has gone on strike. I have travelled over 8,500 miles in 40 days, 23 states and British Columbia, miles and miles of hikes (mostly uphill I feel), miles of walking and sightseeing, countless photos and incredible beauty. I've decided to take the morning off before I head out there to do some more exploring. Tomorrow, I'll be right back at it because I want to check out as much of Seattle as I can. Yesterday was a wonderful but really LONG day. I had booked the 6:00 a.m. ferry out of Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington because I knew I wanted to spend the day on the Olympic Peninsula. Well, I didn't realize that because it is international travel, I had to be there 90 minutes early so up before 4:00 and down at the terminal at 4:30 a.m. I didn't get much...

What a day! I took the early ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. It took about 90 minutes and the weather was perfect! As I was standing on the top deck, I admit I got a bit emotional as I was looking out over the hazy water. I am so fortunate to be able to do something like this. I've been on the road for a little over 5 weeks and have driver over 8,000 miles. I have seen so much beauty and have met so many friendly and interesting people. It all hit me while I was standing there. I have worked hard to get here but, wow, I am not only crossing many things off of my bucket list, I'm living a dream.  I stood out on the deck the entire ride taking in the air and horizon. No killer whales sighted but it didn't matter. I enjoyed every moment.  Once we landed in Nanaimo, I decided to take a drive up the coast to up to Qualicum Beach and the area around there.  The beach and water were in fr...