We reached Vancouver via the Inside Passage, and that was the end of our cruise but not of our trip. Future posts will cover our day in Victoria, B.C., our journey by rail across the Canadian Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer, and a stunningly beautiful day in the Banff area. However, we needed to finish the cruise first, so here are photos from the Inside Passage and Vancouver:
The inside passage was not just one channel, but a number of intertwined waterways passing between forested islands overshadowed by majestic mountains. This view, towards the mainland, shows some of the not-quite-snowcapped peaks looming above the rainforest.Looking west, we saw forests, occasionally dotted by logging operations. The whole area is remote, and in this view you see the smoke plume from a small forest fire smoldering through damp vegetation. This smoke plume was the one exception to what was mostly very clear air. Other than this fire, there simply was not much of anything to degrade air quality.A cruise ship emerging from an adjacent channel. According to my ship tracker app, this vessel was headed towards Victoria, B.C. rather than to Vancouver.The building with a roof that looks kind of like white sails is the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver, B.C. We disembarked and went through Canadian customs here, and the process was welcoming and efficient. Our hotel was off to the left in this photo.Blue bridge over part of the Vancouver harbor. We were on a bus tour of the city, moving too quickly to take good photos through a reflection-prone bus window, but the view of the bridge was stable enough for a shot, so here you are…Another float plane! Apparently taking a local plane flight was an easy option if you wanted to get out of town to see wild country. We did not have time or inclination to try it, but these planes were leaving or arriving every few minutes, so apparently business was brisk.Our hotel for three nights in Vancouver. Nice location, and we did go out once or twice to forage for food in nearby restaurants. The only real downside was that after so many days at sea, the floors kept moving under our feet! It took a while to get our land legs back.
