VICTORIA, British Columbia -- It’s only 70 miles from Seattle to Victoria, but it feels like you’re in a different world when you arrive.

Now, that’s 70 miles for a determined crow flying in a straight line. For those of us who don’t have wings, the trip takes a little longer, with stops for local salmon at the excellent Lummi Seafood Market near Bellingham, then the border crossing and the trek over to Tsawwassen, B.C., to the catch ferry to the south end of Vancouver Island.

Even then, it’s a fairly quick trip to get here, and crossing the international border makes the distance feel about 100 times farther. And that’s a good thing right now with the American political volume turned up to 11.

So -- lucky us -- we’re staying on Vancouver Island for the next month. A dear friend who had booked an extended stay in Victoria had to cancel and offered us her rental, free of charge. We jumped at the chance to do a deep dive into this area.

We arrived in town and immediately got lost, an easy thing to do on Victoria’s confusing, twisty-turny streets. It took us most of our first two days here to figure out where we were, then the Going Mobile team got down to business -- the business of having fun.

Leslie hit the Saturday farmer’s market and reveled in the variety of late-summer offerings, from sweet tomatoes and carrots to squash and apples, all of it grown right here on Vancouver Island. John hit the road on his bike, traveling Victoria’s amazing array of bike lanes and recreation paths.

We also hiked up to the 1,200-foot summit at Mount Wells, a steep climb to commanding views of the city and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Seeing the city from this vantage point helped us with our early fish-out-of-water feelings.

And then we hit the water.

Victoria’s most famous feature is its picturesque harbor, and many tourist attractions are situated around this winding body of water. We booked a tour with Kelp Reef Adventures and had a blast paddling the busy waterway.

With our friendly and knowledgeable guide Mitch Ryan, we paddled Victoria Harbor, watched as the huge Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles chugged past, dodged float planes and water taxis and made our way into the Inner Harbor and Gorge Waterway, which stretches on for miles.

It was an incredible way to see the city. Mitch filled us in on the history -- Victoria was established in 1862 -- and pointed out all of the efforts the city and province have made cleaning up the water quality in the harbor, resulting in the return of sea life and waterfowl.

The friendly guys at Kelp Reef Adventures also pointed us to the best store for seafood -- Finest At Sea -- where we snagged some beautiful sablefish.

At the end of our first week in Victoria, we were starting to feel at home. To celebrate, we took in happy hour at the historic Fairmont Empress hotel downtown, the place most tourists know for its high tea. Instead, we headed to the Palm Court lounge and  toasted our new status as honorary Canadians -- learning more about the region every day. Stay tuned.

Vancouver Island tips?

For the next few weeks, we’ll be exploring the southern portion of Vancouver Island. We’d love to hear your suggestions on any destinations we should check out -- reach us by email at goiningmobile@spokesman.com. 

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