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A Day in Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
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The most famous thing in Victoria seems to be the Butchart Gardens. Every single person that I told about our stopover in Victoria mentioned them. They are the reason we came here instead of going straight on to Vancouver. So now I’m passing this along to you: put Butchart Gardens on your list of places to see!
In the early 1900’s, Jenny Butchart and her husband came to Victotria to take over the cement
company. They bought a piece of farmland close to the plant that had been used as a
limestone quarry and had a huge, deep, ugly hole in it and she decided she
could turn it into a beautiful sunken garden. Now, she was wealthy, she could afford to hire a famous landscape architect to
help her achieve her vision, and her husband sent her men from the cement plant
to move the dirt and rocks. But even with all that, she was the one who made a silk purse from that sow’s ear. Most women, now or then, would struggle to see the possibilities. She didn’t stop there. The grounds contain (among other things) a gorgeous rose garden, a Japanese meditation garden, and a formal Italian
garden, all tucked into the landscape like little secret gardens. By 1920, she was receiving 50,000 visitors per year and her descendents now
welcome more than a million.
Driving it Home
Montana Majestic Mountain T Tour
On The Road Again
Yellowstone then Home
After supper this evening, we went for a drive and saw a couple in a Model T
sitting at an intersection. We pulled a u-turn and went after them, following them ultimately into their
driveway. Miles and Tina Fidler are part of a large and active Model T Club on the island
and they had been out for an evening drive. (They also said that we are not the first people who have followed them home!) The car is a 1917 Canadian Model T Touring that he completely rebuilt. When we came through Victoria in 2002, their club had a cookout for us but they
had been unable to attend. So to those Victoria Model T people who were so nice to us then, thanks again.
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