VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 189

around $10 per hour, and $40 per day. As well as renting bikes, Great Pacific Adventures
(around the harbor from the visitor center at 1000 Wharf St., 250/386-2277) rents strollers,
scooters, and watercraft.
Taxi
Taxis operate on a meter system, charging $2.75 at the initial flag drop plus around $2
per kilometer. Call Blue Bird Cabs (250/382-8294 or 800/665-7055), Empress Taxi (250/
381-2222), or Victoria Taxi (250/383-7111).
Vicinity of Victoria
Two highways lead out of Victoria: Highway 14 heads west and Highway 1 heads north.
Highway 14 begins at Sooke, on the outskirts of Victoria, and runs a spectacular coastal
route ending in Port Renfrew, 104 kilometers (65 miles) from the capital. Along this ocean-
hugging stretch of road are provincial parks, delightful oceanfront lodgings, and a panor-
ama that extends across Juan de Fuca Strait to the snowcapped peaks of the Olympic Moun-
tains in Washington State. Meanwhile, Highway 1 leads north from Victoria to the towns
of Duncan, Chemainus, and Ladysmith, each with its own particular charm. West of Dun-
can is massive Cowichan Lake, an inland paradise for anglers and boaters, and Carmanah
Walbran Provincial Park, protecting a remote watershed full of ancient Sitka spruce that mi-
raculously escaped logging.
SOOKE
About 34 kilometers (21 miles) from Victoria, Sooke (with a silent “e”) is a forestry, fishing,
and farming center serving a surrounding population of 12,000. The town is best known for
a lodge that combines luxurious accommodations with one of Canada's most renowned res-
taurants, but a couple other diversions are worth investigating as well.
The town spreads for many miles along the shore of Canada's southernmost harbor. The
safe haven for boats is created by Whiffen Spit, a naturally occurring sandbar that extends
for over one kilometer. Take Whiffen Spit Road (through town to the west) to reach the spit.
It's a 20-minute walk to the end, and along the way you may spot seals and otters on the
shoreline.
Sooke Region Museum (2070 Phillips Rd., 250/642-6351, 9am-5pm daily, donation)
lies just beyond Sooke River Bridge. When you've finished admiring the historical artifacts,