Over summer vacation, my dad stuffed my mom, my brother, and me into a plane and we flew out to Portland, Oregon. Oregon was our first destination for our huge family trip up the west coast of the United States and Canada. We traveled in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as we made our way up the Oregon coast to Victoria, Washington, and Lake Louise. My family and I drove to all these places in our RV that had been driven out earlier by a friend. Along the way, we camped and stayed at different places. One of my favorite places we traveled to was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Victoria was amazing! From the ferry ride to the colorful gardens that we passed on the way to our hotel, my senses felt like they were exploding. We spent two days in Victoria and stayed at the magnificent Fairmont Empress. On the second day, my family and I went our separate ways and explored it for our own interests. Mom and Dad gave my brother, Timothy, and me maps and keys for our hotel room, and we went on our way. I left early with Mom and Dad, and the first place we went was the Royal British Columbia Museum, which featured a new exhibit called Mammoths! Giants of the Ice Age. Due to my great interest in geological time, I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary film the museum showed about the mammoths. The exhibit was so beautifully crafted, like the rest of the museum, that I literally felt like I was back in time with the mammoths. What was even more amazing was that the museum displayed a 40,000-year-old, preserved mammoth baby named Lyuba! She’s the first preserved fossil that’s almost perfectly preserved! I especially enjoyed learning about her.
After spending three fun-filled hours in the museum, I decided to head back to the hotel. I knew I was tired, but I was totally unprepared to encounter Darth Vader playing a violin on the street! This street performer was outfitted from head to toe in a black helmet, cape, and lightsaber and was playing wildly for the crowd.
As I lay in bed that night, I thought about Darth Vader, the museum, and all the fun we had. I knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye to Victoria in the morning.
When we left the next day, I waved goodbye to the beautiful flowers, harbor, and museum. I knew it would not be the last time I would visit colorful Victoria.
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