It has been another fantastic summer of Orca whale watching at Clipper Vacations and we are always a little sad to see the season come to an end. September 25 marks the last day of this year to get a glimpse of these Northwest residents (and some visitors), so if you have not made the trip yet now is the time to do it. So far this year, our boat has reported whale sightings on 97% of the sailings and there have been some spectacular shows. Read the rest of this entry »
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Summer finally came to Seattle over this last weekend, which happened to be my dad’s birthday and his activity of choice was flying us down to Friday Harbor for lunch and ice cream. It was sunny and warm out, and we did an island loop in the plane before landing in Friday Harbor, so I got a lot of aerial photos of the islands as we were flying in (if you look really closely, you can even see the Clipper in one of them!). We arrived in the early afternoon, and walked around Friday Harbor before stopping for lunch, enjoying the view of the harbor from the outdoor seating area at the restaurant. After that, we walked around the marina and got a scoop of ice cream before stopping in a few of the shops and heading back home.
If you look really hard, you can see the Clipper III
Tags: Day Trip, Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, summer, Things to Do Friday Harbor, Things to Do San Juan Islands, Travel Seattle, Travel Victoria
Feeling adventurous?
Houseboat at Fisherman's Wharf
Victoria is famous for the Butchart Gardens, Afternoon Tea and the Parliament Building. While those sights are exciting to see, a lot gets written about them, so I thought I’d mention some less well known ideas for how to spend your time in Victoria.
The Times Colonist in Victoria, BC is currently doing a series of stories on 8 great walks. If you have a couple of hours to spare and want to enjoy the outdoors, one of these Victoria, BC walking tours would be a great activity.
Tags: houseboat, park(ing) day, things to do in Victoria BC, things to do Victoria BC, Travel Victoria, Victoria BC walking tour, walks
BC’s favorite summer event returns again this August! Now in its 49th year, the three-day Abbotsford International Air Show has become one of North America’s premier aviation events!
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are back again and are joined by a fantastic lineup of military aircraft including the CF-18 Hornet TAC Demo and an A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the A-10 Warthog demo team! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Abbotsford 2011, Abbotsford International Airshow, Canadian Airshow, Museum of Flight
Photo Creative Commons Licensed by Shawn Kinkade
June and July have been very exciting months for whale watching! There are two baby Orcas: L pod saw a new addition in June, and just last week a baby from K pod was spotted. All the whales in a pod contribute to care of a baby, so expect to see the baby Orca around all the other pod members.
Every Victoria Clipper sailing has seen whales so far in July, and all but one boat saw whales in June for a 97% success rate for whale sightings overall! Over the last week, there have been two extra exciting tours: on July 7th there was a super pod of whales (where multiple pods of whales were all moving together) and on July 11th, while the boat was stopped and shut off, whales came right up to the Victoria Clipper III. In addition to whales, most tours typically see harbor seals and other local wildlife, such as eagles and deer. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: baby, orca, orca whale watching tours, San Juan Islands, Travel Seattle, Whale Watching
This week, Barbie, our Victoria Reservations Supervisor and frequent blog contributor brings us her 10 best ideas for summer fun!
Dallas Road Kite
1. Bike – book your bike aboard the Victoria Clipper or rent one in Victoria. We have great bicycle paths and designated bicycle lanes.
2. Beer – hop aboard a water taxi cruise over to the Songhees stop and walk over to Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, yum.
3. Berries – drop by Niagara Grocery in James Bay to pick up a basket of locally grown Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries.
4. Brunch – Benny & Bacon! Many varieties of eggs benedict and other scrumptious breakfast items to choose from on the menu at the Flying Otter Grill located at 940 Wharf Street. Breakfast is served Monday – Friday 8am-11am and Saturday and Sundays from 8am-12pm.
5. Book & Beach – Pick up a book at Munro’s Books or Russell Books and head off to the beach. For a sandy beach head to Willows Beach in Oak Bay. You are sure to find a spot all to yourself along the 5km beach along Dallas Road.. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: activities, adventure, bike, Food, fun, summer, tips, top 10, Travel Seattle, Travel Victoria
Sequim Lavender Festival (photo by Kgrr via Wikimedia Commons)
Located on the Olympic peninsula, in a rain shadow created by the Olympic Mountains, Sequim, WA has the perfect microclimate for growing lavender. In fact, the lavender fields in Sequim have often been compared favorably to those in the south of France! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Day Trip, Lavender, seattle day tour, seattle day trips, sequim, Sequim Lavender Festival, Summer Vacations, tour
Clipper’s first Orca Whale Watching trip of the season on the Victoria Clipper III is next weekend and we are really anxious to see what are favorite residents are up to from pods J, K and L and maybe spot some new visitors. To celebrate the start of the season, Clipper is offering day trips from Seattle to the San Juans including a 2.5 hour whale and sealife search for only $49 per adult plus kids FREE Monday-Thursday, May 23-June 30.
In previous years, there has been a 96% rate of whale sightings and as always, a naturalist is on board to guide you on your excursion and answer any questions you may have about the Puget Sound’s sealife. You will also receive a full color informational guidebook and you’ll want to keep that handy for your stopover in Friday Harbor when you are searching for things to do.
San Juan hotel packages are also available in conjunction with this offer plus additional tours. For more information on this limited time offer and to book, please visit http://www.clippervacations.com/san_juan_islands/.
Tags: best whale watching, Kids Free, orca whale watching, orca whale watching tours, orcas, whale watch tours, whale watching cruise, Whale Watching from Seattle, whale watching in seattle, whales watching
Spring is here and with it a new afternoon tea menu from the Butchart Gardens. On March 26th Clipper Vacations began its most popular Butchart Garden Victoria city combo tour. The tour is offered daily through October. People travel from around the world to experience the beauty of the Butchart Gardens. Here is a photo captured in the spring from one of our travelers.
By Bill Meehan
Afternoon Tea
Berry trifle
Layers of sponge cake and berry compote, finished with chantilly cream
Traditional delicacies include:
A savory house-made sausage roll with imported mustard
Roasted vegetable and cheese quiche
Savory tea sandwiches include:
Locally smoked wild BC salmon with maple and whole grain mustard cream cheese
Egg salad and watercress, mango-curry chicken salad with toasted cashews
Smoked honey ham on a rosemary and aged cheddar biscuit
Cucumber with fresh ginger cream cheese
House-made sweets include:
Lemon tartlet with fresh fruit, raspberry marzipan Napoleon
Lemon and poppy seed loaf, coconut chocolate macaroon
Our own chocolate Grand Marnier truffle
Our signature candied ginger scone
Accompanied by strawberry jam and whipped vanilla Devon-style cream
$26.65 per person
plus HST
Served daily 12 Noon – 3pm
Reservations recommended
Menu subject to change
Tags: butchart garden bc, butchart gardens discount, butchart gardens hotels, butchart gardens hours, butchart gardens photos, butchart gardens pictures, butchart gardens tea, the butchart garden
If you live in the Northwest you are probably in agreement that this winter has been long and arduous. Because of it I am immensely looking forward to spring, sun and Tulips!
Today, I spoke with someone from Tulip Town, to get the low down on the upcoming Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I learned that this year they have added 30 new varieties of never-been-seen-anywhere-ever tulips. I am told they will be gorgeous, lush tulip hybrids for your viewing pleasure. They will be located next to the windmill building. The new varieties will show themselves at different stages of the season , so some will be early, some middle and some late season, so that you are sure to see some whenever you decide to go.
www.tulipfestival.org
Also new this year, there will be free trolley rides every Wednesday in April.
See the Beautiful Tulip Fields in Skagit Valley
Clipper Vacations Tulip Festival Day Trips: April 8-10 & 15-17, 2011
$41 per person, $27 children (1-11)
Inclusions:
- Transportation between Seattle and La Conner via deluxe motorcoach or Victoria Clipper
- Stops at 2 tulip fields
- Admission to two bulb farms
- Free time in La Conner
- Tour escort
- All applicable taxes
Tags: gardening, gardening seattle, hybrid tulips, tulip festival, tulip festival Seattle, tulips in Washington, tulips puget sounds
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