Granny

I'm planning a trip with my husband and 3-1/2 year old granddaughter to the Vancouver Island area for the first two weeks in April. The first week will be for sightseeing, and the second week will be spent in a cottage on the north end of Salt Spring Island. <BR> <BR>We're flying from New York to Seattle because we're using up Continental vouchers and there is no direct flight to Vancouver or Victoria. We'll probably arrive, tired, in Seattle in the early afternoon. I'd like to leave Seattle by one method (ferry, for example) and return by a different method (say, seaplane). Has anyone ever taken a seaplane? Does the ride differ from a regular plane? <BR> <BR>I'd love suggestions for a one week itinerary for Vancouver Island and possibly the San Juan Islands. What are the must-sees that a small child would enjoy (she loves animals)? <BR> <BR>Also, what are the must-sees for our week in Salt Spring Island? <BR> <BR>I do have some concerns about cougars and my granddaughter. Any advice?

sheri

Um, cougars? Unless you're worried about wild frat brothers from WSU (their team is the Cougars), I'm not sure where that comes from! I've lived in the NW for 14 years, do a TON of hiking, etc., and have never seen a cougar in the wild. Not that they are not there, but I think that if small children being dragged off by wild animals, it would probably make the paper. I don't mean to make light of your concern, but unless you're planning on doing a lot of hiking in isolated areas, I don't think cougars or other wild animals should be a major worry. <BR> <BR>As to your other questions, I really think a car will be a necessity for your trip, especially with a young child. Having a car will give you flexibility that other transportation options will not. If you really want to take a float plane to or from Seattle, then your best bet would be to take the Victoria Clipper in one direction from Seattle to Victoria and a float plane back (or vice versa) and rent and drop the car off in Victoria (otherwise the drop fees and/or rental rates if you do a one-way Seattle/Victoria rental are quite high). I find float planes to be much more fun than regular planes; the views are much better, for one thing! But they are noisy and the ride can be bumpy, depending on the weather. <BR> <BR>You'll probably want to spend at least a night in Seattle rather than continuing on after a long day of flying. A visit to the Woodland Park Zoo would definitely be in order if your granddaughter loves animals, especially to see the new baby elephant. The Seattle Aquarium is also fun, especially the otters (the Vancouver Aquarium is better, but it doesn't look like you are planning on going there). <BR> <BR>Salt Spring Island is pretty small, so I don't think you'll have trouble finding all the must-sees in a week! For your Vancouver Island itinerary, normally I'd recommend Tofino as a must (it's my favorite place on the island), but the wild Pacific beaches out there may not be the best place for a toddler. And you probably don't want to take her on a whale watching boat out there, either. Hopefully you'll get some other suggestions. But one place you should definitely include is the Royal BC Museum in Victoria; it's fascinating for kids and adults alike!

Carl Z

I agree with Sherri's advice except on one point-you are right to be concerned about your Granddaughter. <BR>Unfortunately a number of small children HAVE been attacked /killed over the years on Vancouver Island, although in fairness these attacks happened in small remote communities on the West Coast of the Island. <BR>The Cats that attack kids seem to be young animals who are having trouble feeding. <BR>In their hunger-driven state Cougars see small children, with their high-pitched voices and jerky movements, as Prey not as Humans to be avoided. <BR>The children who were attacked/killed were mainly native kids and it's sad statement of BC society that those deaths make the back pages of the newspapers, the cougars are hunted down, eliminated and everyone goes about their business, except for the grieving community. <BR>I know I've visited a number of those places, Gold River, Tahsis & Kyuquot among them. <BR>Last year a Cougar stalked a Sportfisherman's young son-9 years old I think-on a lake that you pass on the way to Tofino, not exactly wilderness. <BR>The Dad realized what was happening, the Cat wouldn't back off, and so pulled his child into their boat and they motored away, the cat later surprised some other fishermen-adults-and they has some difficulty scaring it off. <BR>A few years ago a woman was mauled to death near Princeton BC defending her children from a Cougar-so the threat is real. <BR>What's happening is that Humans are pushing farther and farther into the wilderness, and in many cases animals have nowhere else to go-thus the 'conflicts'. <BR>Keep your Granddaughter close and you'll be fine, and don't believe the blandishments you hear, the wild is always close.

sheri

My goodness, I am so sorry to have made light of the situation! I have really not seen any mention of that sort of thing happening in the media here. You hear of the occasional pet being attacked or carried off by cougars but not children. Again, my apologies.

April

Then there was the time the cougar was trapped in the underground parking lot at the Empress Hotel/convention centre. <BR> <BR>I've lived on the island all my life and have yet to see a cougar in the wild. Have seen a few bears though. <BR> <BR>If you took the Victoria Clipper from Seattle I believe you'd have to go the next morning. It can be a rough ride and I know some people vow to never take that trip again. <BR> <BR>Kenmore Air has flights to Victoria. Although I've flown on float planes only between Victoria and Vancouver, it is as Sheri describes - beautiful because you fly so low. <BR> <BR>In Victoria, the museum is a must. Your granddaughter would probably enjoy the petting zoo in Beacon Hill Park, if it's not too early in the season that is. There, kids and kid goats can play together. Seals can sometimes be spotted from the little harbour ferries. One of my favourite spots to visit when I was little was Hatley castle & park for its Italian and Japanese gardens, pond, bridges, statues and, back then, operating water wheel. Peacocks were still on the grounds last time I was there and you can sometimes see deer on the lawn. A lagoon is at the bottom of the property, and beyond that the ocean. It is a 20-or-so minute drive out of town. <BR> <BR>If you have a car and head out of Victoria you could stop at Goldstream Park which has a nature house or visit Cathedral Grove farther up-island. If you forgo Tofino, Parksville or Qualicum Beach might be a good choice. <BR> <BR>I think the highlight of Salt Spring is the view from Mt. Maxwell.

Granny

Thanks for all the suggestions. <BR> <BR>I found what I consider to be an authoritative source regarding cougars: a story by MSNBC at http://www.msnbc.com/news/459691.asp. <BR> <BR>"In the entire 20th century there were only nine deaths and 56 injuries attributed to cougars in British Columbia....Still, cougar incidents are on the rise, and nowhere are they more prevalent than in British Columbia, which saw the casualty rate rise to three deaths and 15 injuries in the 1990s."

Kevin

Last summer, my wife and I flew by seaplane from Seattle to Vancouver Island and it was fantastic!!!! We used a company called Sound Flight which takes off from the southern end of Lake Washington to several locations on Vancouver Island. <BR> <BR>We were lucky enough to fly low and see some killer whales on the flight over too. <BR> <BR>The only catch I'll point out is that flying to/from Seattle/Vancouver Island by seaplane can be expensive. I ended up flying one way, then renting a car and taking a ferry back to Seattle. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps!

Robyn

This might put into perspective the cougar situation in BC. It was in the news today (Wednesday, January 3, 2000): <BR> <BR>"BANFF, Alta. (CP) - Park wardens believe a 30-year-old woman was killed by a cougar Tuesday while cross-country skiing in Banff National Park. RCMP said in a news release that the woman was skiing on a trail near Lake Minnewanka, a popular area about 10 kilometres from the Banff town site. Park officials said the cougar was caught nearby and killed immediately. <BR> <BR>"We are still at this point treating this as a probable attack," said Ian Syme, the park's chief warden. "We haven't confirmed that the cause of death of the individual was in fact cougar inflicted, although we obviously have our suspicions." <BR> <BR>There were two earlier sightings of cougars Tuesday around Banff. <BR> <BR> <BR>About 7 a.m., a woman walking her dog in the town site was approached by a cougar. The woman called for help and some neighbours pulled her into their home. <BR> <BR>"Upon later investigation not too long after that it was found the cougar was defending a kill. It had taken down an elk not too far from where the lady was walking her dog," said Syme. <BR> <BR>Hours earlier a cougar attacked a dog left outside in its yard. The cat was scared off and the dog also ran off. <BR> <BR>Park officials were conducting DNA tests to see if the same animal was responsible for all the attacks. Tracking experts had also been called in. <BR> <BR>If it was the same animal, the cougar would have had to travel about 10 kilometres, which is possible, said Martin Jalkotzy, an Alberta biologist who researched the creatures for 14 years as part of a field study southeast of Banff. <BR> <BR>Park officials were warning residents of the Banff area to keep their children in sight or preferably indoors until it is determined whether one or more animals were involved in the attacks. <BR> <BR>Jalkotzy was concerned about how people might react to the attack, which he thought was the first fatality caused by a cougar in Alberta. <BR> <BR>"People shouldn't be afraid of going into the backcountry because of this spate of attacks," Jalkotzy said in a telephone interview from his home in Calgary. <BR> <BR>"Yes, we should be aware always when we are in the bush and we should keep our wits about us but the likelihood of this kind of thing happening is very, very small." <BR> <BR>Jalkotzy said the fatal attack was a horrible situation but added it needs to be put in perspective. <BR> <BR>There are an average of 3-4 cougar attacks a year on average in North America, he said. <BR> <BR>"It's a horrible thing to have happen and there is a family that's now grieving. <BR> <BR>"But you are not going to make the place any better by trying to go out and shoot all the cougars around Banff because there are more cougars elsewhere and they will shift themselves around and there will be cougars (in Banff) again. <BR> <BR>"They are there because it's a good place to be." <BR> <BR>It's well-known in Banff that cougars have been killing elk and deer around the town site for the last couple of years, said Jalkotzy. <BR> <BR>In August 1996, Cindy Parolin was killed fighting off a cougar that mauled her six-year-old son near Princeton, B.C. <BR> <BR>Last April a male cougar was captured near downtown Nanaimo, B.C., and released into the wild several hours later. <BR> <BR>The incident followed a number of cougar sightings and an attack on livestock at an emu farm in Lantzville, B.C. <BR> <BR>In April 1999 an eight-year-old girl was bitten on the face and abdomen at a camp near Hope, 150 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. She was saved when a woman from her camping party beat off the animal with a stick." <BR> <BR> <BR>

Bobbie

Just read in the paper this morning that a cross-country skier was killed by a cougar this week 6 miles outside the town of Banff. Please use common sense when you're out in the wild.

dnorrie

Don't make light of animals in the wild. They are always a danger but cougars, for the most part, are fairly shy. We live in Alberta and know that attacks happen particularly near touristy areas where people don't use common sense and the animals lose their fear. It is very unlikely that you would ever see a cougar (I NEVER have and I live here) but you never know. The thing to remember with a cougar is, don't back down - be aggressive. I believe there is a ferry from Seattle to Victoria. There is a lot to see in and around Victoria - you would love the Sooke area on the edge of the city - take a stop at Royals Road University - it is quite a place - my son graduated from there. It is like no university you have ever seen. From Sooke north, the drive is breathtaking but the farther north you go, the worse the roads become. Anyway, have fun.