Free The 100 Best Affordable Vacations by Jane Wooldridge Page B

system might seem to cover the same ground as that of Alaska, but the two are as different as the United States and Canada.
The bulk of BC’s ferry traffic travels a main artery connecting the city of Vancouver to Vancouver Island. Thousands of cars will make the crossing in a day, and if you’re trying to go on a holiday weekend, be prepared to wait for hours. But for a more relaxed look at the province, consider driving the Sunshine Coast circle tour, a clockwise sweep through coastal scenery, harborside villages, art studios, restaurants, and inns.
From Vancouver, take the ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and head north, meandering along the Island Highway to take in the rugged Pacific Northwest scenery. In Comox, you’ll connect to an 80-minute ferry ride across the Georgia Strait to Powell River on the Sunshine Coast, so named because its weather patterns defy the typical gray Pacific Northwest forecast. You can get a cozy room at the Herondell B&B (RR 1, Black Point 29, Powell River, 604-487-9538, www.herondell.com ) for just $60 Canadian.
From there, you can slowly work your way southeast on Highway 101 to Saltery Bay and then take a 50-minute ferry to Earls Cove. Along the way keep alert for purple banners marking local galleries and studios. In Gibsons, make sure to stop for fresh-from-the-wharf seafood at Smitty’s Oyster House (643 School Road Wharf, Lower Gibsons, 604-886-4665). The road runs out at Langdale, where you’ll catch a 40-minute ferry back to Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver’s North Shore. The ferries should run about $175 Canadian for two passengers and a vehicle, but discounts are often available. BC Ferries, 1112 Fort St., Victoria, BC V8V 4V2, Canada, 888-223-3779 or 250-381-1401, www.bcferries.com .
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    Skagway’s another fascinating stop. The heart of this former gold-rush town is now designated as Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (907-983-2921, www.nps.gov/klgo ), and you can take free, ranger-led walking tours. From here, you can drive into Canada’s Yukon and then back to the States. But if you’ve gone car free, simply grab a ferry back to Washington State, or hop another ferry for more adventures on the edge of the Last Frontier.
    HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
    Alaska Marine Highway System, P.O. Box 112505, 6858 Glacier Hwy., Juneau, AK 99811, 800-642-0066, www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs .
     
     

kayak with dolphins
    BAJA CALIFORNIA
    Man has always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much…But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man…for precisely the same reason.
    — DOUGLAS ADAMS (1952–2001), AUTHOR OF THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY SERIES
     
    30 | Traveling in a kayak is like being a water bug. With little effort you skim along the surface, quiet and unassuming, taking in incredible views from the waterline.
    That’s how you can explore the Sea of Cortés off the coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. For four glorious days you’ll paddle through pods of dolphins and pass sunning sea lions. If you’re lucky you may encounter whales. You’ll spend your nights on a desert island, eating grilled fish and sipping margaritas prepared by guides. If this sounds like a dream trip way out of your budget, don’t worry. It runs about $1,000.
    The trip, offered by Sea Kayak Adventures, leaves from the historic, seaside town of Loreto. Just off the coast lies Mexico’s half-million-acre Loreto Bay National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The reserve is protected from commercial trawlers, which means habitat and food are preserved for sea mammals, including dolphins, thousands and thousands of dolphins.
    You’re bound to see common dolphins. “A woefully inappropriate name for them,” says Nancy Mertz, co-owner of Sea Kayak Adventures. “They should be called the wonderful dolphin, the exceptional dolphin. Yesterday my husband and I went out and saw them.