Bigass Road Trip: Powell River - Scenery, Family and Shopping

Welcome back, Gentle Readers - as some of you rightly suspected, L and I headed off on a vacation to distant Powell River, a 9-hour trip to the wild coast of BC's coastline, via perilous highway and car ferry. We last visited L's Mom and brother here in August 2023, if you want to compare (it's much different in summer/winter!).

This is a picture-heavy post, so grab a cup of something sustaining, and let's kick it off. 

As you may know by now, I'm a very light packer when it comes to travel. I wore variations of this outfit for all three days that we were away, plus one dress for dinner. 

• Pleather jacket - Only, consignment; last seen here in September 2023
• Clash tee - thrifted, not tracked
• Alice Cooper 2008 tour shirt (not shown) - not tracked
• Skirt - Oska, consignment; first worn here in December 2023 with neutrals
• Boots - Slacker Vagabond, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January with my Muppet skirt

This follows my now-standard travel outfit: a bunch of tees/tops that I layer and also sleep in...

...a comfy pair of shoes/boots that I wear the entire time, and a funky skirt, plus a cool jacket for pockets and warmth. 

This pink faux leather jacket helps soften up all the tougher elements of the outfit. This crinkle-pleated textured skirt was a winner - I loved wearing it.

L getting his stuff all together on Thursday morning, before he picks up the SUV rental (Vlad the Jag is not approved for winter driving on the Malahat). 

I had oodles of compliments on my outfit (as did L!) while we were in Powell River. 

I never want to go too dressy, as PR is even more of a casual vibe than my native Victoria. However, a gent in his overalls, plaid flannels and steel-toed boots was rapturous over our green shoes, and told us he always likes to look sharp ("I'm in my work gear," he explained). Never judge a book by its cover, as there are style-loving people everywhere! 

I didn't take my jacket off, but here's my long-sleeved tee that I layered - it's from seeing Alice Cooper live in Vancouver in 2008. 

Enjoy my minimal post from back then, here (at least I'm showing off my outfit!), and a post from when I first wore the tee to work here, in May 2009.

This is how most people saw me, as I strode about the ferry, shopped on Marine Avenue on Friday, and for visiting my in-laws and my brother Dave and fiancée Shelley on the way home. 

So classy! But not TOO dressy. 

Incognito in my shades, which I needed about half the time. 

It was a mix of spitty rain, clear and sunny, and cold and cloudy over three days. The usual West Coast experience! 

Voila! I'm in my toque, gloves and scarf! 

I really enjoyed this outfit - it felt very much "me."

Accoutrements:

As always, this purse was a pain in the arse - most of the time, I only secured the flap, not the two extra straps that have to be locked in place. I do like being able to see What's In My Purse.

• Purse - vintage 1998 Hermes knock-off from Expo '98 in Paris, thrifted, Vancouver
• Scarf - Banana Republic, thrifted
• Toque - thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

Assorted bling: 

I changed up my jewelry each day slightly. 

• Chain cuff - consignment
• Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
• Crystal heart bangle - Juicy Couture, consignment
• Choker - Myka, thrifted
• S Celtic pendant - gift from Mom and Dad, 90s
• Amethyst crystal pendant - gift from Mom and Dad, 90s
• Silver earrings - Israeli, consignment
• Wood earrings - Plum, c. 2010
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Chain ring - Mexican, consignment
• Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall

I layered all three necklaces for my daytime outfits - a little extra armour. 

Boots: 

These boots were fantastic for all the walking and shopping. I had to take them off a couple of times, but only the laces wrapped around my calf need to be undone - thank goodness for the zippers! 

Vizzini knew something was up. 

"I don't like all these bags - they mean you're leaving me!"

Indeed we are, little guy! Cat and Ross took care of him while we were gone, and we returned home to an ecstatic kitty on Saturday afternoon. 

Let's go! Adventure surely awaits! 

I took lots of pics on our drive up-Island (we live on a giant island, which is helpfully labeled "Island in the Pacific Ocean" by the web browser) - about it here. As always, all links 'cause I love.

Driving up the Malahat - a small stretch of the Island Highway that is perched on perilous cliffs along one side of Vancouver Island - is always an adventure. 

There's mostly just one lane in each direction, and it's easy to forget that behind the trees and rocks on either side...

...is a giant drop down to the ocean. Bits of the Saanich Peninsula in the distance. 

We're so high up, the clouds swathed the road. 

And we're zooming along at 90 km/hour! Terrifying! 

I'm glad I have an excellent driver in L. 

This is the tourist look-out - no, we never stop. We're locals! We don't do that stuff. 

Instead of the usual "trees, highway, mountains" pics I take of the journey (oh, don't worry, there are still lots of those!), I focused on Interesting Things On/Along the Highway. 

Starting with... a truck full of milk! Our dairy comes from local farms (moo!) and this is how it's shipped to other cities and towns on the island. 

I was amused by the three very different chairs rattling along in this trailer. 

We have a dining room chair, a vintage wooden chair, and an office chair. Sure!

Ooh, you don't see this kind of car very often! 

What a beauty! 

Vancouver Island is covered in trees, and there is logging...so there are logging trucks.

If you've even seen any of the "Final Destination" horror movies (and I have, since they were all filmed on and around Vancouver Island), you might be utterly frightened by seeing a logging truck alongside you. Enjoy this "many people die" scene from "Final Destination 2" here (warning: gory violence - but it was all a premonition!) - and you will understand why I am always urging him to "get past this truck!"

This is a much more reassuring view. 

No chance of those 2 x 2's crashing over and killing us all. 

Even better! An empty truck. 

You might have noticed the lack of those uprights on the truck bed in the movie. Safety first, kids! 

Some Sky Drama, and a glimpse of Mt. Prevost (pruh-VOH) as we enter Duncan. 

And loads of signs along the highway. Stay classy, Duncan! 

I'm fond of the bridges. 

Such lovely structures. 

I am NOT fond of these horrid balloon creatures. For some reason, they completely creep me out! Ah, don't look! 

"Did you take a picture of that thing?" L asked, "Good for you! Brave!"

A dairy farm along the highway. 

On hot days, you can smell the cows. 

This bridge is undergoing a replacement for the old 50+ year old original on the right. 

The older one looks more clean and elegant to me than the turquoise one on the left. 

Well, this is rare - a helicopter! 

It looks like it's towing something? 

It seemed to be practicing dropping the line on a target. 

Probably some sort of search-and-rescue thing. 

Not very much snow on the mountains north of Nanaimo (nuh-NYE-moh). 

We were whizzing along at 130 km/h. Zoom! This is normally a 3-4 hour trip from home to the ferry.

But we were there in no time (just under 3 hours) - traveling on a Thursday meant way less traffic.

And there's the Salish Orca, our BC Ferry from Comox to PR on the mainland. 

And in we go! 

These ramps lift to allow cars to be stored deep in the belly of the boat. They loaded that up, and we were one of the first at the prow. 

On board selfie! 

Thanks so much to my partner L for all your love and support, and I hope I was able to give you all of that back - visiting family is stressful. 

When the weather's nice, I like to go outside and wander around the ship, looking for orcas and other interesting things. 

It barely hovered around zero, so I took a couple of pics through the windows. There are the mountains of BC's rugged coast in the distance - we can't even see Powell River yet. 

Brrr, not going out there! 

Looking back at Vancouver Island. The sailing is just over an hour. 

And here we are, back in the car waiting for the ferry to dock and disgorge us. 

"Downtown" PR - there is more to the north and over the hill. 

As we nudged up against the dock, I noticed a cormorant watching the ferry. 

"Um, excuse me, this dock is busy."

I was amused that she didn't move at all as we anchored. 

"I was here first! Move along!"

She kept a close eye on us. 

We moved our original travel plans due to the VFF Gala last weekend, and weren't able to get a room in our usual hotel a week later, so we stayed at Beyond Bliss Spas & Suites (link here - would recommend this if you're visiting, and we plan to stay here from now on!). 

What a lovely room! Beyond Bliss only has four (4) rooms total - it's a micro-hotel! 

Even the bathroom is a couple of steps above what we expect in PR. 

It's huge!

We had a back entrance and a view of the waterfront.

In fact, there's the ferry we just disembarked from! It's so close! 

We went over to Louise's apartment to do our very late Christmas gift exchange. 

Louise has dementia, and it's been very hard on her two sons (L and Virgil) to watch her memory failing. 

Virgil (love all that camo gear!) opened his late birthday present as well - we always get him books.

He doesn't like his picture being taken, so I am always quick and sneaky. 

Louise LOVED her velour lounging set. 

You look fabulous, Louise! She wore it the whole time we were there. 

After a dinner in of pizza with Louise and Virg, L and I hung out back in our room, playing a board game we'd brought with us. 

We were up early for breakfast at a local café, then L had to go to an appointment and then planned to hang out with his brother for the afternoon. I took advantage of the "free day" and plundered Powell River's excellent selection of second-hand boutiques and thrifts stores. 

• T-shirt - Iggy Pop tour 2023, not tracked

It started out sunny with a few clouds. 

A gorgeous view out the back. 

You can see the mountains of Vancouver Island above the clouds. 

A perfect day to explore and shop. I've done mini reviews of a couple of the shops of PR here (scroll down), if you find yourself in town one day. 

This is the start of my voyage on Marine Ave - it was a very quiet day as I walked up and down the 3-block strip. Nothing opens till 11am, so I went back to the room and read a book until shops opened.

As always when I shop in another town, I am willing to be a bit more spend-y - I have been saving my shopping budget (not shopping in Victoria as much lately) for this trip, so I freely bought things. It's all going back into the local economy, which really needs the support this time of year. 

I popped into Fits Like a T (a regular retail boutique) to poke around. 

I bought myself another cloth tote for $3.50 (my old ones are getting ripped and worn), and a ring. 

The ring was made locally of steel and brass. 

I thought it would work well with some of my Brutalist pieces. It was $18.99.

At Paperworks Gifts, I found a pair of short red gloves for myself...

And KISS socks for L. The socks were $18.95. He loved them!

The gloves are leather and are by Picabo. 

They were half price, so $13.00.

Virgil had recommended Oceanside Entertainment to me (link here, I missed the cats!), and what a cool store! They had a massive wall of CDs that I spent some time going through, looking for treasures for L (and myself, I admit it). 

Some classics from my childhood (John Denver, Helen Reddy), plus some albums I used to have on cassette way back in the day (John Cougar Mellencamp, The B-52s, Foreigner, George Michael), and a couple I thought were worth a couple of dollars (Marvin Gaye, Elton John). All of these were between $2-5 each. 

I bought this one purely for the cover. 

Let's lounge in our zebra-themed room with our Afghan hound in our white clothes! Dig that monkey bowl full of fruit! His cigarette holder! The jaunty necktie, her Dorothy Hamill hairdo!

This Netherlands group's CD caught my eye - Bettie Serveert (here). 

The lead singer is from Vancouver! Wikipedia notes that "Lamprey" was critically well-received - L and I both liked it (we played it on Saturday night when we got home). 

From there, I spent some time poking through Madrona Boutique (here, boutique is a misnomer, it's a true thrift store, piles of stuff crammed everywhere), where I found L three more CDs. 

Classic UK on the "Trainspotting" soundtrack, Paul Young (I had that on cassette) and an "it's only a dollar" risk with The Dramatics. 

I bought a bunch of stuff, which the lovely owner bundled for me - "$65 bucks?" Yup, that works for me! I'd been saving some cash for this shop, and happily handed it over. 

This gold-brushed leather purse was marked $25.00 and the tie - a vintage 70s one - was a dollar. 

L and I were hugely amused by the label on this Cabaret Prints by Wembley tie. 

"For brown, olive or black suit" - just in case you aren't sure what to wear your groovy tie with! A quick search reveals that they labeled all of their ties like this - awesome! 

The purse has marks of quality - it's all leather, with custom hardware. 

Aimee Kestenberg is not a name I'm familiar with. 

But she had enough money to splash out on custom lining. 

Her bags run between $339.00 to $99.00 - so I got a good deal on this. The shape of the bag's profile is triangular, with the wide part being the bottom. It also has two inside pockets, and a back pocket that perfectly holds my phone - love it! 

I loved the colour of this blouse - such a deep purple! 

The style is full sleeves (with little silver buttons at the cuffs), a high-ish cowled neck, and a flap across the front/body.

It's marked "Limited Edition" which is no help at all. 

And the style is...well, I'll try it once before I make any decisions.

I found an M&S (Marks & Spencer) tag inside. 

I suspect this is pre-internet era - no images online at all. This was also marked at $25.00. 

This beautiful crocheted floss top caught my eye. 

These are usually cardigans (not my style) and I love the yellow, red and pale blue against the warm brown. 

One of the circles has burst - I'll stitch that up and you won't even know it was damaged. 

This was also marked at $25.00.

The brand is Valenti, of Rome, New York and Paris (so classy!). 

It's classic 90s fashion - we wore these with our "broomstick" long skirts and long necklaces. 

I dropped off my bag of shopping at the hotel and readied myself for a long browse at Willow Rose Consignment Boutique - the lovely owner, Karen, remembered me and we chatted while I browsed. Be sure to look me up next time you're in Victoria - I'll take you shopping! 

I always come away with treasures at Willow Rose - I still have things from this shop that I bought years ago (this is where I found all the Ed Hardy stuff last summer). This thick cotton jacket caught my eye. 

Oh, all those zippers! And the ragged ruffles going down the front! And those pockets are real, not even unstitched! Be still, my heart! 

No lining on the stretch cotton/spandex blend, but each seam is sealed with binding tape. 

That's what I like to see - no raw edges unless they're on purpose! 

Lovely zipper detail. 

Sort of a fleur-de-lis? 

It's new with tags still attached. The brand is Royal Underground, which is no longer in operation. 

I was tickled to note Motely Cru member Nikki Sixx was the founder, along with Kelly Gray (formerly of luxury brand St. John), back in 2006 (article here). It was originally created as a menswear line, but my jacket is a women's cut, so this is likely from around 2008-ish. 

And I can see from the tag that it retailed for $450.00! I spotted one on Poshmark for $100, so the value is still there. 

Karen gave me a slight discount off the marked prices of everything I bought - this was priced $79.00 but she reduced it to $65.00. 

I found this top by feel - it's so soft! It also needs a good steaming - I was tired and couldn't be bothered when I got home, sorry. 

The bow on the side is two ginormous pieces of fabric - perfect for the next time I'm feeling pirate-y! 

I recognized the Obakki name, a Vancouver boutique that specialized in ethically-sourced and -made items. 

Yup, made in Canada - this was not cheap originally! 

My top is a cotton/silk blend - comparable on their site now is around $245.00. 

All the seams are nicely turned in - no serging or raw edges.

I love the stripey pattern - it reminds me of sand dunes. 

This was $24.00, a score!

I found a pair of leggings on the clearance rack.

They're pretty basic black.

With a snakeskin embossed print. 

They're by A. They were $8.00. 

And my final purchase from Willow Rose - I took a picture and texted it to L. "Should I buy this? It's $225.00." I am always hesitant over $$ purchases (it's the thrifter in me - I'm cheap!). 

"Buy that crazy coat!" he texted back. 

Reader, I did!

I sent the mirror selfie to Cat, Yvonne and Caro and Cat, who immediately dubbed it the Unsafe Tiger. 

Isn't she SPECTACULAR?? 

I love the swirling print of the faux fur, and as you can see from the previous picture, there are pockets.

Marciano by Guess, and a fancy tag too! 

I know that this is the more expensive version of Guess. 

Oh, my gosh, it's also new-with-tags! 

She was originally $410.00 retail, and she's called the "Kierra Faux Fur Coat" in "Night Animal" (ha ha!). Karen very generously reduced it from $225 to $180 for me. What a treasure! 

I dumped off my haul in the room again and kept going - one more shop to visit, Blue Sky Vintage, where I've bought a few things in the past. 

These polyester flowing trousers called to me - they'll be great for summer (and yes they have pockets!). 

They're by Soho Apparel, and were $22.00. 

That seems about right. These were a "what the heck, why not?" purchase. 

This bomber jacket, however, was an "Oh yes, I love this!" purchase. 

I adore the black and off-white print of diamonds and patterns, trimmed with black piping. It's got pockets! 

The zip-front is covered by a placket with a button at top and bottom, and there are matching buttons on the cuffs. 

I thought it was a light cotton textile at first. The lining is acetate 

But no! It's actually 100% raw silk, and it was made in Cyprus! You don't see that every day. 

The label is George Georgiou, a brand that's been around for at least 30 years. I suspect this is late 80s/early 90s, based on the style. $17.00 seemed like a bargain! 

I also found this lapeled vest on the sale rack. 

Not a single tag or mark on it, but it feels like wool and I like the nice colour (and real pockets!). 

A good detail on the back hem. 

I think this is from the last time vests were in style, the mid- to late-90s. 

It was $21.00. 

A little on the pricey side, but it fit really well and it's good quality, so I bit. 

This find made me gasp. GASP! 

Yes, my friends, that is vintage baby-blue leather!!

Look at the gorgeous contrast detail on the collar (same on the pockets) and the lovely plastic buttons. 

Spoiler - this was marked down to $60.00 from $95.00. How could I resist? Especially when I tried it on, and it fit perfectly!

It's 100% leather (the lining is acetate). 

And I recognized the label immediately....

As I have another Jeno de Paris coat - my emerald green trenchcoat, last seen here a couple of weeks ago and purchased here in December 2019 for $65.00.

What a hilarious label - that deer looks seriously goofy. Note the buttons on the back-side, preventing the leather from tearing from stress. 

I was gobsmacked to find the original tag in a pocket! 

This is likely from the 1970s, same as my green coat. 

The back of the tag, and there was a spare button in the other pocket! 

I'm pretty sure this coat has never been worn! I'll have to rectify that ASAP!

And my final purchase, which was a bit of a splurge (oh, who are we kidding? it was a splurge-ful shopping spree!). 

This is a sterling silver and onyx necklace. 

It's (messily) stamped "Mexico" and "925" for sterling. The garbled middle section is likely "TS [something]" which stands for Taxco Silver, a reknowned region of silversmiths. 

It was $75.00, which is a bargainous for Mexican silver, particularly with three suns and the solid silver "moons" (it's heavy!) - I spotted a less fancy version on Etsy for $399.00 with the same clasp. It is likely from the 1950s or early 60s.

After my shop, I changed for dinner into the dress I'd brought for the occasion. 

A simple black wool, easily rolled up and shoved into my backpack. 

• Dress - Spanner, vintage 90s, thrifted; first seen here in November 2023 with brocade boots

We went to my aunt-in-law's restaurant, Dragon House Chinese restaurant, for dinner with the family on Friday night, including Louise's friend, Dave. 

It was all decorated in preparation for Saturday's Lunar New Year - Happy New Year, Year of the Dragon! 

Riam, with Louise and Dave. She's married to Louise's brother Pete. 

As you can see, Louise is still wearing the top part of her lounge set! We enjoyed a massive meal of yummy Chinese food - we were stuffed! 

After a quiet night back at the hotel, we were up early for the first ferry back to the Island. 

There it is, coming into the dock. 

L and I enjoyed our traditional ferry breakfast. How's that bacon treating you, L? 

"Delicious!" |After breakfast, we sat and read for most of the crossing in the lounge area. 

We stopped off in Courtenay to visit my brother Dave. 

He was out walking Tate - who's gotten MASSIVE - when we arrived. 

Gimme a selfie, Cowboy! 

Aw, there's my little brother! 

He made us fancy coffee in his new coffee-maker and me, Dave, L and Shelley chatted and sipped coffee for a while before it was time to get back on the road. 

No make-up for me - and thank goodness for that extra coffee (L's very life is at stake when I'm not fully-coffee'd up!). Thanks so much for the visit, Dave and Shelley - love you both! 

We zoomed home in record time, where our little kitty ensured we knew he had missed us. 

"I forgive you! Welcome home!"

He sniffed out all of our bags and purchases. 

"I like this new bed you bought me."

The Unsafe Tiger is not for you, bud! 

As L was walking home from returning the rental car, he spotted an oil painting at Vanity Fair Antique Mall. 

That looks like a pirate ship! Of course, he bought it (L deserved a little splurge of his own). 

It's not a pirate ship, though - it's the HMS Resolution, one of Captain James Cook's ships (here) - Cook Street and James Bay in Victoria are named after him. 

The artist is Marie Verwoord, who I think may have been a talented local artist - there are no references to her online. Someone cared enough about this painting enough to make a fancy brass plate for it. Maybe it was a gift to her husband? Or a one-off commission? 

Great detail! 

And L is entranced by it, so if he's happy, I'm happy.

I think this may have been painted in the 1970s - it's a stretch canvas, and the frame's style reeks of that era. Mom has had many frames like this since she started painting. 

Well, I'm sure Marie would love that it's gone to a new home where it will be loved. 

ETA: Mom used to know the artist who did the ship painting. She and Marie Verwoord were both in the Victoria Society of Artists circa 1979-1980 (this specific society no longer exists). It was a juried membership where you had to do a presentation of your work to be admitted, and Mom remembered Marie as an elegant and well-dressed lady who did beautiful paintings. Well, what a small world! 

And now...time to give my little guy some love before our house is inundated with arrivals for our annual Super Bowl party. 

"People are coming? Oh yay."

You hide if you need to, buddy. 

And I'm off now to spend some extra weekend time off (I also have Monday off, hooray, what great foresight I had!). I hope you enjoyed our early weekend adventures! Thanks for stopping by!