Lochside Trail...

We are wending our way back north now, taking a detour via Salt Spring Island. The island ferry leaves from Sidney at the top of the Peninsula. The route to there starts out on the Galloping Goose trail, and then takes the coast as the Lochside trail, all on gravel surfaces that are level and easy to pedal. About halfway the forests open out to farmland with our coffee stop at a farm shop.




Coming off the lunchtime ferry onto Salt Spring, we are spotted by Darcy, a friend of Erin and Dave (the union jack flags on our racks are a give away). He owns a bike shop right by the jetty and directs to his nearby house where youngsters Isiah, Abe, Eve and Tiger Lily make us very welcome.




Bird report - Bald eagle , Red-tailed Hawk.
Tour miles to date: 236

Location:Victoria to Salt Spring Island

Galloping Goose...

A short ferry ride deposits us on the Saanich peninsula and an easy ride down to Victoria to stay with Erin, Dave and kids. This is the first use of our new tent when we pitch in their back garden, and we are their very first Warm Shower guests.


Dave and Erin are food and wine experts, so dinner is a local halibut feast. Staying two nights, we can cycle without the panniers next day, and their teenage son John (a future Olympian track cyclist) finds time in his busy training schedule to lead us out to the start of the Galloping Goose bike trail. It is nearly all on rail trails, 30 miles north and then west through the ubiquitous forests and over wooden bridges. Finally along a stunning sea inlet shore to Sooke, a town named after the local Native tribe. We celebrate with bison burgers. Good birding with a family of California Quails, an Osprey, and too many American Robins to count.


It is an easy run back with only a few other cyclists and dog walkers sharing the trail.
The good weather we have had since we landed is forecast to stay with us for at least the next couple of days.


Tour miles to date: 216

Location:Mill Bay to Victoria

Show & shine...

Saturday, and Barry and Dave (a local cycling club mate) lead us the first dozen miles south, taking rail trails and back roads, then safely onto long Cedar Road.
As always we are surrounded by fir forest, as we pass the entrance to native Indian reserves and reach little Ladysmith by lunch. We had wondered why so many classic cars had been passing us, and discover them now, lining the streets. It is the 7th annual "Show and Shine". The main street is closed to traffic with crowds admiring the polished Chevis, Cadillacs and Thunderbirds (& our 2 Thorn tourers!).


Next on a coast road to the small town of Duncan and a little way up the Cowichan Valley. Our hosts here have had a hectic day as their marvellous garden has been open to the public, showcasing Permaculture methods. Their typical white painted timber house is in a breathtaking setting surrounded by forest, under a mountain backdrop.
In the morning we wi-fi in Duncan before heading down to Mill Bay for the ferry to the peninsula where Victoria the Capitol of British Columbia sits. On the way we pass lots of vineyards and a lavender farm. Being a Sunday cheery groups of cyclists whizz past. Waiting for the ferry we watch seals and a Belted Kingfisher.


Tour miles to date: 123

Location:Nanaimo to Duncan

Island bound...

Friday morning John thinks he is reassuring, informing us the cougar that attacked a boy on Vancouver Island has been caught. I expect there are lots more cougars that might like a tasty cyclist!
We join the morning commuters cycling north over Lions Gate Bridge. Giving the busy main road a miss, we follow quieter Marine Drive, undulating through the welcome shade of pine trees. At Horseshoe Bay we wait for the lunchtime ferry to Vancouver Island. It is difficult to think of a more picturesque setting, the steep forested mountains, plunging into a dark blue bay, dotted with small boats.


The boat was far bigger than we had imagined - the size of the Rosslare ferry! 1hr 40 mins on flat calm passing close to small islands and then we pedal off onto a car choked dual carriageway! Extricating ourselves from this and fuelled more by enthusiasm than commonsense we head for a lake which turns out to be at the top of a VERY steep, VERY long climb - I am not ashamed to report that I push the bike the last 100metres. We are rewarded with a lovely ride back down Jingle Pots Road, through forest and farms, reminiscent of Switzerland. Our Nanaimo host, Barry, has cycled all over Europe, so we have many tales to swop.


Tour miles to date: 73

Location:Vancouver to Nanaimo

Meeting Stanley...

John take us on a guided cycle of of the top spots in Vancouver today. We share the cycle routes with throngs of bikers enjoying the fabulous weather. A dedicated path leads us to the Lost Lagoon, and then 10 miles around the picturesque shores of famous Stanley Park, glimpsing a Bald Eagle as a bonus. Seaplanes swoop in and out of the main harbour as we visit Downtown and then Granville Island for the busy covered market. It is easy to see why Vancouver is always voted one of the most attractive cities in the world.


In the evening M and J drive us to to the shore at Spanish Banks for a barbie as the sun sets into the sea. We could not have had better hosts for our introduction to this gorgeous area.


Tour miles to date: 36

Location:Vancouver

Well, we got here...

We have arrived in Vancouver with everything going smoothly! High 5! Leaving the bikes with the man in charge of "extra big luggage" at Heathrow, we wondered whether they would make it onto the plane, but there they were, unscathed in their plastic bags. Locals Margaret and John had cycled to meet us and helped in the reassembling - reattaching handle bars and pedals and re-inflating tyres, before leading us to their home, via tree lined residential roads.The backdrop of snow tipped mountains and cloudless blue sky was breathtaking.


Tour miles to date: 9 (well you've got to start somewhere!)

Location:Vancouver

Pacific West Coast Tour 2012

In the final preparation stage now for our next tour. We fly to Vancouver, Canada, on Wednesday next & after a mini-tour to Vancouver Island, we will meet Janet & Ian on their tandem to set off south down the Pacific West Coast route.

J&I will be with us until San Francisco, when they fly back to the UK. We will carry on to Los Angeles & the Mexican border at San Diego, then a short inland return to LA to stay with Harriet before returning to the UK in November.

Have done some last-minute reading on cycling in USA. Included in the list of 'problems & annoyances' are bears (grizzly & black), mountain lions (aka pumas & cougars), poisonous snakes & venomous spiders! So, just marginally more dangerous than riding out with the local Bike Bus then.

Hopefully the next blog will be from across the Pond, sometime after 15th August.