The ride from Qualicum to Nanaimo was not as pleasant as other rides as we had to be on the main divided highway for quite awhile and people drive much faster than the 90km/hr limit, there were many large trucks and the shoulder wasn’t that generous. The side roads were much quieter and scenic however it was hillier there, guess you can’t have everything. We also had our first flat of the trip. We always seem to have flats on the back unfortunately which involves unloading all baggage as well. Luckily we travel with a handy bike mechanic guy.
We spent just one night in Nanaimo so that we could visit our friends Anne and Robert on Protection Island. We were able to leave our bike and bags at the hotel (tall building just behind George) while we visited them. Protection Island is a small island a 10 minute boat ride from the Nanaimo harbor and is part of the city of Nanaimo. It used to be a coal mining site and later was transformed into a small island community with permanent residents and people with summer homes. The main mode of transportation on the island is by golf cart.
After a lovely visit, lunch and a walk around the island we were personally escorted back to Nanaimo by Robert and Anne. Once back we retrieved our bike and bags and went to catch the Gabriola ferry just a short distance away. It was a bit drippy just as we arrived back in Nanaimo and getting on the ferry but it didn’t last long. It has been difficult to determine if the sky is cloudy or smoky so the rain can be surprising.
We spent the day we had on Gabriola riding completely around the island and seeing the sights. We started with the market where we found plenty of arts/crafts and fresh local produce. There are many small farms on the island that produce fruit, vegetables, flowers, meats and eggs. There were also a few fishermen selling fresh salmon at the market. Unfortunately we don’t often have a kitchen in our accomodations to try cooking some of the fresh foods.
While on our tour of Gabriola we stopped by the only bike shop to buy a spare tube to replace the one which gave us the flat on the ride down from Qualicum. There was a “by appt only” sign out but the proprietor came out to greet us with a smile and talking about ‘two unicorns’. He doesn’t see many tandems and ours was the second that week which was as rare as unicorns apparently. He is mostly into selling and servicing ebikes on island and doing well at it as witnessed by the fair number we had seen. Anyway we got our spare tube and away we went. By the way he has an ‘el presidente’ sign above his office that his wife presented him with.
Our B&B host Nancy encouraged us to ride to Berry point to see seals and maybe whales. We managed to see seals but no whales yet. However the smoke was clearing, you can see the ferry in the background. We even had sunny skies for part of the day, the first in a week.
Most of the day on Gabriola was pleasant with clouds and sun but we did get rained on once for about 10 minutes. So far during this trip we haven’t been hampered too much by rain which is lucky considering we are in a rain forest.
geeteetravels 
It looks like a great way to see Canada. Great photos!
My friend, Cecile, is going to spend the winter on Protection Island! What are your friends’ last name? Cecile & I are driving out together in October but taking the northern route through Edmonton. I will be in Victoria at Nick’s cousin’s house in Oak Bay. She has a small basement suite.
Our friends names are Anne and Robert Burn. They are ex Calgarians that moved out there a few years ago.