Mayne Island and fin du voyage

26 Sep

Our last stop on the trip was Mayne Island. From there we had planned to also visit Saturna but the weather didn’t cooperate so we just stayed on Mayne where we could quickly find shelter if needed. As it turned out the weather improved for the 2 days there and we were able to explore the island more fully riding and hiking. Mayne is similar to Gabriola and the other small Gulf islands in that they have little economic activity with some parks and otherwise private property. Apparently there are a fair number of Americans that own summer houses on these islands. They come here to escape the heat of the southern USA. The terrain is also similar to the other islands…very hilly.

Probably the wettest we have been was getting to the ferry to go to Mayne Island however we did have rain gear to help us stay dry and it wasn’t too cold.
The first morning on Mayne surprised us with a blue sky, here from a calm Miner’s Bay. We have seen plenty of seals but still no whales.
There were good hiking trails that started close to our B&B. So green and lush.
…and the view out onto Active Pass after the climb. Active pass is a busy place for the ferries that serve these islands.
Georgina Point Heritage Park And Lighthouse. This is a national park area and the lighthouse is still functional, although remotely.
This photo pretty well sums up what riding in the gulf islands looks like; no flat roads. The good thing is that the roads were quiet.
East side of the island at Bennett Bay.
Sun’s so bright, I forgot to wear shades… a great lunch spot with a log to sit on and continue looking for whales.
The Japanese memorial garden on Mayne

From 1900 until 1942 there was a large Japanese community on Mayne, 1/3 of the population, until they were forced to leave for internment camps and their properties were seized. This is a very sad part of our country’s history. This garden was beautiful and well maintained by the island community as a tribute to the contributions made by these hard working immigrants.

Art of one form or another is everywhere on these islands like these driftwood horse sculptures.
..and this beautiful seal, Tara’s favourite.
The ballet of the ferries; four at once getting into or leaving active pass. This was our 10th and final ferry ride on another wet day on the way to Tsawwassen.
The shuttle through the tunnel saved us about 10 kilometers.

The shuttle driver was a grumpy guy who shouldn’t have been doing this job. He didn’t like the size of our bike and tried hard to refuse us service but in the end he did take us. Other than that experience our ride across the city all the way back to Horseshoe Bay was good with clear bicycle lanes or designated roads to follow. It was a pleasant ride and until we reached Marine Drive in West Vancouver we enjoyed relatively flat roads for the first time in 3 weeks.

Getting close now, going over the Lion’s Gate bridge
Could not peddle up the driveway without my stoker; that’s all folks.

Back to mile zero in Horseshoe Bay where Tara’s sister and husband live and where we parked our car during the 3 week cycling vacation. This was our 10th tandem trip, we’ve gone every year successively since 2011 and we plan to continue the tradition as we both thoroughly enjoy the mode of travel. This year was the first not in Europe due to the pandemic but we did enjoy exploring our own country and not having the hassle of transporting the bike by air. There were a few challenges related to the pandemic such as eating in restaurants in a safe way but we managed by cooking when we could or using skip the dishes. Until next year…

One Response to “Mayne Island and fin du voyage”

  1. margofiala's avatar
    margofiala October 6, 2020 at 2:13 pm #

    Love the driftwood sculptures and the memorial garden! What a different trip than usual but beautiful scenery even with the rain. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

Leave a comment