geeteetravels

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.

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.

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.

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…

As you can see below the weather cleared up (more later) and the smoke disappeared so happy cyclists we are. The ride from Gabriola to Saltspring (two ferries) was smooth and uneventful as we detoured off Hwy #1 for most of it and rode through forests and farmland catching views of the sea here and there.

The B&B we booked is a former church renovated into two living spaces. It suited us fine, had a lovely garden, creaky church floorboards and some funky records from the 60/70s era.

We cycled a loop around the south end of the island the first day here and a north loop on the second. There are many, many studios, wineries, and farms of all kinds which invite you in as you buzz along on the country roads but we seldom stop as we can’t be consuming while riding and we don’t have space to carry sculpture or a lot of lovely root veggies on the bike. However we did stop for some goat cheese and ate our lunch at the Saltspring Island Cheese factory which was fun and educational.

Tara’s NICU nursing buddy from long ago lives on Saltspring with her family and a brand new grandchild courtesy of their daughter. We stopped for a great catchup visit and a peek at the new baby.

The north loop the next day had us riding more coastline as well as by the inland St. Mary’s lake. Another good ride to work up an appetite for our 36th anniversary dinner at the Hasting’s House. George booked this awhile ago and it was very good with a great manor house ambience and only ten minutes walk back to the B&B

Now we sit here getting prepped to catch the Mayne island ferry in the rain. The long forecast initial fall storm has arrived so we’re trying to assure our bags are double waterproofed (garbage bags and pannier covers). We expected some rain but of course were hopeful to avoid it. It appears we will be wet to close out this years trip.

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.

We left Comox with some trepidation since when we opened the blinds in the morning it was clearly very wet outside. However nothing was coming down; it was already on the ground so we resigned ourselves to the spray from the road. It could be worse. Visibility was poor but this time it seemed to be mostly fog and not smoke.

We zipped along south on the old highway which was moderately busy but had a decent shoulder for the most part, and found the motel we would stay at for two nights. The manager let me use his hose to wash the road grime off the bike while Tara washed the road grime off our clothes.

We walked to find groceries, about 3km and up hill since we are staying at beach level. You could only see about 100m out to sea with the fog/smoke and no seals/whales to be found. Next door to the motel was a Schnitzel restaurant so schnitzel, red cabbage, and roast potatoes it was (or spaetzel for some) for dinner.

The next day we set a course for Coombs where the goats are still on the roof since when our family was there nearly 25 years ago. Many memories. We then carried on to Englishman River falls with only one minor GPS mishap to befuddle us. The falls were quite spectacular even without the high water levels seen in the spring and one wonders how the salmon go upstream at places like this.

We were disappointed by this smoky development as it is common to see whales (orcas and humpbacks) and dolphins in this area. During the crossing you couldn’t see any land either and you should be able to see all the surrounding islands. In addition to being smoky the temperature dropped significantly as the sun wasn’t visible let alone providing heat.

We found our way to the B&B in Comox, not too far from the ferry terminal. It is situated overlooking an estuary, hence the name Estuary House. You can see and hear geese and ducks often but unfortunately there is also a busy road right in front, so we hear that too. However it is comfortable and has a good breakfast included, the first we’ve had this trip. (another big difference from travel in Europe) We walked into Courtenay the first evening and found a delicious Greek supper. Walking home was a bit uncomfortable along that busy road after dark and no sidewalk.

The next morning we picked 2 local attractions to visit: Nymph Falls where we would hopefully see some salmon running and Seal Bay on the ocean where we hopefully would see seals. The smoke remained fairly thick today but slightly improved from the previous day. However it was still cool out with no sun to warm us, glad we brought along Canadian cycling gear.

We had some trouble finding the falls as we experienced the classsic problem with having 2 GPS units telling us 2 different ways to go. The official Garmin which is operated by the official navigator/stoker in the back kept telling us to turn around while the small unofficial unit in front led us down a forest path complete with roots, large rocks and finally a barricade saying no entry. At that point the captain wisely decided to listen to the official navigator and actually turn around. The official navigator reminded the captain that he had taught her years ago to always trust the terrain and not the map if there is any doubt.

Once we turned around and followed the instructions we easily found the falls we were seeking.

The falls were spectacular but sadly not a salmon to be seen, only dogs.

The next destination was Seal Bay which we found without too much trouble. We had one small mechanical problem but my reliable bike mechanic managed to fix it without much trouble.

Once we got there we had to hike down a forest path to get to the beach, more off roading, however a beautiful place to be.

Sadly we didn’t spot any seals at Seal Bay, but did see several river otters and herons so not a complete loss of a day for wildlife.

We headed back to the B&B after our circle tour of the Comox area. We managed to get home just as it was starting to rain. We had planned to ride into town for dinner but the rain was coming down hard so we opted for pizza delivered via Skip the Dishes, stayed dry and filled our bellies.

We got packed up and left the fine view of Pender Harbour from the hotel right on schedule. We’re usually not so rigorous but we had a ferry to catch 20km up the road at Earl’s Cove and you never know what can happen. As it turned out nothing untoward happened and we arrived 2 hours early.

There was no one in sight at the terminal and we looked around for the office or someone to pay for the crossing. Evenually a few cars started showing up and in chatting with other passengers we discovered this trip was free as they get you coming back the other direction (which we aren’t doing, so score.)

The 40 minute ferry ride went smoothly but the skies were getting smokier all the time. The smoke is coming straight north from the fires raging along the US west coast. By the time we started riding the remaining 27km from Saltery Bay it was quite obvious both with our eyes and noses. We wondered if having Covid masks along mught be a good idea for another reason.

This part of the road was as hilly as we had seen so far but had other positives such as a consistent decent shoulder and less traffic. Once we got to Powell River we located our Air BnB house for the next two nights which was, of course, up another steep hill.

We had a room in a very nice house owned by two retired women who also lived there. We weren’t quite as keen with the arrangement since we did not have a distinct suite with our own entrance, but rather shared spaces with the hosts. Having said that, they were very welcoming and it worked out fine. One regret is they have a super view from their new deck but with the smoke there wasn’t a view to be had.

Dinner at a nearby oceanfront restaurant brought some unexpected adventure. Just as our food arrived on our lovely outdoor patio table the fire alarm went off in the building the restaurant is in. Quickly we were evacuated to wait in the parking lot and see what would come next. With no smoke or flames it became obvious it was some kind of malfunction or a false alarm but we still hade to wait for the PRFD to show up with lights flashing and pickaxes in hand to investigate. So.. while we waited for fresh hot food to arrive the sun did its ball of fire thing into the sea.

The next day we decided to take a riding break and since the sea walk looked great we went for a long walk to explore the town. We also had shopping to do as I (GG) had blown out of a sandal and my MacGyver glue job had expired. Powell River has a Walmart so off we went. $10 sandals now on foot and clip-clopping noise gone we resumed our exploration. One thing we discovered is that the town stretches a lot farther along the coastline than you might expect and we ended up on a 25km hike and the new sandals were broken in quickly. The trail led through a well sign-posted forest containing artifacts of the town history as well as explanations of the flora and fauna. There was also a, ahem, craft brewery/pub at the far end of the walk.

The ride from Sechelt to Pender Harbour was not too taxing or long however we continue to encounter many ups and downs, hardly any flatness in the geography here. We took a few detours off the main highway when we could as it is busy and the shoulder is variable. The detours took us closer to the water where it is more scenic so definitely worth the few extra kilometers.

We stayed in the Pender Harbour Hotel which is right on the highway at the top of a hill overlooking the harbour. The view is stunning and the restaurant in the hotel has a terrace from where you can enjoy the vista, which we did for 2 dinners out of 3. However the downfall of this location is that everything to do here is below you thus involves much climbing either on foot or by bicycle.

The first night here the hotel restaurant was closed so we opted for, believe it or not, a Mexican restaurant. It was decent but very busy as it was one of only 2 restaurants open that day in the area. We are trying to only eat outdoors (so far successfully) to reduce the covid risk. Also in BC there isn’t any masking mandate so most people are not masked, including servers here. The servers at our first stop in Sechelt were masked. It definitely feels uncomfortable at times, hence eating outdoors. I feel like we are in the minority when it comes to masking.

The first morning here we found a place to rent a double kayak to explore the interesting geography here in the harbour. It’s a maze of islands and inlets, easy to get lost if you aren’t paying attention. The area is very protected hence the waters are very calm and kayaking very accessible for novices like us.

In the afternoon we went for a short ride and found a beautiful secluded bay with a beach called Baker Beach. We couldn’t help but compare it to any crowded Italian or French beach we’ve been on, a very different experience indeed. The water was very calm and inviting with chilly but refreshing water on a hot day.

The next morning we instead rented stand up paddleboards to further explore the many inlets. We are getting better at this after purchasing our own inflatable board which we’ve had out in the mountain lakes at home. It was intended to be a toy for our March Maui trip…

In the afternoon we took a short ride over to a Francis Point provincial park where we went on a short hike along an oceanside trail that gives you views of Texada Island and Malaspina Strait, very beautiful. We didn’t manage to see any whales, dolphins or seals though just some ducks and a heron. We finished off the day with another dip in the ocean at Baker Beach and another supper on the hotel terrace enjoying the view at sunset of Pender Harbour.