Victoria Bike Trip

There was not enough time left in our summer/fall to realize a multi-day bike trip among the BC Gulf Islands.  But since Sarah was gallivanting and living it up with her father in New Mexico for a week, I thought I would try biking to Victoria, BC and back.  Tom was staying in Vancouver for a week, and he very nicely lent me the keys to his apartment in James Bay.

First I had to figure out how to affix a bike rack and rack bag to my cheapo bicycle, which was more fiddly than it should have been.  But I got it together, made sure I had all the right safety equipment, and packed very light but included rain gear.  I needn't have worried - the lower mainland of BC was just finishing the driest September ever recorded, and I biked in T-shirt, shorts and sunshine the whole way.

My hopefully-trusty steed with colour-coordinated baggage.  Add a talking computer and I'm Bicycle Knight Rider.

However, other than a couple of minor biking day trips in Europe this year, I'd done almost no biking for many, many years.  And it looked like the 45+km ride down Vancouver Island's Saanich peninsula would be quite enough without also having to find a somewhat safe route from NE Vancouver to the Tsawassen ferry terminal.  So I cheated a bit and drove to long-term parking at Tsawassen, then rode my bike down the causeway and onto the ferry.

My ass started hurting 1/2 way down the short, flat causeway.  Yikes.  Perhaps a practice ride would have helped.

The ferry ride was excellent, and is less than $18 for bike + rider.  (Over $65 for car + driver.)  I cruised off keenly.  I had not had any luck looking up commuter bike lanes/paths on the internet.  So I headed down West Saanich Road, which is a bit meandering but very picturesque (some parts have bike lanes), and more importantly is not the Pat Bay Highway where you are bound to be run over by a legally blind octogenarian from Oak Bay.

Typical late afternoon view along West Saanich Road in the fall

West Saanich Road isn't that hilly in a car, but I definitely noticed every incline.  I felt like my butt was going to fall off for the first 15 km or so.  But then miraculously I got into a better rhythm and the pedalling felt sustainable.  I pushed it a bit more than I should have, and while I didn't maintain a great pace, I did make it to Tom's apartment just before sunset.  Less than five minutes after dismounting, my quadriceps suddenly felt like they had been run through a cheese grater.  Luckily Tom had ibuprofen.

Leg de-stiffening had two stages: 1) hot shower, ibuprofen and stretching;  2) a 40-minute walk (each way) to Spinnaker's brewpub for liquid analgesics and some leg unwinding.

Feeling like I deserved a reward for my efforts, I sat at the bar for quite a while, eating a hearty dinner, trying many samples and chatting with the bartender Tim and kitchen employee Pierre - who was quite a gardener and had recently built himself an outdoor oven out of reclaimed fire brick.  I also chatted with an older British ex-pat who had been all through Turkey (both hitch-hiking and mountain climbing), as well as many other middle eastern locales, in the 1960s - very interesting.  (I could tell he was British before hearing his accent - he was the only person standing at the bar, though there were plenty of seats available.  Standing & drinking, enhances mingling and sociability, I think.)

Next day: relaxation and running some errands. No biking.

Beacon Hill Park on Oct 1

Looking towards Esquimalt and Sooke from the southern tip of Victoria

Storm clouds rolled over the Olympic Peninsula in about 1 hour - I'm glad we missed those!

Next morning it was time to suit up and return to Vancouver.  But first I stopped at Eric (Sarah's cousin) and Victoria's home aboard his sailboat for morning coffee.  Do you see that Sarah?  Not only do they have a boat, they LIVE on it... obviously we need a boat too.

During my day off, I discovered that Victoria has a bike path that leads from the Galloping Goose trail (close to downtown), all the way to Schwartz Bay ferry terminal!  Lochside Regional Trail largely follows an old railbed (i.e. it's totally flat), and much of it is closed to other vehicle traffic.  Aside from poor signage in places, this trail was unbelievable - very picturesque and easy to ride.  I will definitely take Sarah to Victoria by bike in the future.

Huge pumpkin patch in Central Saanich

I shaved at least 30 minutes off my riding time by using the Lochside trail, even though many kilometres of it are dirt.  Good times.

Back on the ferry

Reflection of me in a ferry window

Maybe it had something to do with the stiff NW breeze, but the outflow of the Fraser River could be seen very clearly as a few-kilometre-wide stretch of muddy grey-green water in the middle of the otherwise dark, clear blue waters of the Strait.

Grey Fraser water with normal blue Strait water on the horizon

I forgot how great biking is.  Aside from my out-of-shape legs (and, for the last hour, aching perineum), it's an amazing way to travel, especially if you can get more than a few inches away from motor vehicle traffic.  I need to do more of it.