Vancover Island

Northern Bound

There was not a single bad day, or even minute, as we rode north alone Chuckanut drive, down into Larrabee State Park, up into Bellingham, then along the water at Birch Bay before crossing the boarder into British Columbia, Canada.

We made up the route as we went, not quite knowing where we would be at the end of the day, but trusting there would be a soft ground somewhere to land. We still hadn’t had a full rest day two weeks into the trip even though the constant hills were burning my thighs. After a night not far from the Canadian side of the boarder, we decided to turn west and ride to the Tsawwassen, BC Ferry terminal to catch a boat to Salt Spring Island in the Gulf Islands off Vancover Island. Due to over 50 wildfires in either Idaho, Washington or Canada, we decided to stick to the theme of ferries, islands, water and hills that worked so brilliantly in Washington State.

Salt Spring Island

I was a little leary of biking on Salt Spring Island because, not unlike the San Juan Islands, Salt Spring is super hilly. Happily, I learned while we were on the Tswwasswn ferry that we would dock at Long Harbor only a few miles from the town of Ganges, our destination for the night.

Even though it was the beginning of a 3-day weekend in Canada, commonly referred to as, “August long weekend,” we were lucky to find a campsite at Garden Faire Campground. We couldn’t find the camp host, so we just picked an empty campsite and set up our tents and spread out all our belongs as if it were home. Not five minutes later, the camp host found us and told us our site had been reserved for the weekend and that we’d have to pick up and move to another smaller site further up the hill.

Without getting too discouraged, we walked up the hill with Tyler, our host, to have a look at our new digs. Then, miraculously, Tyler said, “The people who reserved the spot were supposed to call me yesterday to pay for the site. They never did. Let me call them again to get the payment before I kick you guys out.” Sure enough, they never answered the phone. And just like that, we had a beautiful camp site for two nights. To add to our joy, Garden Faire is walking distance into town on a lovely wooded trail. This would mark our first real rest day. In fact, our only day off the bike on the entire trip.

Pacific Marine Circle

After a great day enjoying good food, a lovely campsite, new biking friends, and a day off the bikes, we got back on a ferry for the 20 minutes ride to Crofton on Vancover Island. From Crofton, we eventually found our way to the Cowichen Valley Trail along Cowichen River to Lake Cowichen.

This was Sunday night of “August Long Weekend.” In addition to the holiday weekend, there was a big annual country-western music festival, headlining Keith Urban, on the north side of the lake. Camp sites had been booked nine months in advance with no hiker/biker sites available. In Washington State, there is a policy to not turn away bikers, not so in Canada. The camp receptionists, two youngsters who barely looked twenty, looked at our pathetic sad faces with contempt, barely making eye contact. “Yea, campsite is full. Sorry we can’t help you.” The message I heard felt more like, “Sucks to be you.” Not one to walk away from a challenge, it was game on.

We stuck around like friendly fireflies buzzing in their faces until a solution was had. Two other bike tourers came along which helped to strengthen our case. At the end of the day, we shared an overflow site that would have otherwise been empty. We had an opportunity to share bike stories and route information while the campsite made some money. A win-win for all of us that happened with a little patience, perseverance and creative thinking.

Road to Port Renfrew

The road to Port Renfrew was my second favorite day of riding (after the route along the Olympic Discovery Tail from Forks to Lake Crescent). This route was on a wide forested road with no center line. It had just the right amount of hills, curves and flats. It passed lakes, waterfall, and rivers and was flanked by tall conifer trees that like a cathedral in the wilderness seemingly lead straight up to a blue cloudless heaven.

After a fifty plus mile day, we cruised into Port Renfrew. Again, we didn’t have a reserved site, but with a little help from our fellow travelers, we managed to find the office and get the last campsite with a picnic table not far from the bay. After a fantastic day of riding, I feel asleep to the sound of waves breaking on the shore.

Port Renfrew to Jordan River

Another amazing day of riding. A few more cars and a logging truck here and there but mostly just riding bliss. After a fifty mile day, we stopped for the night near Jordan River. We found the perfect little place with tents only and called it a day.

At both Pt. Renfrew and Jordan River it was downright cold in the evening. So cold, in fact, that I had to put on both my thermal long underwear and down jacket. I took to my tent around 7:30 the first night and 8:00 the second to heat up. As we got closer to Sooke, the warm temperatures were back and I could put my extra clothes away. When you pack for a trip and it’s 94 degrees out in July, it’s hard to imagine that you would ever need winter clothes in August, but sometimes you do. Glad I was smart enough to throw in that extra layer.

Sooke

The ride into Sooke was definitely on one of the busier routes on our ride on Vancover Island, but we took it in stride. After finding a wide open camp space along a little river, we set up camp. I then promptly followed Dana to the Sooke microbrewery. After a Stout Ale beer and a hamburger the size of my head, I was ready to pass out. Thankfully, I made it back to my tent.

(Note on spelling: Americans spell Vancover like this and Canadians/British spell it like this Vancouver. Both are correct.).

The adventure continues…

See you back here soon for the rest of the story!

Hugs,

Denise