August 8, 2025
Day 17 — Roberts Creek to Vancouver (home)
So this was it, the last day of the trip. We arose and puttered awkwardly in the hostel kitchen, figuring out how to make coffee with someone else's coffee maker, while making "good morning" noises to the other hostelers assembling their breakfasts. Packing up happened in short order -- we've had a good amount of practice in getting it done after all, and our food bags were now laughably small. We did manage take a tin of sardines along for the whole trip -- probably more miles than they covered in their brief lives. Hope they appreciated it.
We got hearty breakfasts at the Gumboot Cafe, and set off on our cleverly devised secret back route from Roberts Creek to Gibsons, which avoids both the highway and the steep hill into and out of Gibsons, with the added benefit of taking a scenic spin along the shore.
Once again we pulled up at the ferry terminal near the end of vehicle loading, and waltzed right on to the ferry once all the cars were on. We've had great luck in nailing the ferry times on this trip.
Once at Horseshoe Bay we were on familiar ground -- the trip to and from Horseshoe Bay along Marine Drive is one we do occasionally as a pleasure ride. Soon enough we were plugging along up the hill out of Horseshoe Bay, and then along Marine Drive through West Van. It was a lovely day and due to construction, the traffic was very light. It didn't seem long until we were crunching up the Lion's Gate, where we paused for a celebratory photo. Then it was the cruise into Stanley Park, and the swooping descent from Prospect Point, one of my favourite bits to ride.
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Entering into and travelling through Vancouver by bike to our home in East Van really is a showcase for how spectacular, vibrant and bike friendly the city is. After the descent through Stanley Park, we carried on past English Bay, with its crowds of young West End beachgoers, then along the Beach Avenue bike lane to the seawall along False Creek, which takes you past Yaletown and the Quayside Marina, then on towards Science World. It really is a lovely ride. After Science World we cut south a few blocks, then zig zagged our way home, facing our toughest climb of the trip yet, the half block 12 percenter that leads to the alley behind our house.
And just like that we were home. Tsawwassen to East Van in 17 days.
Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 736 km (457 miles)
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