Our home island - Vancouver Island - is a 460 x 100 km north-south oriented chunk of land sitting in the Pacific Ocean just offshore of the main bulk of North America. Vancouver Island itself is remarkable, but the area also features an archipelago comprising at least a dozen main islands, in the southern inshore waters between Vancouver Island and the main land.

The Archipelago is partly in the U.S., and has four main islands, the biggest of which is San Juan Island. The U.S. islands are known as the San Juans.

In Canada, there are five islands near the southern tip of Vancouver Island. These are Salt Spring Island (the biggest and most populated), Galiano, Mayne, Saturna, and Pender. We call these the Gulf islands, or southern Gulf Islands.  The "Gulf" in question is the "Gulf of Georgia", but this name is no longer used. Rather the whole of the inshore Canadian waters are the "Salish Sea", named for the Salish indigenous people of the region. Somewhat perversely, the islands remain known as the "Gulf" islands, rather than the "Salish" islands.

The Gulf Islands have long been known as the refuge of artists, musicians, back to the landers, and any other miscellaneous people who relish or can cope with relative isolation. Isolation in this case comes from both the heavily wooded and hilly nature of the islands, but also from the relatively infrequent ferry service - to other islands or to the sophisticated cities of Victoria and Vancouver. In terms of exciting destinations and sights, the islands seemingly offer zero in terms of great bakeries or cathedrals or museums.  But there must be a good reason for going out there. Otherwise, how could there be this nice book, lent to us by the Paxman's?

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Let's look in the book to see what the islands are said to offer cyclists. Aha, it says here we can expect "craggy shorelines, protective bays, rising headlands, and interior heights and valleys". Ok, great!  And look, here in the entry for Mayne Island it says there is a jail converted into a museum, a coffee shop, and even the St. Mary Magdalene Church. Now that's kind of more up our alley.

But generally it seems cyclists who venture into the Salish Sea, especially in this season,  must  be looking for a challenge. Are we looking for a challenge? Guess so!