May 2, 2025
May 1, 2025
It’s happening! In a nutshell … Victoria Clipper, Seattle to Victoria. Thirteen miles to Brentwood Bay. Mill Bay Ferry. Another forty miles to Oyster Bay and my lodging.
A beautiful day to start a bike tour with temperatures hovering just above 70º. No sooner had I found a place to sit in the Clipper boarding area when I met a retired couple from Florida who were seasoned travelers, including bicycle touring. I told myself this is the way to start a trip-kindred souls. Sure enough, not long after we departed we spotted a pod of orcas. Just like that, the magic started.
When we arrived in Victoria I had to sort and arrange my gear. Before the ferry ride, my bicycle had to be completely stripped down per Clipper regulations, so I threw everything into a large black plastic bag to be checked. Once I cleared customs (“How are you getting to Alaska via Vancouver Island?”), I pushed my bicycle and carried the bag to the nearest shady spot. Within minutes, “Brian” appeared behind me. He seemed like a fairly squared away dude even though he admitted some bad luck when he said his wife sent him $10,000 as well as other items via FedEx. The package was lost and he was a bit distraught. His wife’s name was Taylor Swift and she wasn’t able to help him once she sent it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to help either. Despite it all, interactions such as one proves my point that people on bicycles are approachable. The bicycle represents such a disarming presence that folks are attracted and do not feel repelled.
Before boarding the Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay ferry, a BC Ferry employee was taking fares from folks, all of whom were using passes. When he approached me I asked him “How much?”
“Where are you from?”
“Seattle.”
“Twenty-seven dollars.”
I laughed so hard my face hurt.
“Unless you voted Democrat. Then it’s seventeen dollars.”
He was quick. I told him I had a Canadian flag in my gear bag and I knew Mark Carey was just elected PM. Then he told me it was $7.80. He asked me where I was going and after I said “Alaska”, I told him I wanted to be in B.C. for as long as possible. He responded, “It’s God’s country.” Amen!
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I got off the ferry at 3:00 pm and had 40 miles in front of me. Those 40 miles consisted of country roads, dotted with egg, flower, and vegetable start stands; lots of dairy farms on rolling hills, and of all things, vineyards. I’m riding in the Cowichan Valley which is in a bit of rain shadow. The agricultural land lies in undulating patterns and mixtures of purpose. I saw hay being cut, small nurseries, llamas!, and everything in between. The small farms and backyard growers were farther along in the growing season than Seattle is. For those of you who know about the Gulf Islands, I crossed the road connecting the Trans Canadian Highway 1 to the ferry to Salt Spring Island, one of my wishlist places to go.
The roads and scenery made it a very quick 40 miles. Also, the traffic was so low for much of the trip that I didn’t think very often about cars. In fact, a good 10% or so of the ride was on gravel trails through the woods. So refreshing.
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 55 miles (89 km)
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