June 29, 2019
So Childish
It's well known among kids, and adults too, that you may have a toy (or other asset) that you really are not interested in. But then, when someone else takes a shine to it, suddenly it is much more precious to you.
Well ever since being hit by that truck in Florida, we have professed little interest in cycling in North America. Too many trucks, not enough bike paths, and of course a dearth of castles and bakeries.
So here we were, patiently waiting for our window back into the European Shengen zone to reopen (you can only be in for three months out of six) when those cheeky Portlanders, Scott and Rachel Anderson, returned from Sicily and announced an intention to cycle rings around our local area here on Vancouver Island. Say what? Where would anyone go around here? And Why?
The Anderson's blog told the tale. Here was there plan, set to launch July 16:
Now that big green arrow basically covers our house! Aside from thinking of how we can meet up, our thoughts were also "What do they see in cycling here?"
Ok, so we dragged out a book that had been lent to us by the Paxmans (that had to be, because why would we pop for $28 on a book that was not a "Bikeline" for Germany!
The book showed three dozen simple circuits around a dozen nearby islands that make up the San Juan and Gulf groups. Mostly the routes are short, hilly, and hitting such points of interest as a beach, or general store. Hmm. But then again there is Saltspring Island, the largest of the bunch. A northern and southern loop out of the main town, Ganges, can give you 55 km of touring. Ok, whatever, we decided to give it a try.
Surprisingly for this long weekend in both Canada and US, we were able to find a spot in Ganges. So tomorrow we will leave our driveway and head for the ferry at Crofton, hopping onto Saltspring before the Andersons even get the idea into their heads!
In very general terms, here is the planned circuit. We will track our actual path, including around the island, and try to report on what it was like.
P.S. What about the blog title here? People from this area will recognize "Saltspring Sunrise" as a popular local tomato variety. There is also a local organic food processor using that name. So why would we just brazenly jump on board? Well, nothing else about the ride is particularly unique, so why not?
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