Chemainus

July 25, 2019

We begin the day with what will surely be the best breakfast of the tour. Delicious omelets, potatoes, asparagus, tomatoes, bagels, and an array of five jams. Where else can you choose between lime marmalade and orange vodka jam for your breakfast bagel?

We also enjoyed visiting with our host, hearing of her family history and how she and her husband came to establish a B&B in Lake Cowichan after leaving their former home in northern Alberta. I especially enjoyed her description of a cycling tour down the Pacific Coast she took with her parents and four siblings long ago, when she was still a teenager. It speaks to how strong the cycle touring experience is that forty years later she can still remember in detail biking up Seven Devils Road, a Challenging roller coaster south of Coos Bay we’re well familiar with ourselves.

If you’re fond of excellent breakfasts, you might consider biking out to Lake Cowichan yourselves and staying over at Crown House B&B.

Worth a journey. It’s not often you find orange vodka jam and lime marmalade at the same table.

It’s only a bit over thirty miles (50k, for our Canadian friends) to our night’s destination in Chemainus. After such a complete breakfast especially, that feels a bit short so we add to the day by first biking along the north shore of the lake to the end of the pavement at Youbou. The first few miles are beautiful, on a minor road that passes through a dense forest; but after that we’re on Youbou Road the rest of the way. It’s a bit busier than we like, and the views aren’t as scenic as we’d hoped - most of the time you can’t see the lake for the trees, and there’s almost no public lakeside access. It’s not a ride we’d be likely to repeat.

The Meades Creek Road gave us our best miles of our ride out to Youbou.

I was puzzled by this tree at first. It’s a big leaf maple, but it’s growing so tall and straight that it’s lowest leaves are 150 feet up.

The tree in the center is the maple above. Maples are usually so rangy, but It must grow like this to keep its leaves in the forest canopy.

The GBO has started whimpering that he wants to see Canada before we leave the country, so we give him a look at Cowichan Lake. He’s standing tall, trying to see a whale or harbor seal, so we don’t dash his hopes by pointing out that it’s just a lake.

Back in Lake Cowichan again, we stop at the grocer’s to pick up lunch and then start biking east on the Cowichan Valley Trail, a rail-trail conversion that we’ll follow for the next twenty miles. This is a lovely ride, with a dirt/crushed rock surface that is very similar to the trail between Victoria and Sooke we rode a few days back. The trail extends all the way to the outskirts of Duncan, and is essentially flat the entire way except for one steep but short dip to a stream crossing.

So again, if you happened to find yourself somewhere near Duncan and didn’t care all that much for hills and traffic, you could have a very nice overnighter by biking out to Lake Cowichan, enjoying a meal by the lake and stopping at Crown House B&B to try out their breakfast spread.

Image not found :( — On the Cowichan Valley Trail, biking through a green cathedral.

Video Music Credit: May I suggest, by Susan Werner

You wouldn’t think I’d have to keep being reminded of the same plant, but here we are. What is this thing?

We stopped for lunch at Mayo Lake, where there’s a small picnic area with all the facilities: picnic benches, WC, lakeside view.

Another shot that took a bit of patience. This goose was splashing around in the shallows, preening and pulling out down tufts. Occasionally he’d then submerge himself and aerate his wings.

On the Cowichan Valley Trail, a California Quail. Not native, they were introduced to the island as a game bird over a century ago.

Just west of Duncan we branched off from the Cowichan Valley Trail and are heading north on it’s northern extension for a few more miles. Soon we’ll leave the trail and return to pavement.

We arrived in Chemainus right at 4, and after stopping by the grocery store to cool off with a drink we checked in at our B&B, the Timeless Rose. We hadn’t planned to stay here at first, until the Classens suggested that we should give it a look. We’re glad they steered us this way - Chemainus is a very pretty little community and a pleasant place to stroll through on the way to and from dinner. The town is probably best known for its Chemainus Mural Project, which it claims is the world’s leading community art project and the model for other such projects worldwide.

In Chemainus. Old 1044 was one of the last steam locomotives operating in the province, in use until it retired in 1969.

Chemainus seems a bit gussied up for the tourists, but it does have some pretty old structures.

The Lone Scout. This mural from the Chemainus Mural Project (see link in the narrative) portrays Edward Shiga Yoshida, a Chemainus citizen who started the first all-Japanese scout troop here, the first such in Canada. There were about 300 Japanese citizens in Chemainus until they were all interred in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I love this decrepit old tug in the harbor. I was frustrated trying to get a clear shot of the boat, but you can’t get close enough to it.

Looking across the sound from Kinsmen Beach Park. We stopped here on the way back to our room after dinner to sit and enjoy the ambience.

Not your usual pet, but he sure is cute sniffing his way along the shore. He’s only a few weeks old and about the size of a small dog but he’ll grow to around 600 pounds.

Baby pigs are great, but Rachael is ready to take this miniature Schnauzer home with us. He’d just fit into a pannier I think, and wouldn’t outgrow it.

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Ride stats today: 47 miles, 1,500’; for the tour: 345 miles, 17,400’

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 345 miles (555 km)

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David MathersGreat to see our island from a fresh perspective. We do have a lot to explore and enjoy right in our own backyard. Thanks for adding the music credits to the video...another great one today!
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4 years ago

Janet Anspach-RickeyBeautiful photos!
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4 years ago