Having a beer in Ganges Harbor, Saltspring Island, BC, Canada. 


After riding down from Lake Cowhichan to the bay we took the BC Ferry across from Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay. A few miles down the road is Bouchart Gardens, althugh we didn't really have enough time to visit. What really amazed me about this part of BC was the extent of the trails throughout the area. We were looking for the Gallaping Goose Trail aptly named for the trail line that used to ply the area.

BC Touring Vancouver Island

Vesuvius Harbor on SaltSpring Island 


After making the ferry across the channel over to Vancover Island we landed in Crofton, a small paper mill company about halfway between Victoria and Nanaimo. Basically our goal was to find the Trans-Canada Hiway South to Maple Bay so that we could catch the road up to Lake Cowichan. Lake Cowichan is the town and the lake whichever way you look at it is the end of the road or just the begining. It is the end of the road if you are heading west becase the lake and the stepp valley sides make it just about impossible to put any time of decent road on through to the Pacific. The begining of the road would be considered at the point we started on the Trans Canada Trail which is a multi use trail that(with great ambition) is planned to span the east to west length of Canada. It is billed as the longest recreation trail in the world. eh.. We left the terminus of the trail at 9AM and soon we were leaving town and followed the

BC- Touring - Ferry to Gulf Islands

The day before was spent riding around Stanley Park which was absolutly gorgeous. You get about a 270 degree waterfront tour of the city and surrounding areas. This park makes the increasingly crowded city a welcome rest. Also before setting out to the gulf islands we had to stop by The Bike Doctor in Vancouver to fix a broken shift lever . I was absoluty amazed. The didn't have the exact shift lever in stock but hey it onlyt took 30 minutes and cost under US$18 for parts and labor. Thanks Bike Doctor.



The ferry ride was breathtaking when you look out and see a channel full of nothing but islands (the largest being Vancouver Island). We took the larger ferry of the BC Ferries that stop at most of the islands. Some of them are quite small with little development. Salt Spring Island is the largest of them with three ferry ports. We docked in Long Harbor a long and narrow inlet near the main village of Ganges. The town itself is a diverse collection of artisians; from stone masons to weavers, sculpters, as well as cheese and bread makers. Most of these artists and their studios are spread throghout the island but it is easy to obtain a map showing, locations, hours open to the public and their specialty.

The Wisteria Guesthouse is a short walk into the convienent town of Ganges. The treehouse cafe right near the docks is a pleasant place to have lunch and in the evenings they have live music outside. It makes for a real nice evening.

After spending a couple of nights on the island is was time to move on...on to Vancouver island by way of the ferry out of Vesuvius a small port of the west side of the island.

British Columbia - Touring 7/5 - 7-6

The next several days were spent exploring Vancouver by bike. Vancouver can be both overwhelmingly exciting and frustrating in the same day. Many parts of it are tremendously accomodating to bicycles and pedestrians and other parts are just down right dangerous. Some parts of the city are laid out wonderfully for non-motorized vehicles and then some parts are just scary.

Sad to say but in trying to put together a fairly inexpensive vacation we opted for a place to staty somewhat near Chinatown. Woooa...nothing but opiate based addicts who's minds have been fried to the point of no return. I mean within 10 minutes of checking in and looking out the window to the street below I spotted my first hooker/john introduction, all two stories below me.

Gulfspring Island 

Some great points to see by bike were the ride out to UBC after visiting Granville Island. Granville Island has a great but somewhat touristy farmer's market similar to Pikes' market in Seattle. As I later found out the bike trail out to UBC is just the standard Canadian urban bike trail system something that should be and could be copied here in the states. After the somewhat damp ride that morning I stopped by the Vancouver Main Library.

British Columbia - Touring 7/3-7/4

Basically this was a light touring trip on my road bike. I outfitted my bike with a rear rack and panniers and about 15 pounds of gear and set out for British Columbian hostels and inns with a school friend; Dave. After flying to Seattle and spending a night with a friend in the area we boarded an Amtrak train the next day. July 4th. Its not bad actually. You catch the train at the Amtrak station in downtown Seattle near the ballpark and football field. For $29 plus $5 for the bike its a great way to go directly to Vancouver. You dont have to deal with customs until you get to the Vancouver train station.

You just sit back and enjoy the ride...that is .....until we hit a car trying to cut across the train gaurd postings. It was erie....one minite you are cruising along on the outskirts of Vancouver and the next thing you see a car split in two rolling end over end at 20 miles an hour emiting a white steam/smoke. We were delayed about an hour ....but fortunatly I hear the driver survived.

After arriving at the main Vancouver Train Station we got up on our bikes and made it to our lodging in no time at all.