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.