Great Trail wk4 d4

Today started with Dutch pannekoek breakfast in West Vancouver and ended with an Indian dinner in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. Another great thing about Canada: the variety of foods.

After breakfast I realized we were almost going to miss the ferry and so we hopped on our bikes and raced along the coast towards Horseshoe Bay. I should have taken more pictures but I was busy navigating the narrow roads and many terms. It is better than any picture can show as the mountains, trees and rock literally come right down into crystal clear ocean water. The lineup of cars and trucks was massive for the ferry, but fortunately on a bike you just walk on after paying. I highly recommend bike travel when you’re taking Ferries.

Admittedly, this is definitely the easiest part of our ride. We visited with one of the other bicyclists as she is headed to the island for a day trip to visit some friends. Quite an impressive day trip both in terms of biking and beauty. Additionally, I was able to look out across the waters and see a place I had once tried to move us. You may not know it. We went and interviewed for a job on the island of Gambier as caretakers for a youth camp. I still wonder if it was a mistake not to take that job, especially seeing again the beauty of this area.

Gloria didn’t waste any time on the ferry as she visited with many people. This is a picture of her new best friend from Scotland visiting her cousin on the island. She had been told by her cousin that on the ferry she had seen dolphins, whales and Shamu. Unfortunately they were all absent today.

On the way down the hill into Horseshoe Bay Gloria’s bike sounded like a horror film. Once we got off the ferry we stopped for our first bike repair. I had to replace brake pads. She had worn them to the metal. Unfortunately, it was not our last equipment failure. A bit further down the road we began having electrical problems. I had to pull into sn A&W to console myself and then try to work on the bike. Sadly, it’s an issue that’s likely unrepairable on the road. Fortunately she’s able to use the throttle and we limped along or should I say she raced along and I crawled along. Nanaimo and the island are beautiful and a completely different setting than anything we’ve been in other than Vancouver. BC continues to deliver.

We ended the day after many miles but only riding a few of them thanks to the ferry. Ladysmith is a pleasant little town overlooking one of the inlets. It has a wonderful Beach with crystal clear water that’s surprisingly warm.