4/1/12 - Vancouver to Victoria

Got up a little before 7 after a night of little rest.  I said my goodbyes to Johnny and Andras and hit the road, promptly taking the first wrong turn of what I am sure will be many and headed 10 blocks in the wrong direction.  Downhill.  Carrie handled quite differently once she was loaded down, with a substantial amount of wobble that made it difficult to ride.  I laughed as the thought of spending 5 weeks in Canada came to mind.  Once I got back on track getting out of Vancouver wasn't all that difficult due to Andras' great directions.  I made it to the bus stop where I would catch a ride to the 11am ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island with plenty of time. 

Andras and I

Not far from the ferry docking port in Swartz Bay I began riding the Galloping Goose Trail all the way to Victoria, about 24 miles.  It was a difficult ride due to a slight headwind (doesn't take much to affect a touring bike), lack of sleep, small hail and being unfamiliar with a fully loaded bike.  Upon arriving in Victoria I asked for directions to Chris and James', whom I also met through warmshowers.org.  Along the way I stopped to watch about 20 minutes of a pretty good high school soccer match. 

Chris and I

When I got to Chris and James' I exchanged pleasantries but quickly let Chris know that I needed a nap.  He must of thought "This guy is planning on riding to San Fran?  Good luck.".  I slept for about 90 minutes and felt much better afterwards.  I walked down the street to pick up some toiletries and when I got back some of their friends had arrived.  We all walked down to the harbour where they showed me around and took in the sunset before heading to a pub.  Chris had done an epic tour about a year ago and had some great stories and advice for me.  I had a really great time getting to know each of them, most of whom were 1st year law students.  My timing was good because they had final exams in about a week and were taking a momentary break from living in the library (where some crazy lady throws away their fridge food!). 

Bike stats:  38 miles (kept resetting the computer so no average, max speed or total saddle time).

Vancouver Island Parliament Building

Vancouver Island

Route from Chris' Tour