traffic on Lions Gate bridge |
Kat and Duse on the bridge |
looking east from the bridge |
downtown and Stanley Park from Lions Gate bridge |
39.57km (2:40)
Katie and Dusit met me in my garage at 10am. After some redistribution of food, a quick breakfast upstairs, and unsuccessful attempts to pick up White Lightning at the bike shops near me, we were off. I've never been terribly keen on crossing the Lions Gate bridge on a bicycle, and have managed to avoid doing so until the start of our journey. It was not nearly as bad as I had feared, although the millions of dollars that have been spent in upgrades in the past couple of years probably contributed significantly to my security.
|
traffic on Lions Gate bridge |
Kat and Duse on the bridge |
looking east from the bridge |
downtown and Stanley Park from Lions Gate bridge |
Dusit's rat trap did not have hooks at the bottom for his panniers to hook onto, and the panniers had a tendency to bounce off the rack when bumps were encountered. We decided that he would be much better off with a replacement rack so we stopped at a bike shop on Marine Drive in West Vancouver. They didn't have White Lightning either, but they did have some other wax based lubricant, so Kat and I greased our chains and made some last minute adjustments since we had nothing better to do. We still had a bunch of time to kill, so we got some Chinese food down the street before Dusit's bike was done. Unfortunately, being West Vancouver, the only rack they had was an expensive one where the tubing diameter was larger than usual, and getting Greg's Serratus panniers with the locking hooks on and off was a bit of a challenge, but it did beat stopping after every bump to put the panniers back on.
As much as I was dreading it, our original plan was to go straight up Taylor Way because Marine Drive is quite narrow where it winds around the cliffs. But because we didn't want to backtrack, we tried to make our way up to the highway through side streets. We came across the Trans Canada Trail while doing so, which would have been perfect, except that after meandering through residential streets for a while, it led to a path into the woods; unfortunately, the southern half of the province had not seen much rain in months so there was an advisory to stay out of all parks and woods. We ended up taking Marine Drive anyway.
waiting while Katie looks for a fireman in West Vancouver |
relaxing in Horseshoe Bay (with ice cream!) |
Dusit's helmet is actually dripping |
learning to play Munchkins on the ferry to Gibsons |
The ascent from the Langdale ferry terminal up to Upper Gibsons is quite steep, and it took me several rest stops before finally making it all the way up the hill. I also consumed most of my water climbing up that hill, so we stopped at a Subway for refills.
Just past the main drag of Gibsons on the highway was a little park. Managed by the Sunshine Coast Regional District, it had a sheltered area with a picnic table and BBQ grills, an outhouse, a playground, and a fitness trail. It also had an abundance of blackberries and even some huckleberries. As it was getting late, we decided to camp there. Although we didn't see any signs forbidding camping, we thought that it would be best wait for the cover of darkness before putting up the tent. We grazed on berries and the fresh string beans Kat brought in sufficient quantities while playing Munchkins that we ended up not bothering with dinner. By the time we finished our last game, it was pretty much pitch black, so we pitched the tent and went to sleep. I should mention at this point that Dusit decided that blowing up his thermarest and then deflating it the next morning was too much effort, so he just slept on it uninflated.
Whispering Firs Park |
hanging out until dark to pitch our tent |
Dusit making himself sick |
Kat gets good height on swings |
83.88km (4:47)
We ate some oatmeal for breakfast, packed up, and headed south away from the highway because one of our maps showed a road connecting to Roberts Creek. We checked with a local resident on the way who thought that there was a trail down by the water which led to Roberts Creek, so we proceeded downhill to then end of the road where there indeed was a trail. It was somewhat difficult travelling a dirt trail with loaded bikes, but it was managable until we got to the steps. Not wanting to have to drag the heavy bikes back up the trail, Katie went ahead and scouted, reporting that there was a road at the end. We walked our bikes down the steps to the road and discovered about a kilometre later that the road actually ended at a couple of driveways.
The beach appeared to be passable and there was bound to be another access within several kilometres, but with loaded bikes, it was easier to just head the other way and ride our way back up to Upper Gibsons on paved streets. Several turns, switchbacks, and rests later, we once again encountered the highway, approaching on the street where the Tim Hortons was located. That was obviously a sign, so I went in for a 45 pack of timbits. Of course, while in line, I notice that it only cost $1 more for another 20, and my low sugar levels were easily convinced. Well, maybe the last 10 were a bit too much...
Mmmm Timbits! |
Enjoying the oceanside view just south of Sechelt |
18% grade. Wheeeeee! |
The only rain we got on the trip was as we were finally leaving Gibsons (on the highway this time until we found the road that actually went down to Roberts Creek). I don't think that the rain was sufficient to siginicantly affect the flammability of the province, but it was enough to leave the road quite wet.
Being a somewhat urban sort of trip, we didn't go out of our way to acquire any food for the trip before setting out. That necessitated a stop at a grocery store somewhere, and Sechelt was as good a place as any. We also got maps from the tourist information office, and I took the opportunity to use the facilities and wash off the road grime that had accumulated on my legs, arms, and face from the spray off my tires.
A bit past Sechelt, on a road that branches off from highway 101 and follows the water before joining back to the highway at Halfmoon Bay, is Sargeant Bay Provincial Park. There we stopped for lunch which consisted of bread, salami, mozzarella, and sundried tomato hummus.
Leaving the park after lunch we encountered the sole bicycle mishap of the entire trip. While ascending the driveway from the beach back to the road, the chain on Dusit's bike broke. Fortunately for us, Katie was there (well, I suppose none of us would have been there had Kat not instigated the trip) and now I know how to fix a broken bike chain.
Lunch on the beach at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park |
Dusit contemplating by our bikes |
beach |
Kat fixing Dusit's chain |
Dusit and broken chain |
I could feel myself running out of steam somewhere past Secret Cove. Dusit had some idea about alternating between easy and hard days; the first day was pretty short because it was getting late, so that made this day a long day. There was interest in pushing for Earl's Cove, but I reserved the right to play my wussiness card should I succumb to fatigue. I was close to pulling the card out of my sleeve when we stopped at a hotel/convenience store about 25km short of Earl's Cove to fill our water bottles.
The short rest to hydrate our bottles and consume a granola bar or two somehow rejuvenated me sufficiently that it was almost effortless to pedal all the way to Ruby Lake. There was another Sunshine Coast Regional District park on the lake, Dan Bosch Park, and we decided to camp there. Well, we being Kat because unlike the park the previous night, this one was clearly signed to indicate that there was to be no camping. Our fearless leader assured us that people were generally sympathetic towards cyclists and that we wouldn't have any problems.
We set up our tent in a clearing off the trail to the lake, behind some trees (which unfortunately provided inadequate foilage to conceal the tent) and away from the "no camping" sign by the beach. There were three picnic tables there, and we chose the wobbly one on which to cook dinner (well, by the time we figured out that it was wobbly, the stove was already on and it would have taken too much effort to move). For dinner, we had spaghetti with garlic tomato canned turkey sauce.
Kat making dindins |
eating dinner as the sun sets behind the lake |
The whole time we were there, people came and went. Some swam, some read on the beach, some brought kids that swam. After we cleaned up after ourselves, we decided to jump in ourselves. I was hesistant at first, having a natural aversion to water, but finally decided that it was a worthy sacriface to remove the coat of road spray grime from the afternoon when the pavement was still wet.
I think that the park officially closes at 9pm; by then, everyone had left and it was getting dark. We were (or at least I was) ready to retire for the day so we laid out our wet clothing on our bikes (some of us did not plan on swimming and to wear our shorts into the water) and crawled into the tent. As we settled down to sleep, we heard the outhouse door and saw a light being shone around. Someone approached the tent and a voice told us that we were not permitted to camp there, but he would let us stay the one night if we pack up the tent by 7am. We thanked him and went to sleep. This time, Dusit didn't even bother unrolling his thermarest.
50.44km (2:51)
We got up early and had the tent put away by around 7am; I think the sleep was a bit short for some, but I don't seem to need as much sleep as most people. We packed up our panniers and were too lazy too cook breakfast, so we just ate granola bars. There were clouds lit by the early morning sun reflected clearly in the calm lake and we savoured the spectacular sight. As Dusit lay on the beach, it occurred to him that it was quite comfortable and he could just pull out his sleeping bag to take a nap. Kat agreed that it was a good idea, so the two of them went back to sleep; fortunately I had anticipated the need to fill time while they were asleep and brought a book.
I sat on the beach and read for a while, the tranquility only broken occassionally by the engine brakes of a rig on its way to the ferry, until someone came down to the beach. It was evident that he worked for the park because he proceeded to rake the beach. It was actually somebody's job to go down to the beach in the morning and wipe away the footprints of visitors past.
Katie taking a picture of the cool morning sky |
Cool morning sky reflected in Ruby Lake |
Portrait shot of clouds in the sky |
Kat and Duse sleeping on the beach after we packed up the tent early |
Somebody actually gets paid to rake the beach in the morning |
Duse stuffing his sleeping bag while he is still in it |
After their nap, we set out for Earl's Cove to ride the ferry. We arrived in Saltery Bay a bit before noon. That didn't leave us enough time to catch the 12:50pm ferry from Powell River and the one after that was at 5:20pm, so we took our time since we had lots of it. In the four hours we had in Powell River, we loitered in the scenic viewpoint at the south end of town (where I hung out my wet shorts to dry in the sun when nobody was looking), got recommendataions for fish and chips from the tourist information, ate some fish and chips, picked up some food at a Safeway, and ate frozen strawberry bars and peaches while playing Munchkins at Willingdon Beach Park (which was recommended to us by the nice man in at the ferry toll booth as a better place to hang out than the terminal itself).
Dusit outside on the ferry to Saltery Bay |
The first viewpoint past Saltery Bay |
Dusit wiping the sweat off |
Dusit taking a shower in the sprinklers in Powell River |
Playing Munchkins at Willingdon Beach Park in Powell River |
Since we were quite ahead of schedule, we planned to spend a day or two on an island, either Texada or Hornby (and Denman). We decided to go to Hornby because Texada sounded somewhat industrialised, so that meant setting sail for Comox. The sky had completely cleared up by the time we entered Powell River, and the sun shone mightily. Just in time for us to sail into the ominously clouded west.
Duse taking a picture of his hand |
"Well, I'll be a monkey" |
Kat and Duse looking off the port bow |
Kat and Duse on the ferry |
Looking southeast at the interesting cloud front |
Looking northwest at the interesting cloud front |
Arriving in Comox pretty late in the day, we explored camping options in the vicinity. We headed toward a campground shown on our map and ended up in CFB Comox. Just past the airport was Teepee Park Air Force Beach with camping! We cruised through the campground on our bikes, and were disappointed to find that the sites were more suited to longer term residency than we desired; each site had a tap and probably power as well, and the atmosphere was not unlike that of a residential neighbourhood, with kids playing on lawns and toys left in driveways.
Tee Pee Park Air Force Beach |
Teepee Park CFB Comox |
Just before the entrance to the CFB Beach was a fork in the road with a small subtle sign pointing to Kin Beach Park. There was a provincial park right around the curve and may very well have been the campground that was actually marked on our map. We splurged the $18 for the night and they wouldn't even let us pick our site; I wouldn't be surprised if all provincial sites are like this in the future the way the Liberals are privatising everything in this province.
We put up the tent and Kat hung out the hammock she had brought along. We took turns trying it out before sitting down to eat. As Kat ate her bagel, Dusit sat across the picnic table with the most conspicuous grin on his face. While I was swinging on the hammock, Dusit had wandered over to the office and bought himself a creamsicle; apparently the strawberry ice cream bars in Powell River were unsatisfactory for him. His first few bites were taken under the guise of looking under the table for something, but the subtlety disappeared as quickly as the creamsicle. No sooner had Kat and I recovered from the uncontrollable laughter than did some crinkling emerge from Dusit's pants pockets along with a bag of potato chips.
Dusit inspecting Kat's hammock |
Dusit seems to have dropped something. |
Candid blur of Rusty |
After the silliness of dinner, we wandered down to the beach. There was a strange log structure that looked like a Flintstones style boat; it was probably some kid's play house on the beach. We amused ourselves skipping rocks for a while before sitting down on a log, looking out at the water. Dusit was tossing rocks at a baseball cap hanging on a branch that protruded vertically from another log closer to the water, and at first I thought he was just trying to hit it, so we joined in the rock throwing. Hitting it wasn't so hard, but then we realised that he was trying to knock the hat off. And so began an hour or two of agonising attempts at throwing rocks of various sizes at this black cap; eventually Kat managed to score the victorious throw. The sun had already set and it was difficult to see much on our way back to our campsite.
Kat and Duse checking out the strange log structure |
On the beach during sunset |
Grasshopper on the beach |
Somehow, we gave the ominous westerly clouds seen from the ferry a miss, and the sky was completely clear; we took a chance and left the tent fly half off so we could lie in the tent and look at the stars. Fortunately for us, the sky didn't open up and pour water on us. Among the constellations we marvelled at were the great mouse which partially overlapped the house. The one drawback of wearing contacts is that one has to consciously decide when to stop stargazing and remove them to go to sleep. Dusit actually inflated his thermarest for once.
117.08km (5:18)
Half open fly so we could stargaze in bed |
Loaded bikes |
We packed up after some oatmeal breakfast and continued on our way. A food stop was in order for the two nights we planned on spending on Hornby Island. While in front of the Superstore in Courtenay, I tended to some noises emanating from my bike; not only had the sensor for the speedometer come loose, but my rear wheel was not seated straight! I wonder how long I had been riding with the wheel like that?
It was around noon when we arrived at the ferry terminal in Buckley Bay. We were informed prior to buying our tickets that the campgrounds on Hornby Island were all full. We could have crossed over anyway to tour Denman and Hornby Islands for the afternoon, but then would have had to return and find a campsite before sundown so we opted to just continue southward on the highway instead.
Not too far past the ferry terminal the highway ran along the coast, beside a wide stretch of tidal flats, so we stopped there for lunch. Far out in the distance, specks of people can be seen busily harvesting oysters near the water. Closer to the road, high above the tide line, was a decrepit boat. It was lacking its stern, and its bow lay in pieces on the rocky shore. Near the wreck was a dead seal. The fur on its body was completely intact, but the head had decayed down to the skull, with no flesh remaining. The pair formed quite an interesting marine graveyard.
Kat and Dusit having lunch |
Oyster cultivation in the distance |
Bow of the wreck? |
Decrepit wreck in front of decrepit shed |
Snails and a crab |
Dead seal as I first came across it |
Seal from different angle |
The head has decayed down to the bone. |
Kat taking a picture of the seal |
The old Island Highway from Courtenay down to Parksville was a very easy ride compared to the highway on the sunshine coast; there was no significant elevation change, and there was very little traffic. We even sang random tunes as we coasted down the highway (although Dusit really does like his Brad Roberts).
When we stopped to fill our water bottles and Dusit's tires at the Esso in Bowser, the very helpful attendant there told us about a nice park a few kilometres to the south; we didn't stop there though because by then we had already set our eyes on Nanaimo. A very cute little two car VIA train passed by while we were stopped; it didn't even have a separate engine car.
Riding along Qualicum Beach, I heard a rustling in the bushes beside me and turned in time to see a deer jump out onto the road right behind me. Dusit and Katie were ahead of me, and I didn't manage to get their attentions.
There were two bridges in the north end of Parksville that are quite narrow and bikes are supposed to ride on the sidewalk. But the silly sidewalks of the bridges were not very wide either, and with the mirror on the end of my handlebar, I only made it a few metres down the first bridge before my mirror caught the wooden railing. Because the railings were so close together, the bike couldn't actually fall over, but I did receive quite a scrape on my left elbow, and I had to climb down to the riverbank below to retrieve the mirror.
The ride to Nanaimo was otherwise uneventful. Past Parksville, the old Island Highway joined the Inland Island Highway, and we had to ascend a couple of hills while on the freeway. Unlike the first three days of the trip, Dusit was motoring up the hills, and Kat and I could not keep up; he attributed this to a restful sleep which was derived from an inflated thermarest.
When we arrived chez Kat's mom, the only souls home were Spatz and Spot. Apparently Kat's mom had talked about possibly going to Calgary or something, and we weren't sure if she was just out or if she was away, especially since we weren't expected to show up until the weekend. We stashed the bikes in the basement and made ourselves at home. Kat looked in the fridge and there was pie, so we helped ourselves to that. The next order of business was personal hygene, and we took turns in the shower before cooking up some pasta for dinner.
Spatz in the driveway |
Kat and Spatz |
Kat and Spatz |
Our first treat in Nanaimo! |
Kat looking at Spot |
Spatz wants pie too! |
During our ride, we sang some pieces from the Sound of Music, and it came up that Kat hadn't seen it before. So after we cleaned up our mess from dinner, we walked over to the nearby video store to rent it. We settled in the basement and watched the movie with Spatz hanging about. I should mention that I'm allergic to cats, and over the course of the movie, I felt increasingly miserable as my nasal cavities congested and my eyes swelled. But it was all for a worthy cause, and washing out my eyes helped a lot; by the next day, I was completely impervious to feline histamines and I could cuddle Spatz to my heart's content!
Kat's mom returned partway through the movie; she had gone to Qualicum Beach to see a show, and we just missed her when we arrived. We chatted for a bit before she retired to bed and we returned to the movie. We were pretty tired and called it a night after it was over.
Pumpkin in the garden |
Spatz |
Apparently we used up too much energy earlier in the week because we were pretty lethargic once we arrived in Nanaimo. Kat's mom had to go do some work at her school for a few hours and offered us the use of her car during that time. So we dropped her off at school and Kat took us to Westwood Lake where we spent a couple of hours sitting in the shade playing Munchkins, and saying how much fun it would be to make up our own cards. There was some interest in swimming, but after a couple of games, ice cream and munchies seemed more appealing.
Dusit and I taking pictures of each other out the car windows |
Kat driving |
Dusit taking pictures |
We left the park in search of moose tracks. We first went to an ice cream stall near Departure Bay, but they were closed. So we made our way down to the harbour area and partook in moose tracks there. Then we got some fish and chips (salmon and chips actually and fried oysters and chips, but the battered salmon lost most of its salmonness and would definitely have been better left unbattered and undeep fried) from the stand on the docks before we had to return to pick up Kat's mom.
Andre the pirate and Dusit the mermaid |
Katie the pirate and Andre the mermaid |
Fish and chips in the harbour |
The laziness continued in the afternoon with a game of Scrabble in the front yard. The best play of the game was by Dusit. Holding a blank and the letters Y, R, and N with four squares available ending on a triple word score, he made the word "yorn". Most of us would agree with the dictionary that yorn is not a word, but he eventually figured it out after a few rounds of mocking and got the points for "yarn" anyhow because he was hogging all the Rs and Ns.
Spatz and Kat |
Dusit, Kat, Andre in hammock |
Kat's mom make some tasty poached salmon for dinner. After dinner, out came scissors and tape for arts and crafts night. By cropping blank paper and taping them to Kat's playing cards, we each created six new Munchkins cards. There was much anticipation as we were all excited to see what each other had concocted, and to test out our own creations.
We held ourselves in suspense, however, since Mars had just reached its closest approach to the earth in recorded history the previous day and we wanted to go gaze at the sky. Kat's mom came with us and we went off in search of darkness. Not really knowing my way around nor where we were heading, my best guess is that we ended up somewhere near Brannen Lake. In the dark, the area looked like a gravel pit, and I got the sense that it was used by dirt bikers in the day. It was sufficiently dark that the Milky Way was easily visible, but the glow of Nanaimo could still be seen down near the horizon. We spread out our towels and laid back to watch the stars. Kat's mom was quite knowledgable of the stars and showed us with her binoculars things like the coat hanger cluster.
A couple of hours and some shooting stars later, the cool evening finally started to penetrate our clothing so we went home. At last, we got our chance to be cats and pirates and tae kwan doe masters.
Once again, our lethargy got the better of us. Aside from a short walk to return the video, we just lazed around the house creating more Munchkins cards. We even improved on our card design: it was difficult to shuffle the cards with the paper taped on the front, so Kat found another old deck of cards whose height was very close to the height of the Munchkins cards, and we just glued the paper on. They actually shuffled quite well, except that the decks were rather thick especially with our additions.
That was all we did until Matt instigated a drive in the afternoon; his bus from Calgary had arrived at noon and he wanted to go for a swim. We went to a couple of places along a river running through some forestry land that Matt and Katie knew, but there were lots of warnings about fines because of the extreme forest fire danger, so we ended up at Colliery Dam Park. Being a nonswimmer, I occupied myself trying to catch fish while Katie, Matt, and Dusit went off swimming.
Ice skate at your own risk |
Some sort of tent caterpillar? |
We returned early enough so that Matt could pick up his bike from the shop before they closed. That gave us a bit of time before dinner so we taught Matt how to play Munchkins and played a bit. In honour of Matt's return, his mom made his favourite dish, seafood fettuccine, for dinner, followed by moosetracks ice cream for dessert. Yum!
Kat on a swing |
Dusit is the king of the jungle gym hill. |
After dinner, Kat, Dusit, and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood, stopping in a playground to entertain ourselves for a while. Then we went home and played Munchkins. Since it was quite nice out, we decided to sleep outside. Dusit passed on the hammock on account of the side to side motion (which, as we learned in Gibsons, makes him only a bit less unwell than up and down motion), so I slept there while Kat and Dusit slept on the lawn (which Dusit then complained about because of the landmines left by Spot).
Since our arrival in Nanaimo, there was talk of heading down to Victoria for a day. We left it for Saturday so that it was possible for Katie's mom and Matt to join us, but as it turned out, it was just the three of us. Kat had arranged with Kit to meet in front of the the legislature around 10:30, and our arrival was not so untimely.
Kit volunteered at the Royal B.C. Museum, and she got us inside. The one other time that I've been there was when the Leonardo de Vinci exhibit was there. Even with advance tickets (I believe that it was very difficult, if not impossible, to acquire tickets at the door for that show) we had to stand in line for a couple of hours before gaining entry; by the time we finished with that exhibit, my feet were much too tired and it was almost closing time, so we didn't get to see much else. I learned on this visit that the sensors protecting the exhibits are quite sensitive; I had reached in with my arm to take a picture of a (stuffed) cougar but managed to set off the alarm, and in the ensuing panic to inconspicuously remove myself from the scene, all I got was a blurry frame.
Woolly mammoth |
Sea otters are cute! |
Lynx are cute! Meow! |
Some sort of water wheel, of which Dusit wanted a picture |
Kit had to work at 1; before she had to go we went and at lunch at the Mexican place downtown where we ate after the West Coast Trail. We wandered around a bit before heading off to meet Dusit's old manager from Creo.
Old boats |
Kat and Duse in front of the Empress |
A few wrong turns later (Dusit was navigating), we arrived at Bill and Lisa's house in Oak Bay. The house was situated atop a hill and the road leading up to it was rather steep. The front yard crossed several contour lines of a topographic map and shrubs grew around the exposed rock and boulders. The hill plateaued in the backyard where there was a flatter space with a small playground set. The house itself was an character home from around the turn of the century (complete with funky latches on the bathroom door), and the continuing work that they were doing was turning it into quite a showhome. Apparently the basement was built around a large boulder which became part of the room.
Bill's house |
Tim Burton casts children for his films here. |
We drove down to the marina for some dessert with Bill, Lisa, and their daughter whose name I cannot remember. Dusit had said on the drive from Nanaimo that Bill has a very calming effect; neither Kat nor I was affected by the spell, but it seemed as if the mental processes of Dusit were slowed to a crawl, rendering him speechless at times (which, if you knew Dusit, says something). Bill then led us to Anderson Hill Park where we were treated to a spectacular view of the beaches and ocean far below us; we did not linger long though because the wind was quite chilling, especially since we hadn't brought much warm clothing because the weather was so nice.
Thanking them for their hospitality, we relieved Bill and Lisa of their tour guide duties and let them go home. Then we followed them home so we could leave the car in the nearby park and go look for the monument atop a hill (which Dusit remembers being led to on foot on a previous visit). Of course, Dusit couldn't quite remember how to get there, so we went down the hill, circled it, then ascended the other side. Eventually we found our way to the monument (in Walbran Park); from the top of the hill, we were treated to a 360° view of Oak Bay and the city. According to Dusit, the view was even more spectacular at night.
Park near Bill's house |
House with a view |
Kat and Dusit along King George Terrace |
Quest for the monument |
The monument was missing its plaque. |
Sun setting over Gonzalez Bay |
Dusit and Kat in front of monument |
View of McNeil Bay |
View of Oak Bay |
Andre |
The planetarium is a couple of houses from Bill's house. |
We took a much more direct route to the car, then drove off in search of ice cream. Parking just past Chinatown, we played tourists and stopped in some stores (a grocery store even had water caltrope!) on our way to the ice cream shop on Government Street. Wandering around a bit, we found ourselves at city hall where a concert was being set up in the public square. Unfortunately, admission was not cheap, and we hadn't heard of the band so we just sat outside the fencing and enjoyed the music.
Speaker's Corner |
Sitting behind Dusit in the car on the drive back to Nanaimo, I could not really see him, and that was when it struck me how much he sounded like my friend Bert both in his voice and in his speech patterns; if I did not think too much about it, it often felt as if Bert was in the car.
Nobody was home when we returned to Nanaimo, but there was a tasty peach berry crumble sitting on the kitchen counter. We never ended up eating dinner so we helped ourselves to the yumminess that awaited us. We still felt chatty so we arragned ourselves on the floor in the basement for a slumber party and promptly fell asleep.
28.26km (1:29)
Slumber party |
Our mess |
Spatz |
Spatz |
We discovered at breakfast that, not only was there fresh crumble, but there was also a banana cream pie in the fridge. How silly of us not to have looked for it last night! After our final treats from Katie's mom, we packed up our bikes and set off for the ferry.
I've never tried to take a ferry on the Labour Day long weekend before. We bypassed the car lineups and had no trouble getting on the 10:30 sailing, but the passenger decks were extremely crowded. At first, I didn't think that we would even be able to find three seats together, but we circled the ship and somehow fluked out and managed to get a table; we played our final game of Munchkins on our way to Horseshoe Bay. The ride through town was uneventful, and I parted ways at 10th and Cypress and went home.
Kat cresting the hill out of Horseshoe Bay |
View south from crest of hill |
View west from crest of hill |
Total distance travelled |
The total distance travelled: 319.26km.
Go back to some of my other pictures.