7 islands. 10 days on the bike. Perhaps 1000km in the saddle.

I tented for free every night aside my rest day in Port Townsend.

I picked up my new bike at MEC in North Vancouver. Took the train to the ferry at Tsawwassen.

First up was Galiano Island. Then over to Pender. And on to Mayne.

BC Ferries Discovery Pass gives a discount on routes not connecting major cities.

I rode excellent dedicated bike trails from Swartz Bay to the terminal in Victoria Harbour. The Black Ball Ferry got me to Port Angeles.

My toughest day was riding P.A. to Port Townsend. There is supposed to be a route, but it’s very confusing.

I took a much enjoyed rest day in P.T. Then caught the short ferry over to Whidbey. The next island is connected by bridge – Fidalgo.

From Antecortes I sailed to Orcas and then San Juan.

The ferry Friday Harbor to Sidney BC departs only once a day in the morning.  Many times ferry schedules determine your days.

Once back to Sidney CANADA, I cycled to Swartz Bay and rode the big ferry back to Tsawwassen.

Some say you cannot ride out of Tsawwassen because bikes are not allowed in the tunnel. Just in case I put my bike on the front of a bus.

A local on that same bus recommended we ride together downtown from the River Rock Casino. That’s not bad. You spend a lot of time on a street called Ontario.

The best hiking was on Orcas. The best riding perhaps Galiano and Whidbey.

I’d love to go back to Orcas too for mountain biking.

It’s easier to carry gear by bike than on your back. But hills are murder. I’ll definitely lighten the load next time.

I’m planning a future short loop from Whidbey to the mainland and back to Port Townsend by road. Perhaps in winter when traffic is lighter. And – of course – I’ve many of the Canadian Gulf Islands yet to explore. 🙂

 

The BC Ferries Experience™ Card is an electronic swipe card that can be loaded with money and used to pay for ferry travel on participating routes.

Participating routes are all but the BIG trips from Vancouver to Vancouver Island.

As is so typical of government programs, the actual benefits are confusing. And not explained well, not even in the FAQs.

But I can confirm fares are significantly reduced using this card island to island. And my bike is free. 🙂

You must put a minimum of C$65 on the card to start. There’s no expiry.

Cumbersome. But you must admit – a unique #hashtag.

I tented 4 nights cycling through the Gulf Islands before finally reaching a hot shower in Port Townsend. Tomorrow I’ll start back towards Canada through the San Juan Islands from Whidbey.

#CycleHikingSanJuans&GulfIslands

First stop on my (long promised) Gulf Island cycling tour was Tsawwassen. (It may be a peninsula. Or isthmus.)

Tsawwassen is a first nations word. Or perhaps Norwegian.

Anyway I’m soaking in the culture.

And eating local cuisine.

The Tsawwassen Beach Neighbourhood Nature Trail has some serious stairs. I did not try running them as they nearly killed this guy.

The view over to the ferry is pretty.

I did cycle the 12th Avenue Dyke Trail in Boundary Bay Regional Park. Did not see any Dykes.

And part of the Great Blue Heron Way. Saw plenty of Herons.

Next I caught the ferry to Galiano Island.

#CycleHikingSanJuans&GulfIslands

Ron and I loaded the bikes. Then cycled over the bridge to Stanley Park.

From there the busy but enjoyable False Creek trails to lunch at Granville Island.

Highly recommended.

Success. For 3 days I’ve been cycle touring near Banff. Camping out of paniers rather than backpack.

I rode 130km Canmore to Calgary today. Five hours in the saddle (with a good tailwind).

I’m hoping to get to the Kettle Valley Rail Trail this summer. Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. And more.

Thanks Kelly and Lexi for hosting me in Canmore. 🙂

Actually that’s Henry’s new Giant Talon. Durable. Seems an excellent bike to me.

Here’s my newly upgraded ride.

Ghost Panamao X 3 Bicycle (Unisex) – CAD$725 (US$582)

I added a rack with 2 MEC WORLD TOUR 30L PANNIERS.

I got that rig tricked out for some summer bike trail touring. Tomorrow I’ll test out my bike / camping system in Canmore, Banff, K Country.

Finally, I put new wheels on my OLD cheap K2 mountain bike.

Truth be told, it would be cheaper to buy a new inexpensive mountain bike every time your old bike breaks down. 🙂

Rio is a city where you can pick up and drop off bright orange bikes all over town. As is often the case, tourists can’t use those without a fairly complicated registration process. 😦

Instead it’s easy to rent for $3 / hour from independent companies.

Arriving first time I found a big chunk of Copacabana fenced off. Some Olympic installation will be put in there, but I’m not sure what. Something to do with Beach Volleyball, I assume.

Weather was lousy most of my tourists days.

Still, it was plenty warm enough to cycle.

Of course I immediately I headed in the direction of the fallen bridge. This was as far as I could go.

This 3.9km bike path opened January 17th at a cost of $44.7. It was built by a company called Concremat.

Fatal Bike Path Collapse Casts Shadow on Rio Games 😦

Now everyone is worried about all the other new Olympic construction. It’s not easy to build roads or bike trails in this rugged geography.

One upside of bad weather is that promenades and trails were much less busy than usual.

When the drizzle lets up, people returned quickly.

There’s plenty to do and see along the beaches. Here’s a glimpse.

I’m not much of a beach bum. But if you like this kind of thing, you’ll love Rio.