Lisa took a group out to the lake to relax after HPTC 2016.
This is the gorgeous Coeur d’Alene resort. 🙂
Category: travel
cycle hiking Gulf & San Juan Islands
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 GOOD reason I bought a 4th bike.
I bought a hybrid bike for touring May 2016. It’s in Calgary. I’ll be doing some Rocky mountain biking in August.
July 2016 I bought a second identical bike to be stored in Parksville, BC at my parent’s place. (I’ll now have a mountain bike and a hybrid in each city.)
I got the second on sale for $550 as it’s now last year’s model. It would have cost me well over $100 to ship a bike Calgary to Parksville. And another $100+ to ship it back. THAT’s the good reason. It’s less expensive for me to own two bikes than to ship one back and forth.
I’ll be cycling a lot both out of Calgary and Parksville on the two bikes.
However … MEC bungled my order for the $550 last-year’s-model. Instead I had to buy this year’s model now $775. AND I needed to accessorize twice. Quite costly.
Ivar’s clam chowder
Washington State Ferries. There’s much to criticize.
But I love getting Ivar’s chowder on every trip. 🙂
BC Ferries Experience™ Card
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.
spotting Orcas
San Juan Island was a long day on the bike. At least 70 miles.
Late in the day, however, I stopped at Lime Kiln State Park where folks were gathered for a fun evening. The park is considered one of the best places in the world to view wild orcas.
I’ve seen many rare animals: Red Panda, Himalayan Bear, 2 Snow Leopards. But I’d somehow managed to miss seeing Orcas on any of my many, many trips around the Pacific N.W. coast. Until now. 🙂
The Blackfish crew was there.
Click PLAY or watch the documentary trailer on YouTube.
Blackfish is a 2013 American documentary. It concerns Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld and the controversy over captive killer whales.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 98% based on 119 reviews.
world’s most spoken languages
Chinese is the most widely used language, but English remains the number of language currently being learned with 1,500 million English learners. French is the second most widely learned language with 82 million learners. Chinese is the third most popularly learned language with 30 million learners.
#CycleHikingSanJuans&GulfIslands
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
Gulf Island #1 – Tsawwassen
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
Rick McCharles 