Touring - touring Vancouver Island, BC

In Sept 05 a friend and I did a ride to the north end of Vancouver Island. From there we caught the ferry back to Vancouver. Just thought I would share it everyone. This was my first tour on a bike and I must say that I'm hooked. You can check out pics and details here

http://members.shaw.ca/vlcd/index.html

Vinnie

A bit wet, eh?

I can see why you're hooked. I tend to re-live every day of a tour except the last one -- no matter how perfect the last day was, remembering "it's over" always feels like a letdown.

Great photos!

-- Mark

Quite a testimony that you have all that rain and still become hooked on touring! Thanks for sharing.

Oh, man. Nice pictures. My wife and I took our honeymoon on Vancouver Island (Sooke). What a great place.

Vancouver Is is one of the gems of touring
I drove there in '03 with a trailer , bikes and dog
I did a lot of riding but only day rides because of the dog but we had great fun anyway.
I would get up early feed and walk him then take off for a few hours of riding
The scenery is unworldly, and there is so much of it
When we got to Tofino, I let him run on the beach and he had never seen the ocean nor waves before, He ran into the water barked at the waves and tried to bite them.He turned around one time and a large one came in and tossed him around and deposited him on the beach,he jumped up and ran back into th waves, after maybe 30 minutes I treid to get him out but I finally had to shed my shoes and sox and go inafter him, he didn't want to come out. He barfed up a pint of water or so, I gave him a warm bath and he slept for hours.... But the water was VERY COLD

The island would be a great place to live

Very nice trip indeed! Maybe think about a tour from Vancouver to Banff, or the Oregon Coast to the Redwood forests of Northern California next!! Great photos, love the ferry ride too, what a nice day.

What do you mean -North end?
I'm trying to do a run opposite -to the north end. Cape Scott.
Google that.
F-harsh.
Mtb.

Very nice trip indeed! Maybe think about a tour from Vancouver to Banff, or the Oregon Coast to the Redwood forests of Northern California next!! Great photos, love the ferry ride too, what a nice day.
Carmana valley on the westcoast trail\Vancouver Island has protected first growth. Big trees!...sub-tropical rainforest.
A bit wet

Carmana valley on the westcoast trail\Vancouver Island has protected first growth. Big trees!...sub-tropical rainforest.
A bit wet
Sweet, road or mountain bike? *running for my maps*
:)

What do you mean -North end?
I'm trying to do a run opposite -to the north end. Cape Scott.
Google that.
F-harsh.
Mtb.

For the bike I was riding the road (paved) ends in Port Hardy.

Very nice trip indeed! Maybe think about a tour from Vancouver to Banff, or the Oregon Coast to the Redwood forests of Northern California next!! Great photos, love the ferry ride too, what a nice day.

The Oregon Coast is on the lists. It may be by car as my wife doesn't ride and I'd hate for her to miss it. Also thinking of combining the Washington Peninsula with Oregon Coast.

Vince

Quite a testimony that you have all that rain and still become hooked on touring! Thanks for sharing.

We were very lucky. The picture of the rain in Port Hardy was as we sat under a awning at a coffee shop at lunch. I haven't seen rain like that since Winnipeg in July. The only other rain we had was between Sayward and Woss.

Vince

Thanks for the pictures and text. Very nice to see.

In the next few years B.C. is going to become the premier touring place in No America
A story in the NY TImes 2 weeks ago told of the combined efforts of the conservation folks and logging industry to put an area the size of New Jersey off limits to logging except as agreed to by both interests
the interesting feature is that the logging folks up there recognize the value of tourism.

I am deeply, deeply sceptical about anything that the Liberal government does in BC. They have already sold off the northern half of the province at bargain basement prices to the timber interests. What's more, they are killing off the locally-owned mills in favor of the Canfors and the Weyerhausers. As for Vancouver Island, I believe it when I see it. But check the fine print - - very closely. The major forest products corporations refer to their <u>leases</u> as "our forests" - suggesting that the public and the provincial government are merely nuisances to be shooed away.

In the next few years B.C. is going to become the premier touring place in No America


Shhhhhhhhhhhh don't tell anyone about the Island. Say it rains alot and it's not very scenic or they might want to build a bridge from the mainland.;) ;)

I don't know where you folks get the idea that living on Vancouver Island is like living in Paradise,but you are wrong.For instence today the traffic was so heavy on the highway that I had to wait two,yes two lights to get through the intersection so many people are moving over here that traffic is horendous. Sunny,mid thirties,low fourties flowers blooming in the garden,great ride,ahhhh! life is good.

For the bike I was riding the road (paved) ends in Port Hardy.
Ya, I know.
I'm full of it, no way I'm riding all the way up-island.
We'll drive to Port Hardy and mtb to the cape.
Hopefully, i'm still trying to round up a group.

I won't mention Vancouver Is in the future as being nearly perfect

Plus I'll keep the real "keeper" place thats even better than V.I to myself

You can't be serious,there is someplace better than Vancouver Island,surely you jest!

Sweet, road or mountain bike? *running for my maps*
:)

Google 'West Coast trail.' It's a hike, maybe mtb? I've not done it yet.

Google 'West Coast trail.' It's a hike, maybe mtb? I've not done it yet.

The West Coast Trail is hike only I believe and you need a reservation. Just too many people from all over the world want to see the beauty and not enough trail.

You can't be serious,there is someplace better than Vancouver Island,surely you jest!

Don't tell them that the daffodills and cherry blossoms are blooming ;)

Don't tell them that the daffodills and cherry blossoms are blooming ;)

But there will be no fruit..the bees are still sleeping.
The Oriental plum are in full bloom in Vic.
Very pretty, and it's cold!
I hope it snows, to get to take photo's of the pink blossoms with snow on them would be really cool.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh don't tell anyone about the Island. Say it rains alot and it's not very scenic or they might want to build a bridge from the mainland.;) ;)

YAY!!! You can all become a suburb of Vancouver. Super!

Anybody interested in using a mtb on the West Coast Trail might want to google "west coast trail ladders" and take a look at the first site and at some of the photos first.You might just change your mind.