Thank you everyone for your help. This is exactly the sort of input i was hoping for.

Arctos,
its funny you should mention that book... up until very recently my girlfriend worked for D&M. When she first started, (and i realized that i could be getting free books) i of course asked if they had any cycling related publications, but alas the title in question has not been reprinted in quite a while.

Justme,
thanks for the suggestion, my local library has a copy, so i will be able to have a read in the next few days. I intend to leave Victoria on the 19th or 20th, with an overnight stop in Nanaimo, so it is very likely that we will cross paths!

twodeadpoets,
Many thanks for your input and the outsanding effort in creating a map! I expect that my route will very closely follow what you have laid out. I've only just glanced at your website, but it looks to be very inspiring. I look forward to having a chance to read about your adventures in the pacific northwest.