spinninwheels

We've found another way to procure seafood, beer and chips if the general store is closed...



We're about halfway across Baynes Sound. The liquor store and Seafood Shop are in our sights. It took about 20 minutes to paddle there.

AdamDZ

I got a big decrease by stating that I drive low mileage and for leisure only, I don't use the car to commute.

Wow, that an amazing story. I'm jealous.

cooker

Is the weather at all unpredictable and is the sound sheltered? I'd hate for you to be unexpectedly caught in a life-threatening storm.

spinninwheels

The Sound is pretty sheltered, and where we are it's only ~2km across. The nasty storms and winds are predominantly south-easters, which blow directly up the Sound.

In the past when I was learning to fly, I developed a very healthy respect for the weather. So I'm very cognizant of this. I haven't been here long enough to study the weather patterns and unpredictability of squalls and such, but when it blows, it usually blows pretty good. If I see any whitecaps, we wouldn't be going across the sound.

The weather on the other side of the island can be a little harsher because it is more exposed to the storm winds.

Roody

Wow, what a beautiful trip to get supplies! And you're still human powered.

I'm glad you're keeping us updated. My sister is coming to BC in a couple weeks, but mostly to Nelson, where she lived for a few years. She said she wants to go to your area also if she has time.

spinninwheels

Thanks Roody. Kayaking around here on sunny calm days are truly glorious. When the winter comes (read: rain), it will be a different story. Hopefully by then, I'll have my darkroom up and running.

Is your sister planning on coming to the Comox Valley area? It's quite different from the southern part of Vancouver Island (culture wise). It can be very hippie-ish, and maybe even somewhat similar to Nelson in that regard.

The Kootenays are very beautiful I might add.

Roody

You say hippie-ish and that describes my sister. So that tells you that she doesn't have real firm plans about where she's going, except definitely Nelson to see old friends. I know she wants to see more of northern Vancouver Island. I was there with her many years ago, but we didn't have time to go very far up the island(s). We both loved the area and fantasized about moving there, but she ended up in northern California and them BC, while I came back to Michigan.

spinninwheels

Well...after much discussion and deliberation, we're no longer car-free. Over thirteen years for me and around ten for CBC of living car-free has come to an end. We're hoping to be car-lite.

Our primary reasons:
1) picking up big items, or hauling stuff that inevitably come up while living on an island.

2) a vehicle that we can use to haul our kayak(s) when we go paddling elsewhere, and also to haul our bikes when we need to get to the ferry terminal (80km) that sails to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay).

3) If we want to get away and go skiing or hiking at Mount Washington, the transit system here in the Comox Valley just doesn't make it easy, to say the least.

crazybikerchick

One nice thing about being on an island though is we can reduce the temptation to drive for short trips by leaving the car off the island unless we are hauling something big home. It is about 25 minute walk home from the ferry terminal or 15 if conditions allow along the rocky beach. Or can leave a bike there if that works out.

Also makes $ sense as it costs about $12 extra to bring the car onto the ferry. Parking at the ferry terminal is free.

spinninwheels

Life definitely keeps you on your toes. Never say never, and at times you might have to be more flexible than you think. With so many years of car-free living between us, we now have two. The horrors, I know. It seems so long ago. We've actually had two for a while, but I digress, that's not what this is about.

Island life has its challenges, just to balance-off that quiet, serene living. Had a break in the wet-coast weather today and did a loop of the island. Seems like months since I had been on the bike. Oh wait, it was. CBC's energy is coming back and we both had a great ride.

Funny how that works. Living in a big city, we rode all the time. Living on Denman, sometimes we have to make time for a ride. Sometimes we take things for granted. It's amazing how the simplicity of a bike ride can bring that all back into focus.

gerv 

That is an interesting observation.

Mostly here we talk about cycling as a means of transportation. And cycling really grew up around the need for city dwellers to get out of Dodge so to speak. Gave them greater mobility in looking for work and let them see the neighbouring countryside.

If you live in a rural community, your needs might be a little different.

spinninwheels

And that's exactly what it was - an observation. An observation of how things can change.

If we would have known that living on an island would have impacted our choice of transportation the way it has - I don't know if we would have moved here. Hindsight of course is 20/20. After living here for 2 1/2 years, one can really weigh the pros and cons. We were car-free for the first 4 months, then car-light for the next 3 months. A change in career, training, and work, unfortunately now dictates that I drive.

Would I have chosen the career change, knowing this? Absolutely. There is a demand for my chosen trade (electrician) on our island. And there is a future for harnessing cleaner sources, be it wind, water or sun. Hopefully, once I'm qualified, I can re-integrate cycling as a form of transportation, though it will have its limitations.

If we were living in a city once again, I could probably cycle to work. But once on the job, I would be either a passenger or driver of the work van/truck.

Riding gives one plenty of time to think. Especially on a quiet, little island. And yesterday, there was a lot of reflection and thought about the choices we have made. I don't think CBC, nor I regret moving here. There are some huge benefits. But some things do come at a cost.

I don't visit this sub-forum as much as I used to. Even though we may long for the days of only owning keys for bike locks, and not cars, doesn't change the fact that we do. This forum has real life experiences of people, who sometimes by choice, fall in and out of this classification. At present we are the latter, but longing for the former.

If life was easy, I'm sure that we would be bored to tears.

Roody

Thanks for coming back with an update. Very interesting!

spinninwheels

CBC's fitness is coming back much better now. Today we rode to town for brunch (~50km roundtrip). Not bad for someone who recently finished chemo and radiation.

ka0use

was gonna suggest a small motorbike of 125cc, but after seeing the slope maybe a 250cc would be better, and a smaller print than a car.

fietsbob

Mileage is short, there are Electric, essentially, Vespas, from EMoto, imported to Kent Wa.