Chemainus to Campbell River (" Half-way ")

We spent the night in Chemainus (where I soaked in the "hot-tub"); and then had a deserved "Pint of suds" and shared a wonderful Reuben Sandwich with the "Sagster"(who had her deserved "Tin and Jonic").Started to send e-mails and working on the blog and unfortunately "GLITCH-CITY" arrived and spent a frustrating time trying to fix it but to no avail. Decided to leave it till the next stop. The following morning we took off for Qualicum Beach which was another approximately 45 mile leg.
A side trip along a small country road (to try and avoid the traffic, which was plentiful) took us to an ocean-side golf course where there was a fabulous restaurant, which served an excellent "Pint of Bitter" and the best "Sticky-toffee" pudding!!. However, the sagster missed the turn-off to the "Fairwinds" golf course (thank goodness for cell phones) and that delayed our lunch, which made everything taste even better especially after the extra miles of rolling hills!!
Got to Qualicum Beach and found a lovely Motel with a Dutch motif; and a nice restaurant attached; a pool for Mo to swim; and a small bar where I could get my suds!! A good breakfast was enjoyed and we then headed out for Courtnay/Comox.
This leg was somewhat tough as there were quite significantly tough and steep rollers plus lots of traffic and many areas of narrow bike shoulder; did have a deer cross in front of me and another behind, very nonchalantly and paying no heed to the plentiful traffic.
Finally got to Courtnay and drove 3 miles to Comox to a FULL town and no accommodations. So back to Courtnay and a small clean motel BUT with no WiFi availability! So, that delayed the communications again. (All this time the weather has been great around 65-70 degrees, partly cloudy and no remarkable winds. The road, however, is a main road communicating these towns, although not the Highway,
it is like our route 1 , but with much more traffic).
Across the road from the motel there was a great "Pub" which made up for the lack of WiFi !!
Following morning we took off on the next leg to Campbell River which was the most pleasant trip so far since the first days' ride. The journey was pleasantly rolling and the last about 10 miles there was a great section right on the coast with terrific views of the ocean, the islands in the estuary, and the snow-capped mountains of the Mainland, some of which were covered with magnificent clouds. We got to C.R. and
found a great harbourside pub "Riptide" to quench both the sagster's and the rider's thirst. Going back tonight for dinner & to try their "Sticky Toffee Pudding"
We now have reached the Half-way point and the next leg may be unscheduled as we may trek further north especially if the weather holds and if the road conditions are as nice as the last session. Will keep you informed if the computer and WiFi behave.
Till we meet again.

CIAO (from the Bikester & the Sagster.)

Victoria to Chemainus Ride

The Northward journey started with a loop ride from Southeast Victoria to the city and back. The ride was incredibly scenic passing along the coast and seeing the mainland USA (Olympic Mountain Range) across the water, and passing through beautifully sculptured lawns of private homes and Golf courses, while riding along the water under avenues of big Maple trees.
We then took off for the Northward journey!! This was a most fascinating experience --
being escorted by two motor cyclists( Mo's wonderful relatives) who took us along the
Highland trail. This was characterized by riding mostly on small TRAFFIC-LESS roads'
through thick forests, along magical bodies of water(lakes,Ocean inlets,) and scenic views from high mountainous viewpoints.
BUT the key to riding these marvelous roads was the number of CLIMBS that I had to scale: These were category "Umteen" on the Tour De France scale of measurement!!
However the beauty was worth the effort!!
After the climb we went across the Malahat Highway, which is the only connection between Victoria and the Northern Island, so the "Sagster' took me in the sag wagon to the ocean-front road to to continue the ride. Continued the journey over rolling terrain again with View-points galore to reach Maple Bay, where we took a "wrong" turning that naturally led us to a most beautiful "Pub!!" The stop allowed me a fine pint of "Bitter" and some victuals to replenish the expended energy and give the Sagster a chance to relax from the stress of keeping me in check.
The final leg landed us in Chemainus (a small coastal town)after approximately 45 miles of riding. Tomorrow we are going to view the many murals for which the town is known, and then head on to the next adventure.

On the Way to Vancouver

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We are off!!(on the road to Vancouver)!
We started out from Inverness, after packing our reliable old "Shakespeare"(our minivan) with my 2 bikes and our camping equipment, and headed out to Highway 101-- with our first stop UP the Pacific coast to Trinidad. Of course, on the way we passed through my favorite ride on the West coast, namely, the Avenue of the Giants!! I had to get on my "mount" and ride the Avenue Northwards (against the wind) which limited my average speed to only 30 miles per hour!! JUST KIDDING!! JUST KIDDING! My "Sagster and Coach" kept a close eye on me as usual. Just a spectacular ride as expected, and added to the mileage I have to make up to complete the 760 K's on the Island. Arrived in Trinidad at a delightful B & B overlooking Trinidad Bay where we spent the night.
Then we drove up the coast (route 1) to Gold Beach and then Florence (bringing back memories of my prior rides DOWN the coast in 2009. Now we are inland in Washington
(Olympia) and head to Vancouver, probably tomorrow, to spend some time there and then to the Island to ride the coastal route.
Until the next episode,
CIAO !!

The "Mo and Joe " ride begins.

Here we go again on to Vancouver Island to ride a total of 760 Kilometers(K's)
If you received the brochure you will notice that the total mileage on the island is less than the 760K's!! -- so -- I will be doing the "extra" mileage on the way up to Vancouver starting with the first leg going to Tomales from Inverness. The scenery on the way there will have to compare with that on Vancouver Island as you can see on the accompanying snapshots. The Island ride, as outlined, will cover 592 K's(370 miles) and the rest will be in California and Oregon some of which we have ridden before.
The first ride as I mentioned will be 44K's (27miles) and the next ride will probably be in Oregon -- will keep you posted.