Summer's End

My job at the bike shop was understood to be seasonal, from about April through September. Even though the weather was pleasant and shoulder-season travelers still passed through, business in the shop slowed down drastically after Labor Day. After the shouting incident with my co-worker, I didn't feel inclined to linger much longer. I was even beginning to feel a little homesick for Ferndale. I worked through the last weekend of September, then on Monday I boarded the 9am ferry to Sidney BC, with mixed feelings about leaving the island. I was on my way to ride the Galloping Goose Trail, which had been on my places-to-go list for several years.

I had no luck finding good maps in Friday Harbor, so before I left I used the public library computers to print out some sketchy but functional Google maps and directions from the Sidney ferry terminal to the hostel in Victoria BC. Washington State ferries to Canada depart from Anacortes and Friday Harbor, and don't stop at the other islands on the way, making the trip to Sidney BC in about two hours. One-way fare was about $17 for me and my bicycle. Cars probably need reservations, but I just bought my ticket, showed my passport, and walked on with my bike.

Trail-side art work

There were two other cyclists on the ferry and we got first priority riding off the boat and through the customs lanes in Canada. I rode a few blocks around downtown Sidney, then back to the bike lanes from the ferry terminal, which are clearly marked and easy to follow. From there I hit the Lochside Trail headed south to Victoria BC. I had been confused by some of the tourist maps I picked up, which showed the distance as about 20-25 miles, or 40 kilometers, but estimated the ride time as four or five hours. I ride at a pretty easy sight-seeing pace, but usually finish a 25 mile ride in two or three hours, with time to stop for photos and a snack on the way. So I was worried that there might be awful hill-climbs on the route, but the riding was easy on the paved trail, running partly next to the freeway, mostly through suburban neighborhoods, past some small farms, for a bit more than 22 miles.

Lochside Trail rest-stop near Victoria BC city-limits

Once inside the city it was a little tricky to get on route from the Lochside/Seaside Trail but I found my way along the paved, woodsy commuter route, with only a few somewhat confusing crossings at major streets and highways. The bike route runs through a scenic wetland area by the Selkirk Waterway, with new low trestle bridges and a bike and pedestrian trail between the waterway and new apartment/condo developments. There is a sort of trail interchange where the Lochside, Seaside and Galloping Goose routes connect, with a marker describing Le Grand Sentier - Canada's Great Trail route across the country. According to an article in the August/September issue of Adventure Cycling, the Great Trail is still a work in progress, but includes urban trails, wild footpaths, roadways and waterways, and of course it makes a big jump to Vancouver Island, where it includes the developed trails in the Saanich Peninsula area, and also some wilder trails farther north in the Cowichan Valley.

Entering Chinatown

I arrived with time to spare before the 3pm check-in time at the Ocean Island Hostel, which is located on Pandora Avenue, the edge of the Downtown and Chinatown areas of Victoria. The neighborhood is partly upscale hipster artsy-trendy and partly run-down and poor. The streets smelled of urine in many places, and homeless people sheltered in plazas by City Hall and theater buildings. Ocean Island Hostel is cheap, funky but nice - room rent includes breakfast, an evening cocktail and dinner. The guests were a mix of free-spirited youngsters, and some retiree-couples closer to my age. There is secure bicycle storage, but you have to carry your bike down steep stairs from the lobby to the basement laundry room. I had a small single room, with a bathroom shared with a cluster of three other rooms.

After checking in I had a snack in my room, cleaned up and changed clothes, then went out for a walk to explore the neighborhood. One item on my places-to-visit list was Craigdarroch Castle, which I have wanted to see since childhood visits to Victoria, when we somehow always missed it. I had imagined the castle was a large country estate, built by a wealthy mining or lumber baron, miles and miles outside the city. It turned out to be only a ten or fifteen minute walk from the hostel, in a neighborhood of big, old-money houses. Unfortunately, they were keeping off-season hours and the house was closed when I arrived at 4:30pm, but I did get to walk around and admire the imposing stone house from outside. I wandered around the city until dusk, missing the cocktail and dinner hour at the hostel, but stopped in to a nice, sporty sort of restaurant and had a good-sized margherita pizza.

Craigdarroch Castle

My room was a bit hot, stuffy and noisy that night - I kept the window open to cool down - but I slept well anyway, after a long day of ferry-riding, bicycling and walking. In the morning I joined the line for a continental breakfast in the lobby - free coffee, fruit, boiled eggs and serve-yourself toasted muffins or bread with jam and spreads. I had double helpings of coffee, bananas, eggs and whole-wheat toast with greedy portions of jam and Nutella. Then I lugged my bike up from the basement and went looking for the Galloping Goose.