A Celebration of Goodbye

Today I accomplished one of the main reasons for this tour. I rode to the top of Mt. Constitution and set free the small amount of my Mother's ashes that I have been carrying with me for the last 17 days.

The ride to the top was not too bad. I knew the road was steep and I wasn't carrying anything except my handlebar bag. I listened to music on the way up to help with the rhythm of riding.

At the top, I went around to the outside of the wall and sat down out on the edge. I was then able to set my mother free without her just landing on the rocks. I have to say, she floated away in the air as if she knew she was free to go.

Not to get too...weird, but it has been kind of cool having my mom with me on this tour. On occasion I would think maybe she was enjoying the ride! It's certainly not something she would have ever done when she was alive (well, maybe she would have if all she had to do was ride on the back of my bike like she did for this tour!).

When I got back to my campsite in Moran State Park, I fixed myself one of the better dinners I have made on this trip. For a "starter", I had some panatini toast with avocado and tomato. I cooked up some pasta, then sautéed some zucchini and carrots with garlic and Italian seasoning. While the vegetables were cooking, I sliced up the remainder of a Demi-baguette, buttered it, sprinkled it with some Parmesan, and toasted it in the frying pan with the vegetables. When the veggies were done, I dumped them over the pasta and added some cut up Provolone cheese. It was delicious! For dessert I had a little chocolate custard pie I bought in Eastsound today. Geez, I don't cook this good when I'm at home with a full compliment kitchen! Anyway, it was a great meal to cap off a Goodbye Celebration day.

Here is one photo of me at the top of Mt. Constitution.

Less Than Six Degrees of Separation...

Or...How a Box of Tomatoes Leads to My Cousins

It's funny how the title of a blog post often comes from something that happens at the end of the day. So, as usual, I'll start at the beginning and work my way to the box of tomatoes.

After stopping to post the last blog, I left the overly high priced campground of Lakedale to head to a much nicer and also much cheaper campsite at San Juan County Park. My plan was to visit the places along the way, get to the park, set up my site, and go check out the rest of the island. Well, most of that happened.

My first destination was Roche Harbor. This was another place I had been to when I was a kid. In 35 years the place has changed quite a bit. I guess not so much changed, as grown. Where it used to be just the Hotel de Haro, a restaurant, store, and the pool, there are now lots of condos and townhouses. The old stuff is all still there (even the pool), there is just a bunch of other stuff.

I restocked my produce at the store and perused the artisan booths (there was a candy place specializing in various types of licorice--there was also chocolates and other sweets--I bought a few...) before I made my way back up the hill. A gentleman I passed going up the hill said, "Don't you wish there was a tow-rope?". I said I wanted to know where the elevator was!

Before I left Roche Harbor altogether, I stopped at the Sculpture Park. It reminded me of the Monarch Sculpture Garden at home except it was in better shape.

The next stop was at English Camp. This was a camp occupied by the British during a dispute regarding a pig and who really owned the San Juan Islands--the Americans or the British. Of course, it was eventually decided that it belonged to the Americans. There are a few structures still standing, and it is on a nice little bay. It is run by the National Park Service. As an aside, there is also American Camp. It is on the southern end of the island. I've seen it from Shark Reef on Lopez Island.

Returning to the main road, my next stop was the park. San Juan County Park sits near the water looking directly West. It has a Hiker/Biker site that costs $10. It has flush toilets and water close by. The H/B sites have the best view of the water. In short, a much better deal than last night's accommodations (even though there is no shower here).

I arrived at about 12:30. Remember, my plan was to set up my camp and continue riding around the island. I set up my camp and...decided to stay put. Afterall, I will ride the rest of the way around the island tomorrow on my way back to the ferry.

I spent a leisurely afternoon looking out across the water watching for whales (didn't see any). I even spent a couple hours in my house (okay...my tent) reading my book and looking out the window (fine...the tent door) at the beautiful view. I even watched the inside of my eyelids for awhile (took a nap). All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon. Oh, and a couple I had met while in line for the ferry yesterday (Patty and Gary from Florida) also stopped here on their tour around the island. So I talked to them again.

After my nap I went up to the lovely flush toilets to, well, you know. At the sink (yes, a sink with running water AND paper towels!!!), there was a box of tomatoes that said, "Free, Organic, Eastern Oregon Homegrown". There were about half a dozen tomatoes. I took two.

I cooked my dinner and then watched a beautiful sunset before doing my dishes. Like I said, the park faces directly West, so that makes for some spectacular sunsets and tonight's did not disappoint!

Later, when I was in the restroom doing my dinner dishes, a gal came in to dump some dish water. She commented on how nice it was for someone to leave the tomatoes. She wondered who it was. I said it was someone from Eastern Oregon. She said she was from Central Oregon. I asked where. She said Bend. I told her I have a cousin in Bend named Pat Brown. Here's the weird part. She said, "Oh, I know the Browns. I went to school with Vince. I grew up in The Dalles. I knew Jeannie and Erin too." Her name is Carrie French (French is her maiden name). I told her they are my cousins. She said she would message Vince on Facebook right away that she met me! Such a small world!!!

So there you have it! A wonderful day topped off with a chance meeting!

Here's some photos from the day. Arrrggggg! I wish I knew why this app mixes up the photos! I'm sure you can figure out the correct order.

$32 and the Showers Aren't Even Free!

Just a quick post here. I made to San Juan Island. I met a really nice gal on the ferry named Cassie. We chatted the whole time and before I knew it, they were announcing Friday Harbor.

Customs was quick. The guy didn't even ask me if I had any food (I ate those two avocados and two tomatoes last night for nothing)!

As the sun was setting, I made my way to the nearest campground which is Lakeside Resort. It was 4.8 miles from the ferry. By the time I got here, it was nearly dark. I should have guessed it would be pretty expensive when the guy in the lobby of the lodge asks me to have a seat at his desk. He asked if I wanted one of the Hiker/Biker sites. Of course I said yes (hello...on a bike here!). Then he said it would be $32 ($35+ with tax)! $32 for a Hiker/Biker site??? I shudder to think what the other sites cost! I asked him about showers. He said they are token operated and one token for 5 minutes is $2. Seriously??? $32 and the showers aren't even free? Unbelievable!!! So, what do I get for my money? Well, I get a site that is so far from the showers and one and only restroom building with running water and flush toilets that I have to ride my bike there (there are some lovely sani-cans aways down the road)! I get a site that barely has room for my small tent, and the space there is, is not very flat. I can't find anywhere on the map that indicates there is a water faucet other than the restroom building...that I have to ride to! So, basically, for $32 I don't get squat! Unfortunately, I didn't have much choice as it would have been too dark to make it to the County Park. But, you can bet I will go there tomorrow night! I believe it costs $10. There are no showers, but that's okay because I took my $2 five-minute shower tonight!

A Ride to Afternoon Tea...Not!

Except I don't much care for tea and, besides, I wasn't dressed for it.

Today is my last day in Canada. I leave late this afternoon on the ferry to San Juan Island.

Since I didn't need to be to the ferry terminal until 5:00, I decided to ride the Lochside Trail to Victoria and back. I got up early and packed everything up to be on the road by about 8:00. It was just 20 miles to Victoria, so I had plenty of time.

The Lochside Trail is a mix of paved trail, road, and quite a bit of packed gravel trail. It was all pretty well marked except for this one intersection where the trail went off at a diagonal. I couldn't see the trail due to the traffic and the signage was very poor. I was going along the road wondering what happened to the trail. I was actually on the sidewalk (there was no bike lane). As I rode along slowly, a bus pulled up at the bus stop. There was someone getting on so I slowed down even more. Then I noticed there was someone getting off out the rear door. I stopped with my left foot down on the ground and my right foot still in the pedal. Of course, Betsy decided to go to the right. Down I went (well, part way anyway). Arrrrggggg!!! Scraped my calf on the chainring, but no big deal. It just adds to all the other various bruises on my legs.

Anyway, I stopped at a small shopping area and asked where the Lochside Trail was. I picked up the trail at the next intersection (there I could see where I had missed it). I continued on into Victoria where, at one point, the trail becomes the Galloping Goose Trail (I saw not one single galloping goose!).

I came across a bridge and was in the part of Victoria everyone knows--the Parliament Building, BC Museum, and The Empress Hotel. I thought of going to the museum, but it costs $21 to get in. I remember when I was a kid it was free! I just rode around and took pictures.

I decided to head back to Sidney and stop at a Subway I had seen along the way. I know I said I wasn't going to eat at anymore Canadian Subways, but I didn't have any lunch stuff left and it was conveniently located along the Lochside Trail.

Now I'm back in Sidney at a "Serious Coffee" shop that has free wifi. I have managed to spend the last of my Canadian currency. I'll post this and head down to the water to enjoy the view.

This will suffice for today's post as I will be arriving late into Friday Harbor. I am, most of all, hoping for a shower at the Lakedale Campground. Keep your fingers crossed because I REALLY need a shower!!!

Nice Doing Business With You, Fred!

Today was my last BC Ferries ride. It was Galiano Island to Swartz Bay (with a stop on Mayne Island, but this time not a transfer). Oddly, going back to the big island (Vancouver), there is no fare. If I had gone to Salt Spring Island and then to Swartz Bay from Salt Spring, I would have had to pay for the ride to Salt Spring. I also over-estimated how much all my BC Ferry rides was going to cost when I got the BC Ferries Card. When I calculated it, I had planned to come up a little short so I wouldn't have any money left on the card. Instead, I still had $22 on it!

While I was waiting on Galiano for the ferry, a guy was also waiting with a road bike. He was also going to Swartz Bay. I asked him if it was possible to use the BC Ferries card on the boat for stuff like food. He said he didn't think so. I thought to myself, crap, I'm going to be stuck with $22 I can't use! The guy said he thought the cards were best to use with a car--that there wasn't any savings going by bike. I told him there was a savings, and the bike goes free. Then he said he should get a card for the way back. I told him the minimum you can load on the card for taking the ferry with a bike is $55. He didn't seem to be all that worried about it.

We got on the ferry and went our separate ways (kind of hard because it was one of the smaller ferries). I had taken my Kindle in with me and just as I sat down to read, I had this idea. I would ask the guy if he would like to buy my BC Ferries card for $20. So then I went to find him. I went to both levels and couldn't find him. It was strange because it really was a small boat! Finally I found him sitting on the middle deck. I went up to him and told him I had a proposition for him. He agreed and gave me $20! Woo Hoo! Much nicer to lose $2 rather than $22!

As we were riding up from the ferry dock into Swartz Bay I asked him his name. It was Fred. I said, "Nice doing business with you, Fred!".

From the ferry I got on the Lochside Trail with a couple of other riders. It was strangely confusing trying to find the park. I actually rode right past it the first time. In all fairness to my stupid self, I was expecting the usual blue Provincial Park sign. Instead it was a different sign with the park name written in smaller letters below a bunch of other crap (oh, and everything also in French). I finally made it into the park. McDonald Provincial Park would not rank high on my list of places to stay. In addition to there being no showers and just pit toilets (at least I'm far enough away from them that the smell is not wafting over my campsite), the highway is very close so the traffic sounds are pretty loud. Maybe I'll just try to pretend its the ocean.

Once I got my campsite set up, I decided to ride into Sidney to double-check about the time I would need to be at the ferry tomorrow to go through customs. The gentleman said 5:30 would be early enough. I'll probably plan to be there at 5:00 just to make sure.

I rode around the touristy part of Sidney and stopped at Subway for some cookies (I can now check a Vancouver Island Subway off the list). I didn't want to get dinner because I need to eat up the produce I have because I'm sure I can't take it through customs tomorrow.

From Subway I rode back to the park on the Lochside Trail. Tomorrow I will take this trail to Victoria and back to Sidney in time to catch the ferry to San Juan Island. Yes, tomorrow is the end of the Canadian portion of my tour.

I've really enjoyed the Canadian Gulf Island hopping, the Sunshine Coast, Port Alberni, and Pacific Rim National Park.

I'm looking forward to the San Juans and getting back into the US where I don't have to worry about getting cash, and I can use my phone.

I didn't take too many photos today, but here's a few. The "Mayne Queen" was my last BC Ferries vessel. The first photo is coming into Swartz Bay. The last is Mt. Baker from the pier in Sidney.

Tommy Transit and the Pub Bus

We all know there is no texting while driving or talking on a cell phone, BUT no one ever said you can't play percussion instruments while driving!

As usual, let's back up to where I left off in the previous post. I left the bakery and headed to Montague Marine Provincial Park. I was going to stop somewhere along the way and fix a little lunch (and eat the pie I bought at the bakery), but I ended up just riding to the park. As I was going up a hill I saw an local islander on his bike. He asked where I was going. I told him I was going to the park. He told me the best way to go (well, the way that had one long hill instead of several short steep hills--the long hill option is generally better than leg-killing short steep hills). It was a total of about 8 km from the ferry to the park. Counting the miles from Welcome Bay to the Pender ferry, I rode all of 9.6 miles today. Over the last three days I have ridden a total of 58 miles. This island hopping is going to make me soft! But, I digress...

I arrived at Montague and looked at the board at the entrance that told which sites were not reserved and thus available first-come first-served. My favorite number, 27, was available as was 28 and 29. By the time I got to those sites, 29 was taken. Sites 27 and 28 were still available. In fact, they were the only walk-in sites available. I chose 27 not just because it's my favorite number, but between the two sites, it seems to have the least amount of odor from the pit toilets. BC parks seem to favor the pit toilets and no showers. I have only encountered showers at one BC park (Rathtrevor). I am looking forward to getting back into Washington just for the showers (although I don't believe San Juan County Park has showers--but I may not stay there anyway). Again, I digress...Oh, one more thing about BC parks--for not having showers and flush toilets, they sure are expensive. Montague is $21 per night!

Anyway, my tent is set up on a wooden platform. Since the rainfly requires stakes to have the vestibules (as do many tents), there are i-bolts on the sides of the platform to tie the rainfly to. It's quite nice actually (still not worth $21 though).

After my camp was set up, I walked to the marina. I wanted to see if I recognized it from when I was a kid and we chartered boats and came to Galiano. Well, it's not the place we stayed. One of the park guys said there used to be a dock at the Galiano Inn, but that is on Sturdies Bay. That must be the place because I remember a restaurant called the Galiano Inn that was near the dock.

As I was walking back to the campground, I saw the Pub Bus at the park entrance. Denise (from the Pender ferry) told me about this bus. It runs in the summer, shuttling people from the Montague Marina and Park to the Hummingbird Pub and Restaurant. It operates on tips. The Hummingbird Pub Bus has been in operation for 28 years! I decided to take the bus to the pub for dinner but I had to go back to my campsite first. The bus runs every hour until 11:00.

I got back to the bus stop and got on the bus when it arrived. I was the only one on the bus for the whole way to the pub. The bus driver was Tommy Transit. He's been driving the Pub Bus for many years and has even written a book called "Bus Tales". When I told him that I had heard about this bus, he said he'd better start the show then. He cranked up the music and handed me a shaker. He had his drumsticks and was playing the tambourine and cymbal as he was driving the bus! He would also stop the bus or slow down and point out various things along the way.

We arrived at the pub and he said the bus leaves at 10 minutes till the hour. I took some photos of Tommy (which he gladly posed for) and went into the pub for dinner. I had delicious fish and chips. I even saw two hummingbirds at the feeder outside the window at my table (I guess they don't call it the Hummingbird Pub for nothing)!

It was almost time for the bus and since I was finished with my dinner, I asked for the check so I could catch the bus back and not have to wait another hour.

This time the bus was packed. The ride back was much more of a party. Everyone was singing and Tommy was cracking jokes and promoting his book. There were even some kids sitting on the floor in the back of the bus. They laughed the entire way back. Tommy was playing his instruments, kicking out his leg, and waving light wands all while driving the bus! We all sang "Blueberry Hill" (apparently a tradition), Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", and "Yellow Submarine". It was quite a different ride from the ride to the pub.

As I was walking back to my campsite, I saw a gal I'd seen earlier. Her name was Ann and she was on a bike too. I stopped to talk to her and stayed there for about an hour. As we were talking, a guy named George came up and asked if Ann could heat up some water for him. She said he could, but he would have to clean a pot first as both her pots were dirty from dinner. He had no problem with that so Ann fired up her stove and heated water for him. He seemed to be of the transient variety. He was raised in Nova Scotia and had a penchant for "cleaning up" the park. He stays for two weeks at a time (he must get money from someplace because $21/night seems pretty expensive--if you are homeless) and clears all the brush and branches from whichever campsite he is at. So much for keeping things in a natural state! After he got his hot water, he took off.

Later is started to rain a little heavier (it had been off and on spitting rain throughout the afternoon and evening). I told Ann I should probably head back to my campsite to make sure I'd closed everything up.

I came back and just threw the tarp over Betsy and put the panniers under the vestibule. All is protected now. Of course, now it's not raining anymore.

Tomorrow my ferry to Swartz Bay isn't until 11:55. I may stop at the bakery again (I still have the wifi password) and post this blog.

Here's some photos...Bijou the little dog in her little chariot on Guy's bike. There's Tommy Transit and the Pub Bus. The last is Boyd and Mary Ann and Jet.

Welcome Home to Welcome Bay!

Once again a change of plans. I was going to go to Prior Centennial Provincial Park. I wanted to see Denise again. But, this morning Diane and I took off (me to ride to Prior and Diane to go to a little farm stand). As we rode past Welcome Bay, Diane wanted to show me the campsites. So we rode down the driveway. Fred Smith, the owner (along with his wife Vi), was out in his garage when we rode up. Diane said she wanted to show me the place. So, after a short visit with Fred (who gave me a hug--"Shakin' hands is for men"), Diane and I walked through the camping area. There are just 7 sites on the little point between two small bays (one is Welcome Bay). There were two sites open. As soon as I saw the place I decided it would be my home for the night. The view looks out over the water to Mayne Island. I can also see the tip of Saturna Island. It's light and sunny with bits of shade amongst the trees. Really quite beautiful!

I paid Fred for my site, unloaded my bags, and headed off with Diane. Diane and I said our goodbyes at the farm stand. I continued on to the library where I posted the last two days' blogs.

Since I had given Fred my last $20 Canadian, I needed to get some cash so I could go to the Pender Island Fair that was going on today (think small country fair). I rode to the Driftwood Center and went to a ATM machine. I was unable to get any cash. I went to another machine. Same thing--no cash. So, since I needed to restock breakfast food, I went to the grocery store. I was able to pay with my card, but not get cash back. Apparently just on Pender, there is an issue with combined Visa/Debit cards. As I was loading my stuff into my backpack, a gal came up to me in the grocery store and asked if I was the other American trying to get cash. I said I was and she said I could go to the bank and they would change US currency for Canadian. Perfect! I did that, then went to the bakery for some lunch of Spanakopita and a turtle brownie.

While I was eating my lunch, I met Boyd and Mary Ann. They are from the mainland near Vancouver. Turns out they are also camping at Welcome Bay! We talked for awhile, then I headed over to the fair. I paid $5 and walked around the little fair. For such a small fair, they had a little of everything. I even saw a 4-person tandem bike!

I met up with the couple from the grocery store at the fair. I asked where they were from. Clair and Kalen are from...Olympia! They are also on a bike tour, but going the other direction. They were staying at Prior in the site next to Denise! Such a small world!

We chatted for awhile, then I headed back to Welcome Bay. I got my camp set up and met the rest of the people here. Guy and Claire with their daughter Lucy (14 years) and their little dog Bijou are from near Vancouver. They are also on bikes. Bijou rides in a little box with an arched cover on the back of Guy's bike. Zack and Reena and their two little girls, Ayla and Juniper are also from near Vancouver. Travis and Jackie with their little boy Ashby and their 3 year old daughter, Jolene are friends of Zack and Reena. There is one other guy here who I think is also friends with Travis and Jackie that I haven't met. Then, of course, there is Boyd and Mary Ann (and their dog Jet). It's quite the nice group of people here. I'm really glad I stayed here.

Tomorrow I will head to Galiano. My ferry is not until 3:25 so I'll have some more time to explore Pender. I've decided from Galiano I am going to ferry straight to Swartz Bay. That is where I would end up anyway. One less boat ride, but it's a better plan.

Here are some photos from the day.

The first is Tickles the Clown from the fair. The second is Diane and I. The third is a nice buck on the beach of the bay. The fourth is Mt. Baker and part of Mayne Island. The last is my little campsite.

Update: I packed up this morning (after helping Jolene and Ashby find the coveted treasure of beer bottle caps) and found out from Claire that the 11:05 sailing to Tsawassen also stopped at Galiano (with a transfer at Mayne again). So, I made that sailing. There were tons of bikes on the ferry from Mayne to Tsawassen. I was the only bike that got off at Galiano. I guess its Sunday and everyone is headed home. I'm headed home too, only it will be awhile longer before I get there!

Now I am at a bakery on Galiano that has wifi. I'll head to Montague Provincial Park when I'm done here.