We stopped at a part of the park where the local indigenous Salish Coast people have made beautifully carved cedar totems. I particularly loved the colorful thunderbirds. In the park, you can smell the cedar, the water, the earth. It is all recognizable but different,  just like the Canadians themselves.

From Stanley Park, we rode across the impressive Lions Gate Bridge to prosperous West Vancouver, then further on to Horseshoe Bay where we had great fish and chips while waiting for the ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

As is our custom, we take back roads wherever we can. Friendly locals are only too happy to help suggest alternatives to the Trans Canada Highway (I still can’t get that Gene Pitney song out of my head). Back roads are just that, often poorly maintained with no verge, but full of beautiful scenery. It’s hilly here but not oppressively so. Chilly, but not freezing. We have seen squirrels, deer, and bald eagles. We are still waiting on raccoons, coyotes, and bears- I can wait for the bears!

We stayed on a farm a few kilometers south of Nanaimo with another very hospitable Warmhower host Cory. We were hoping for a dry place to set up our tent but instead, we were provided with a room, then nourished by lentil soup and pizza. We talked a lot about touring and loved Cory’s stories of her own cycling journeys around the world especially her adventures in India.

A foggy start to the day today, with more back roads, past small farms, timber mills, birch groves, and maple forest. We had breakfast in the delightful town of Ladysmith, a former coal mining, timber, and fishing town that is now having a renaissance with coffee shops antiques, etc. Cory had recommended the cinnamon buns from the Old Town Bakery and they were indeed so good- yum!

More back roads to Chemainus, a town of murals and Aboriginal history (Native Indian) where we briefly stopped at the small folk museum before cycling to Croften with its deep-water port, massive pulp and paper mill, and ferry terminal.

Our island hopping in the gulf continued today as we took the 20-minute crossing to Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island. Evidently, each island has its own character. Salt Spring is known for its eclectic creative artistic community. This afternoon we rolled into the town of Ganges, named after the last British ship of the line. It was funky and relaxing on a sunny afternoon with lots of interesting cashed-up old hippies sitting around drinking coffee and talking politics.

A hipster asked me how many gears I have on my bike and when I said 27 he said “I bet you don’t use them all?”

I replied,  “On some days 27 doesn’t seem like enough!”

We set up our camp early, now it’s raining and we are snug in our tent.