Apple Heaven

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With its hilly terrain, Salt Spring Island is a popular one-day, 55-km figure-eight ride for cyclists in training. Us, we go because it’s apple season. By stopping at every farm stand, viewpoint, and shoreline access, it takes us four days to accomplish our Island cycling tour.

“A chance to visit Apple Heaven while still on earth!” The announcement for the Salt Spring Apple Festival captures our attention. More than 450 varieties of apples are grown organically on Salt Spring, and Doug wants to sample crisp apples, raw or baked into apple pie. Continue reading →

A Shoulder to Ride On

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We never imagined we could accomplish a road trip like this: cycle up Vancouver Island to Comox, ferry over to Lund, then cycle down the Sunshine Coast on Highway 101. Confident road-cyclists will fall in love with this classic coastal loop, while those accustomed to Victoria’s gentle rail-trails and protected bike lanes will find some sections frightening. The cars and trucks are in a hurry, but we are not; we cycle 600 km in a leisurely sixteen days, with detours to Savary Island, Texada Island, Princess Louisa Inlet, and the Gibsons shoreline.

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Pineapples Don’t Grow on Trees

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Surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, outrigger canoeing, hula dancing. Watching your grandchildren try new activities is one of life’s greatest joys. Our son and his family go to Oahu for nine days, and they invite us along. The youngsters (ages 15, 13, 12) discover that pineapples don’t grow on trees, take their first ride on a public bus, and learn that aloha means more than hello and goodbye.  Continue reading →

Whales and Trails

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“We hear that a lot,” says the Visitor Centre person, when we admit this is our first visit to the north end of Vancouver Island, although we’ve lived on the Island for nearly fifty years. Week one we explore four friendly communities and tackle nine hikes of varying difficulty. A six-day kayak expedition to the Broughton Archipelago comes next, and there we see more wildlife and fewer people than expected. Relaxed eco-adventures, just a day’s travel from our home in Victoria. Continue reading →

The Joys of an Alsek Expedition

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We ride through the wave train at a speed of 25 kilometres per hour and for a split second, we are terrified. But, wait, we are not in our canoe, alone on this remote and sometimes-treacherous glacial river. We are in a stable and forgiving expedition raft, on a 12-day Alsek River journey organized and executed by the experts, Canadian River Expeditions. We can relax, enjoy the ride, and savour the striking scenery. Our 15-year-old grandson Nathan has come with us, adding to the fun, energy, and memory-making of this wilderness experience. Continue reading →

Stripe-and-Spot and the Missing Link

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The feral goats have names (Stripe-and-Spot is an example), and they outnumber the resident humans (about 300). Want to test the battery and brakes on your electric-assist bike? The Missing Link, a stretch of road with a sustained grade of up to 20 per cent, will do nicely. And don’t forget to wave; it’s a rule of Island Etiquette on Saturna, the most easterly of British Columbia’s southern Gulf Islands. Continue reading →

Mayne Attractions

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Winter weather lingers, but we can’t wait. We test our new bikes on a four-day trip to Mayne, the little Gulf Island that lies midway between Victoria and Vancouver. For its small size, Mayne Island has a lot of attractions: panoramic viewpoints, sea lions, a classic lighthouse, an immaculate Japanese garden, a bakery, and lightly-travelled lumpy country roads. It’s a right neighbourly place, too. Continue reading →