Day T-2

I’m still struck by the beauty of Victoria. Looking back, it’s one of the three most beautiful Canadian cities I’ve seen, sitting at one end of the country with Halifax at the other and Ottawa right in the middle. Shayne and I started the day with a walk along the shore to the Mile Zero marker. We ran into a group of thirty retirees who were about to set off for Halifax by bike. It was an inspiring sight, though at the time I thought I'd work my way up to that kind of cross-country feat gradually—perhaps half a country at a time.

Later, Wendy, Shayne, and I headed downtown to grab last-minute supplies. It was there that we hit our first real snag: no one in Victoria seemed to know anything about the Trans Canada Trail. After getting what we needed, we visited Crystal Gardens—an old pool converted into a lush nature preserve. It was a fantastic place, filled with flamingos, monkeys, fruit bats, and a rainbow of butterflies. The ibis there made a point of chasing people around, which added a bit of unexpected comedy to the afternoon.

The rest of the day was spent on the gritty details of gear assembly. Our plan to bike to Nanaimo while the others met us there changed rapidly after a phone call with Jim Marsh, a trail coordinator. It turns out the route north is largely unpassable for the time being. So, instead of a straight shot north, Shayne and I are pivoting—we’ll bike out toward Leechtown along the south of the island and then loop back to Victoria. Our "careful" itinerary is already in flux, but that's part of the adventure.

This morning, Blue and I go for a walk along the Pacific Ocean. Does that not sound inspiring? We are looking out on the Juan De Fuca Strait and I dip my hands and toes in the water. We take a look at the Mile Zero marker of the Trans Canada Highway. We meet an elderly gentleman who is leaving this morning to bike to St John's, Newfoundland by road bike with a group of thirty retirees.

Victoria seems to have a very British feel to its architecture. Many houses have little gates and short hedges bordering their front yards. It also reminds me very much of Ottawa. There are flowers everywhere I look. Every once in a while, you can hear a boat horn in the distance, echoing through the city.

Blue, Wendy, and I are walking around the city buying last minute things we need for the trip. We go to Crystal Garden to look at some wildlife and exotic plants and flowers. The highlights are the butterflies and the lemurs.

This afternoon, we go for a bike ride through the city and along a short stretch of the Galloping Goose trail, part of the Trans Canada Trail. We bike across a suspension bridge literally seconds before it is raised for a boat to pass through. I have never felt so safe biking in a city before; the car drivers are so cyclist conscious.

Tonight, Blue and I repack our gear. Blue is still trying to find our route to Nanaimo. I am just as happy to take the Trans Canada Highway. Right now, I am feeling like I could tackle anything and I have a very positive attitude. I am sure a day of biking will destroy that. Blue made some calls this afternoon making inquires into the Trans Canada Trail. We never did find where Mile Zero is so I suggest we start at Mile Zero of the Trans Canada Highway. To try and take trails to Nanaimo sounds like a challenging ride. We would take the Galloping Goose trail west out of Victoria into the wilderness to the former site of Leechtown. From there, an overgrown trail takes us to Shawnigan Lake where we pick up another trail that has three or four trestle bridges out, and one intact trestle - "the longest rail trestle in the empire," except that it is 650 metres and is declared unsafe. Taking the Trans Canada Highway may not be an option since there is a nasty hill at Malahat that everyone warns us about. So, all and all, we may be revising our route again.