Day 7

5/29/09 Nanaimo to Victoria

         First Hello to our friends at the Campbell River Starbucks. We’ll get that pic up of us all in the coffee shop. It’s folks like you who make this trip so enjoyable.

Thought it was going to be a fairly easy day……..ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Not here on Vancouver Island. We were greeted with some very long climbs. For the first 20K we had some climbing, but the descending seemed to more than compensate. It was only after about 3 hrs of riding that the hammer dropped – let the torture festival begin! There was a long climb-long descent; long climb-long descent; add infinitem. That was until we got to the Mother of all Vancouver Island climbs, the holy grail of Vancouver Island climbs, the gnarly, ugly, crazy, non-stop, break your heart, kick you spirit in the ass and pull your guts out climb. And it did! I was determined to NOT get out of the big ring, and I paid for it dearly. Ryan on the other hand, who was feeling like a well rode hooker for the first 40 miles, finally started to get his legs back…….until this climb.

         Well, I knew this thing was going to be trouble when I had looked up ahead, already in the biggest pie plate in the back, and saw the road veer upwards into a massive, long rock cut. Walls standing some 1-200 feet above the roadway. I was already out of the saddle, straining over my bars in the big cookie. And then I saw that. I really debated as to whether I was going to yield and go middle ring, and be an idiot and stay out of the saddle and push on. I became the village idiot!

         Ryan was the smart one, shifting into the middle cookie and just spinning up through the rock cut section. All the way the semis and travel trailers were zooming by us at 50-60mph as we were creeping along at 5mph. It’s an amazing feeling pulling those yaks, as you are almost being pulled backwards. Climbing out of the saddle is also different with the trailer – in that you cannot sway the bike, but have to remain in an upright, stationary position so that you don’t rock the trailer. Rock the trailer and you begin to sway all over the road. It’s tough to get used to climbing in this manner, climbing like someone who is not used to climbing out of the saddle, but this is the method to climb with 75 lbs of gear behind you.

         It seemed to take nearly an hour of climbing, me mostly out of the saddle like an idiot, and Ryan, spinning like a granny in the middle ring. But we topped out. Stopped at the vista point and snapped some pic. Ryan was wearing his black gear, and it was completely salt stained. He looked like he had just run a marathon.

         We thought that we were going to get away with a beautiful descent from there……BUT we had to continue to go up. I was not a happy camper, getting back out of the saddle on legs that felt like completely zapped noodles. Eventually we did come to the REAL descent. And by god was it a monster. Here’s the dope: you’re careening down mountain, at about 40mph with a yak behind you, pushing you even harder than you could imagine, making you sway from side to side, and you’re on a shoulder of asphalt about 4 feet wide, with a side of vertical rock face on your right, and speeding cars and semis on your left. Not a lot of room to F up mind you. Every time a semi came by it pulled you with its draft, off to the left. Scary stuff. We really had to grip those bars tight.

         Made it down the descent and out of the mountains. Our next challenge was negotiating the 4 lane traffic for 18K into Victoria. You had to move from berm into the thru lane every time there was an entry lane onto the freeway. And yes I said freeway. In most provinces of Canada you can ride your bike on the freeway. It was insane to say the least, trying to work you way through the lanes as one lane exited while another lane entered. Total and complete cluster----!

         I stopped to get a cold coke about 5K from downtown Victoria, and waited for Ryan. He met up with me and said “I need food freaking NOW”. So we stopped at a Subway and each did a foot long, literally inhaling the damned things on site. We got directions from a local for a hostel in the downtown and headed there, competing with the local bus for space on the highway. This knucklehead cut us off at each and every stop – when we had a bike lane to ride in. We gave him the one finger, Ohio greeting at a stop and proceeded on to the center of Victoria.

         Got checked in at a hostel right on the water. Then off to an outfitter to get a spare quick release for our yaks. This place is the bomb. It was a gear lover’s paradise to be sure, and the staff there were top notch. The place is called Mountain Equipment Co-op. They got us hooked up with a skewer for out yak. We want to say thanks to Felix for all his help, and hope to hear from you down the road.

         Next off to a sports bar to watch Ryan’s Lakers beat the tar out of Denver. Too bad the Cavs cannot close the deal like that! We had some seafood chowder and some great prime rib sandwiches. Now that’s good eating after feasting on Raman Noodles and cans of soup for the last few days. Back to the hostel to crash in a very big way.

         We just have a short day tomorrow to the ferry, all on an old rails to trails – 25-30 miles worth. Then a ferry crossing back to the mainland. We’ve done the Vancouver Island portion. Now it’s North America. Take care all and talk to you soon……..Pete