This past weekend we traded city life for bike life. We were both feeling the urge to get the heck out of dodge and with the weather looking pretty decent (for December) we decided to pack up our panniers and head to the Sunshine Coast.
This was my first ever bike tour, carrying everything I would need for the weekend. Considering that, and the fact that it is the middle of winter, we thought it best to sleep indoors. And so Matt found a cute little cabin in Sechelt (pronounced see-shelt).
We started from our front door and biked the 15 km (9 mi) to the Horseshoe Bay ferry. We took the "lower road", Marine Drive, which snakes along the coast occasionally affording us spectacular views. We made it in time for the noon ferry and soon we were sailing across the Georgia Strait to Langdale and the Sunshine Coast.
The Sunshine Coast is northwest of Vancouver and is only reachable by ferry or float/airplane. No roads have been built to connect the Sunshine Coast to the rest of the province due to the rugged, steep, fiord-like terrain.
Once in Langdale we set out via a combination of "lower roads" and Highway 101 to get to Sechelt. It was a 30 km (18 mi) ride on undulating terrain with a few notch-like pitches thrown in for good measure. It rained on us for half the day, but thanks to our Gore-Tex jackets and pants we stayed warm and dry.
The sun popped out as we approached Roberts Creek and we headed down toward the shore in search of a place to stop and take a break. We found a quiet cove with picnic tables and blinding, warm sunshine. We noshed on candied mango slices and maple sugar encrusted cashews while we dried out. Two bald eagles squawked and wrestled with each other in a nearby tree top (seeing them is still a treat, even though they are quite common here).
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| My steed - Liv Alight by Giant - #livlife |
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| Roberts Creek Picnic Site - Mandala - #triplesuns |
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| Roberts Creek Mandala |
Another few kilometers and we were in Sechelt. When we arrived, our host Louise, showed us to our cabin. We shed our damp gear, stowed our bikes and headed down to the beach to watch the sunset over Vancouver Island. They don't call it the Sunshine Coast for nothing.
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| Catch of the Day - Cabin 3 |
We walked into town and found two bar seats at
The Old Boot Eatery where we gorged ourselves on Rotini and Meatballs and attempted to numb the humming in our legs with pints of Warsteiner. Then it was back to our cozy cabin for a restful night's sleep before doing the same thing in reverse.
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| Rotini & Meatballs at The Old Boot Eatery |
It was a much colder start in the morning, but we didn't encounter one single drop of rain on our whole ride. Even a flat tire (and an inferior bike pump) didn't foul our moods (too much). We made good time back to Gibsons (the next town over from the ferry terminal) and stopped for warm drinks and a snack before boarding the 2:45 ferry back to Horseshoe Bay.
By the time we made landfall it was starting to get dark, so we donned our bike lights and set out for home. The last obstacle between us and dinner was the seriously steep pitch up to Queens Ave. (and I thought Loomis Hill was bad...) We (okay, I) arrived drenched in sweat, leg muscles twitching... and already looking forward to our next bike tour.
