Galloping the Goose for the Potholes.

This was my second time in as many years to “Do the Goose” with my avid cyclists, Norm and Jay. This year, however, we went a bit further down the trail to the Sooke Potholes, a natural formation left by glacial activities from thousands of years ago.

I also learned of the significance of the Galloping Goose Trail and where it got its namesake after reading a place mark along the way. It’s named after a gas-powered passenger train that once ran along this very path which transported passengers and mail from Sooke to Victoria and back, twice a day in the roaring 1920s. While the majority of the trail is covered with dirt, gravel and mulch, there are certain areas where the railroad tracks can still be seen poking under the paved cement.

It took us a good five or six hours of cycling doing on average 15 km/h from Lochside Trail to the Galloping Goose Trail until we got to the Potholes to where we camped for the night. There were lots of beautiful things to see along the way. A moment of awe struck me when I had to cross over a very large trestle which bridged over a valley. I could imagine how the passengers of the Galloping Goose must have felt as they looked out of the windows over the crossing. It’s all made of wood!

On the way back the next day, Jay was visibly agitated by the time we stopped for lunch at a White Spot. He made it known to the two of us that he was wanting to catch the five o’clock sailing so that he could be back on the mainland to see his other half at the airport. I must admit, I was a bit vexed to learn of this as I usually am when I’m being rushed, but more so because Jay was willing to compromise the fun we’ve been having so far on this trip to pursue something in which I thought was unnecessary. Hello Canada Line?

He bolted as soon as the bill arrived and Norm soon followed. I left shortly after finishing the salad Jay didn’t touch and continued enjoying the rest of the day truly appreciating the great outdoors and not taking anything for granted. I kept pace and with mental goal posts as I progressed: the Shell petro station at Mt. Newton X-ROAD, the scenic beachfront along Lochside Drive, and the marina at Shoal Harbour.

Just as I got to my second goal post, I got a text from Jay:
We are here for 5pm ferry. Do you want us to buy ticket for you? 4:34pm 29-AUG-10

I texted back a “yes please” and continued my way to the ferry terminal. However, once I made it to where all the cyclists were waiting to get on board, I read the following message from Jay:
Oops! Ferry is here not enough time for me to run. If you are near you can get the ticket. 4:39pm 29-AUG-10

Infuriated, I cycled back up the hill fighting traffic that was coming off the ferry to cut across the road and made my way to the ticket booth where I got a ticket for myself right at the last moment. Cycling back down, I had to fight with vehicle traffic now boarding the ferry. Then I had to find space along the side of the vehicle bay to rest my bike.

The next text didn’t make me feel any better:
Hope you made it! We are on Deck 5. 5:00pm 29-AUG-10

After locating them on Deck 5, I’d expressed my anger explaining to Jay that if he hadn’t sent me that initial text, as good intentioned as it was, I would have naturally bought a ticket for myself without having to go through all the nonsense. Norm also gave him a grilling with an “I told you so!” Apologetically, he’d bought me a bottle of Canada Dry and we were all friends again.

Aside from the slight hiccup in the end, the Goose was conquered with great success. With weekends like this, summer is going by quickly. Hip hip to the next one!

Saltspring Bike Camp.

Saltspring Island: Check.

It’s a great feeling when one gets to cross off items off their to-do list, let alone the THINGS I MUST DO BEFORE I DIE list. Cycling and camping on Saltspring island was one of mine and man was it fun!

Jay, Morgan, Ieda and I sailed in from Fulford Harbour off the BC Ferries and made our way to Ruckle Provincial Park to pitch our tents and relax for a while. Upon arriving, I was surprised to see so many other campers on site with their tents all edging up to the coastline for a good view of the straight. It was like tent city!

At dusk, the four of us snuggled up to each other in one tent to share childhood memories of how we were like growing up. I told stories about the joys I had in film and video production, running the school’s network station, OrcaVision, and hanging out with a Mac friend in the Mac lab fooling around with Apple’s Network Assistant and controlling a network of thirty LC520’s at once to launch Hampster Dance on a Netscape browser. Please excuse this run-on-sentence.

The morning after, Ieda and I woke up and took our bikes to explore the historic Ruckle family farm. Jay and Morgan was still sound asleep in their tent. A trail through a forested area opened up to the farm and a vista of dilapidating barns on hectares of land came to view. While reading a plaque on the history of a particular barn, Ieda called me over to her direction. As I rounded the corner, I saw a lone turkey resting comfortably beside an old wheel leaning against a shed. This was one ugly bird.

Shortly after, a male and female turkey, presumably a couple, caught my attention. Following closely behind was a baby turk curious about its surroundings everywhere it went. This baby also bore resemblance to the look of its parents; so ugly that it was almost cute in a way. It was certainly nice to see a family of a different kind behaving like a family though.

What stuck me most about Saltspring island were it’s numerous roadside farm stands along the way offering everything from cookies and freshly cut flowers to fruits, vegetables, and free-range eggs, all sold under the honour system with a cash box on the table. Ieda and I bought a few cookies for we were feeling a little peckish having not yet eaten breakfast.

Back at our campsite, Jay and Morgan had woken up and had already had breakfast. They were in the middle of taking apart their tent when we cycled in and seemed a bit tiffed that Ieda and I had an early start without them. Perhaps they rolled out of the wrong side of the air mattress...

After several hours of hard cycling along Stewart Rd. which turned into Beddis Rd., we rode into Ganges where the heart of the island was. Hotels, shops, restaurants, estate agencies, and a public square were all here. For our second night on the island, we camped out at Garden Faire Nursery and Campground. To quench our thirst and replenish our energy, we dined at the Saltspring Inn. The food was surprisingly good! And for desert, we stopped over to Thrifty’s for ice cream to take back to our campsite and consumed it all in one sitting. Cones included.

I conked out early this evening as I was feeling extremely tired. I crawled back into my tent at 1900 and fell into deep sleep instantaneously. I didn’t wake up until 0700 in the morning! I can’t remember the last time I had slept half a day away... I guess I needed it. As we were having breakfast using the remaining free-range eggs we had bought earlier, we had a chance meeting with Rebecca who came over to visit our site after hearing familiar voices. We were all surprised and glad to see her here. She was here on a yoga retreat with a group of others.

Alas, it was time to say goodbye to Saltspring island as our weekend excursion was coming to an end. We caught the ferry at Long Harbour to Village Bay on Main Island, and then transferred onto the Queen of Nanaimo back to Tsawwassen.