Day 15: Langley, BC -> Sidney, BC

Date: May 30, 2023
Start: Langley, BC (Staying with a friend)
End: Sidney, BC (Smonecten Campground)
Distance: 54km

I woke up in a bed!  Inside!  The joys of being able to get out from under covers and have it be warmer than 8C cannot be understated.  I got up, wrote some blog posts, and was greeted by my host Nancy who offered french toast for breakfast.  I immediately took her up on it.

It was absolute heaven.  I haven't had eggs in quite a while and to be combined with bread, syrup, and fruit....it was like I'd forgot what food tasted like and rediscovered it.  I ate a LOT of french toast that morning and enjoyed my time catching up with Nancy.  She lives in a beautiful part of the Lower Mainland surrounded by incredible greenery and flowers of wonderful hues and colours.  Staying with her was a little oasis of comfort on the long road from Calgary.  I spent the entire morning at her place relaxing and enjoying life.

I was planning to leave at around noon, but Nancy offered lunch and couldn't pass it up.  She made me pasta and salad and it was the first time I'd seen leafy greens since Kelowna.  As is typical with me, I lingered longer than I'd intended and didn't get away until about 3pm, but enjoyed every moment talking with Nancy and learning about the area and just generally enjoying the company of another wonderful human being!

But at some point it was time to leave.  I knew if I didn't get going, I might never leave the comfort and hospitality that Nancy had extended me.  I'm planning on going back on my way East though, so it leaving was easier knowing I'd be back again.  We said our goodbyes and grabbed one more picture.

I can't thank Nancy enough for hosting me.  She has always been wonderful to me and I've always enjoyed the time we've shared.  I'll see you again on my way back Nancy!

The bike ride started around 3pm.  Unlike most days, I started in the city!  This brought it's own challenges.  I needed to bike about 50km to the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal which should have taken around 3 hours.  But when you're in a city there's constant wayfinding, turning, intersections, and navigation going on.  I found a bike path that snaked through the parks of Langley - it was really wonderful! - and found my way to a long street with a painted bike lane that would take me West towards the ferry.  After a lot of traffic lights I started getting out of Langley and into farm country again.  I was stunned at how quickly I went from city to suburb to country.  BC really does have everything!

In the distance I saw skyscrappers. Was this Vancouver?  One of the downtowns of the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area?  There's simply no way we'll ever know.  I snapped a picture and kept on keeping on...

I passsed through Delta and eventually reached the water.

The water.

I'd finally made it to the coast.  I stopped and took in the smell of the salt and seaweed.  It's a feeling and a sense that you never forget and to have come so far and found it again was a real milestone in the trip.  I spent too long staring and enjoying the sound of the water.

I realized that I needed to get to Tsawwassen to catch a ferry...which is on a schedule.  I thought I was far closer than I really was, and turns out I still had quite a long way to go.  I was going to miss the 6pm ferry!

I biked along this gravel pathway which was on the seawall (or whatever it was) that separated the waters from the farmland.  On my left was the sea, on my right were plowed fields.  It was an incredible contrast.  Farmers used the pathway to transit between fields, and it was great seeing a path being used by two groups without any conflict.  The signs on the pathway made me laugh, but it really was like this!

I pushed and pushed and eventually made it to the terminal.  I pulled up to the ticket booth, got a ticket, and went to wait the 45 minutes till my ferry arrived.  When it got there I was loaded onto the vehicle deck and allowed to go first!  It's been a long time since I was on a ferry and this one was HUGE!

I had to take all my bags with me, and went up to the passenger lounge.  I was immediately restless though because I wanted to be outside to experience the ride!  I grabbed the bags and went searching, eventually finding a way to get outside and on the top deck.  I spent the entire ride out there enjoying the views as we navigated the Gulf Islands.

And now a collection of my pictures...

I chatted with someone who knew I was touring based on the bags.  His name was Evan and he was originally from Sault Ste. Marie, and was surprised at how familiar I was with the place.  He was heading to Vancouver Island to study coastal erosion management in landscaping.  He'd gone a lot of adventuring himself and we shared stories of our time and talked about transitions in life between careers and trips.  It was one of those fleeting connections that travelling like this creates.  20 minutes with another person who I only wanted to spend more time around and get to know better, but we both had places to go.  We parted ways and wished each other the best on our journeys.  Another friend made along the way...

I sent an email to a cousin (Hi Coleman!) telling him about my adventures and spent the rest of the ride soaking in the scene.  The sun was setting through the clouds over the Gulf Islands and it was everything I wanted from the crossing.

I reached the other side and was allowed to disembark before the cars.  It was a short ride to the Parks Canada campground nearby: Smonecten.  It was also about 8:45 and getting dark.  I was immediately greeted by a faun in the middle of the road, hinting at the natural splendor of Vancouver Island.  

I found a tenting site, setup, and immediately went to bed surrounded by trees so tall I had to crane my neck to find the tops of them.  "Tall stands of grandfathers" as the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra describes them in one of their songs.

Note: The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra is no longer together, but they're one of my favourite Canadian bands.  A fusion of West Coast Indie and folk musics from around the world.  They are what I hear in my head when I think of the West Coast of Canada.  I've seen them multiple times in concert and have been listening to them a lot since getting to the water.  Here's a favourite:

After just over 1200km I'd finally made it to Vancouver Island and the West Coast of Canada.