Day 99 Vancouver Island to Vancouver

Thursday 26th August
Daily mileage 35miles Average Speed 10.13mph Ride Time 3hr27min
Total Mileage 3956

We packed up the tent for the last time and cycled a few miles to the ferry terminal where we arrived 10mins before the 10am ferry and luckily managed to go straight on. We had a coffee and enjoyed the ride for an hour and a half crossing. On arrival of the mainland we followed our host Howard’s detailed instructions to his work. We had to ride the hard shoulder of the busy 17 highway then stop at a shell station to take a free bike shuttle service through a tunnel. We did well to find this as there were no obvious signs and it had many a cyclist confused at the entrance to the tunnel where no bikes are allowed.

The other side we took a side road number 5 through the heart of Richmond then found a bike path over a bridge into Vancouver where we stopped for a rest and brunch at a supermarket. We gave Howard a quick call and arranged to meet him at work so we found another bike path over another bridge into Downtown Vancouver where we met Howard a warm shower host at his music repair shop. He took a break and we went to Starbucks for a coffee.

Howard knocked off work at 6pm so we had a wander round town for a bit then we all cycled to the Vancouver Art Gallery where we met 10 other cyclists in a meet up group that Howard organises. We did a 5 mile ride around the waterfront then stopped at a park for a BBQ and watch the sunset over the ocean. We cycled back to Howard’s in the dark but there were so many cyclists about even at that time it is just the thing to do in this city which is great.