The Journey Begins

Dreams are like seeds - full of potential but easily blown away (or stashed in the kitchen drawer).  Still, when watered and nurtured in the right kind of soil, a kernel can sprout into a towering tree, the likes of which you could never have fully imagined.

My dream to bike down the Pacific Coast began a few months after I moved out to Victoria. It was renewed on a hiking trip I took with some friends this July along the Juan de Fuca trail.  Counter-intuitive though it may seem, pushing my body to the point of exhaustion for four days straight was incredibly invigorating.  The fresh air and beautiful coastal views, of course, added to the rush.  On our last night, we got into camp late and ended up sharing a site with an English girl, who generously allowed us to form a small tent city around her. In the course of telling us about her travels in Canada, she mentioned that she had biked down to San Francisco from Victoria.  “Don’t tell anybody, but it's actually not that hard,” she divulged.  This got me thinking about that old dream of mine. I knew I needed a break from school, and September would be the perfect time to go – off-season but still good weather.  Plus I could visit my cousins…

Next thing you know, I was replacing my freewheel and learning how to adjust the tension of my shifter cables. I couldn’t even identify my shifter cables two months back!

Between finishing work, hosting visiting friends and family, and moving out of my house, the last month has been a (somewhat panicky) flurry of activity. In the midst of the chaos, I’ve done my best to prepare for this trip. With the help of the staff at Recyclistas - an awesome bicycle co-op in Victoria - I’ve given myself a crash course in bicycle repair and maintenance. I’ve also gotten to know half the staff at MEC on a first-name basis whilst selecting my gear.  Yesterday I returned from an overnight test ride to the Sooke Potholes  (about 50km away from my house) brimming with excitement for what lies ahead, if a little sore...

As this is my first bike tour (who needs a weekend trip when you can just keep going!) what I’m really aiming for is to learn a whole lot – about bikes, the landscape I'm traveling through, and myself.  Another of my goals is to share my thoughts and experiences with you, my friends and family, along the way.  I honestly don’t know how easily or how often I will be able to access the internet, but I know there will be plenty of time to reflect and write.  I hope to update this blog regularly, but at the very least, there will be words and photos to share when I get back.

I should mention that although my route is mainly along the coast, I decided to start out by passing through the San Juan Islands and down Puget Sound before cutting west (one of the suggested routes in my guidebook). Tomorrow is the big day. I will be cycling to the Sidney ferry terminal and catching the ferry across the U.S. border to San Juan Island.  Since the ferry is late in the day, I’ve reserved two nights at a campground near the harbor to give myself time to explore the island.  Then it’s off to Orcas Island for more adventuring! 

Catch you on the road,

Dana