I left the motel about 9 this morning for a drive through downtown Vancouver. The city is pretty! No doubt about it. But, just like my drive along the coast yesterday, there were no places to pull over and enjoy or photograph the city. I grabbed this picture while sitting at a light
From the bottom of town I found my way to the B.C. ferry docks with very few U-Turns! It was 10'ish when I pulled up to the ticket booth. I had been told that motorcycles had head of the line privileges because they were loaded first.
Sure enough, I bought the (expensive) ticket and was instructed to ride, in the fire lane, past the building and all of the other vehicles, then jump in the head of lane #40. There were 3 or 4 other bikes there that I joined for the 11:00 ferry to Victoria, the Capitol city of B.C. on the island of Vancouver.
Aside: Did you know that the island of Vancouver has no source of fresh water, no lakes, no rivers. Victoria then is perhaps the only Capitol city in the world that has to import all of its fresh water!
Now that I typed that out, Google tells me it's not entirely true. They've had a long frustrating history with water sources and currently use a water retention and distribution system that holds enough water in reserve that the city could go for 2 years without rain before running out.
So I was sitting in line talking with the other bikers, specifically Tony and Tracy who live just east of Vancouver. The Ferry traffic director came along and told us to crank up the motorcycles, which we did. Because I was the last one in I was at the head of the line. The guy said the cycles should go up the ramp and pointed to the base of the ramp. So I headed over to the right where the ramp was. The sign above the ramp showed lanes A and B but gave no indication which one was to be used. I took the near lane (B) and went up. At the top of the ramp were red cones forcing lane B to go left, lane A to the right. Unfortunately I was first in line and had no basis from which to decide. Because I was in lane B I turned left and went across the top. Looking in my mirror I saw the others stop, then go straight up lane A. My lane turned right and climbed up to a boarding ramp, a ramp with no ship under it! So I did one of my well practiced U-Turns and circled back to lane A, where I followed the others onto the ferry and to the front. I explained that this was not the first U-Turn I had done. They all laughed knowingly.
After lining the bikes up we went upstairs for the 90 minute ride across the Salish Sea to Victoria. I had a nice visit with Tony (who moved to Canada 24 years ago from South Africa) and Tracy. When eventually we landed we disembarked, riding off of the boat and up the highway to the first exit, which was designated as the U-Turn route! We all did U-Turns and came back to the ticket booths, they to board a boat to another island where they had a motel reservation for tonight, me to get on a boat to Port Angeles on the Olympic peninsula of Washington.
When I got to the booth they told me I needed to go to a different ferry dock smack dab in the middle of Victoria some 30 distance units away (I thought they were kilometers, but after fighting traffic into the city it seemed like miles). So, once again, I was instructed to do a U-Turn. We actually had landed at Swartz Bay, not Victoria.
Traffic was a mess, as I said. The road to Victoria was loaded with stop lights, each one affording the opportunity for traffic to back up.
Finding the dock I was looking for was a little challenging. Because I was outside the U.S. there were restrictions on data so I wasn't using my GPS. I got close, then flagged down a local couple for directions. They used their data to show me a map!
When I pulled in to the ticket booth I was once again directed to do a U-Turn and advance to a position at the head of the line. Because this trip would result in my return to U.S. soil I had to go through customs, this time without an inspection of my bike or answering questions about Betty.
It was about an hour wait in the sun but eventually we loaded into the front corner of the boat. Unlike any of the ferry rides I'd taken thus far, this time I was instructed to secure my bike with rope to the railing. They must have had an issue with a bike tipping over (maybe when they bumped a pier too hard?) and damaging someone's vehicle.
On the way out to sea I spotted several more modes of transportation that may necessitate a return trip.
Peddle pontoons?
Cutest water taxi ever!
They also had a plane on pontoons that looked like fun!
This trip I was talking to a rider from Calgary and another couple from Green Bay. Discussed a number of rides that may have to be considered.
By the time we arrived at Port Angeles my plan for the day had been flushed. Instead of circling the peninsula and heading back to the main land it now became a matter of figuring out if and where I could find a motel on the peninsula. The distance to the western most point of the contiguous 48 states accessible by road was over 60 distance units, and this time we're talking miles! I went quickly north on Highway 112 and stopped at a General Store to ask where accommodations might be found.
"Are there any motels north of here?" I asked.
The response was not good. "Not this far out". I was given the name of a cottage for rent and a nearby campground, both of which proved to be full.
The story now became a race with the sun. It was already going on 6 o'clock and I had about 50 miles of narrow winding road ahead of me. Could I make it to Cape Flattery before dark? If I did I would still have to ride 120 miles more to get off of the peninsula, in the dark. Or do I look for a spot on the beach and sit out the dark?
I was not taking pictures along the way because of my time crunch. That was okay, the route was tree lined and only infrequently opened to allow a peek at what lie ahead
This was a wide straight section. Much of the road was narrow, winding and uneven. I eventually reached an area known as Clallem Bay, short of the point but possessing a motel and a nice restaurant! It was a perfect rest stop with a vacant room and usable Wi-Fi. What more could I ask for after a day of hurry up and wait?
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