May 22, 2017  Day 1: The Adventure Begins! 37.5km

And early too! We set our alarm for 3:50. Yes, in the morning. One of our friends, Brian Clark, kindly arrived at 5am to take us to the airport. 

I was squished into the back seat amongst our two boxed bikes and multiple panniers and bags and we got there in plenty of time. I noticed this on the cart when we were unloading.

“You’re Going Places”.  We were/are excited!

The flight was good. As I looked down on the snow covered Rockies, I wondered, “Can I really do this? Am I strong enough….do I have the drive, the grit…..”  Well, we will find out….

Charlie reminded me that we don’t have to go over the tops of them.

We arrived in Victoria and we (Charlie) had the bikes ready to roll in less than an hour. We rode to a bus station to take a bus to downtown and then to Sooke where we wanted to dip our toes in the water and head out. Several buses, all on holiday schedule, (Victoria Day) passed us, either full or their bike racks were already loaded. It gave us the opportunity to talk with some interesting people though, including Gemma, who stopped to introduce us to her pet rat, Baby Blue, who lives in her purse and on her shoulder. She gave us some advice, including “Never taunt an octopus.” I’ll remember that. You never know when you’re going to need advice like that.

Eventually we did get to Sooke. It was a beautiful day and Sooke, what we saw of it anyway, looked like a lovely spot.

We were expected at the home of some friends, Rob and Traci, (former neighbours) in Langford so we beat it there on the Galloping Goose Trail, arriving in time for a chicken pot pie supper. After some catching up we headed to bed on their living room floor, trying out our new inflatable pads and sleeping bags. We slept like rocks! Thank you Traci and Rob for your hospitality!