BC ferries

[pdedse]

A month ago I did a trip from Portland to Eureka to help my friend Jeff paint a house...and to ride of course. We did a month long trip back in 2012 from TX to Central America and then Oregon on our KLR650s, and we've talked about Alaska for some time now...this summer was supposed to be the year, but family committments made that idea too far, but British Columbia seemed do-able.

Jeff had done a solo trip there 4 years ago and wanted to show me around. He's moved on to a BMW1250GS and I had the option to take the same '07 KLR650 that I took before or the CB1100. I chose the KLR so that we could ride offroad together. But I was concerned that he would get bored as I tried to keep up on the road. He was starting Rosyln, WA and the plan was for me to catch up on the KLR...got 30 miles down the road and the 650 started lurching badly...for a minute I thought out of gas? and turned on the reserve...but same thing. To be sure, added a gallon...still lurch / surge every 1-2 seconds. Was able to ride it home, called Jeff, we agreed to start a day later...but on my CB1100! My soft saddle bags fit on the CB, but I did have to ditch my largest seat piece...time to dump tools...CBs never break down...right?

Friday, July 29 we met at the Mukilteo dock to take the ferry to Whidbey Island. I love ferry crossings! Usually they let the mc riders ride up to the front and you are first on / first off.

Road north on the island and crossed Deception Pass on hiway 20

...beautiful to watch the flow of water under the bridge.

We were packing camping gear, but were unsure of options on the Canadian side, so we settled for an airbnb in Surrey, just east of Vancouver.

Not even sure which border crossing--I think it was the one just west of Sumas--but zero people in line...First time in Canada!
For Day 2 Saturday, the plan was to ride through Vancouver and head towards Whistler. I'm a little fuzzy on the details as he was navigating, but I think I can figure out where we went after the fact. He loves planning out the trips and he's good at it and using the technology on the fly, so my job was to sit back, keep his bike in sight, and hang on. Very freeing.

The ride north on 99 out of Vancouver towards Whistler, particularly the part along the coast is pure joy in the morning even tho' the holiday weekend traffic was already out. This is the section where I was glad my KLR refused to go on this trip as we rode 75-85mph and the CB1100 can respectably match his GS1250...until he doesn't want me to. Lots of motorcycles doing the same, and practically zero opps to take a photo before Squamish...but some of the most scenic views of the trip.

Later, riders would tell us that too bad we didn't ride beyond Whistler as it's top notch, but we wanted to visit several areas using the ferries, so we backtracked on 99 to catch the next one.

From Horseshoe Bay on the way to Langdale...I think.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Nice ride
It's absolutely stunning beyond Whistler. In 2010, I rode from Whistler through the national parks and over the Great Divide to Calgary. A trip of a lifetime!

 

[pdedse]

Nice ride
It's absolutely stunning beyond Whistler. In 2010, I rode from Whistler through the national parks and over the Great Divide to Calgary. A trip of a lifetime!

My friend has ridden it, but he's hoping that our supposed Alaska trip will include that the next time. All this was new to me, and it's really not that far from where I live. I think I'll get to ride north of Whistler at some point.

Short video of previous photo

The Langdale ferry going the other way


We crossed over to Langdale and rode just a few miles to Roberts Creek Provincial Park, a maintained campground with spacious sites, bathrooms, water...$20 a night. When I mc camp in eastern Oregon, I look for "nobody-in-sight" spots with no ammenities, so this site was easy access and we didn't have to go looking for water.



We were going to go looking for a spot to swim, but our camping neighbors pointed out that the beach was just a 2 minutes away--we didn't realize how close we were because of the forest. Temps were in the low 90s, so it felt really nice to get in and swim a bit.



Set up the tents but we also had hammocks. I slept from 930 to 1230 in the hammock, then stayed awake till 3 something when I retired to the tent to find some warmer clothes.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Man, very nice excursion pdedse. Glad to read you made it happen.

 

[pdedse]

Sunday we got up early, broke camp and were under way by 730. It took me awhile to appreciate the fact that we weren't riding all day to get somewhere in particular...with camping mode engaged, we decided that if it was early afternoon and we found a good spot, that we would call it good, set up and then go exploring w/out the luggage.

So we took our time meandering the "Sunshine Coast Hiway" passing through Sechelt (pronounced "seashell" I believe), Madeira Park and we were heading for Earl's Cove where we would catch another ferry. At Earl's we had to wait a couple hours, so we backtracked to Egmont and made notes for a future visit to see the rapids there and hike.

Earl's Cove...the ferry is arriving...

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

It's gettin' closer.

Nice shots pdedse.

 

[pdedse]

Man, very nice excursion pdedse. Glad to read you made it happen.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. And with good reason, as the bays and mountains were just gorgeous.

It's gettin' closer.

Nice shots pdedse.

It looks like it, right? Those three shots were at the same time...just playing with the 40x zoom of my Canon sx740 point n shoot. Nice camera for $300 I think it was.
Leaving Earl's Cove and heading for Saltery Bay...my friend's GS and the CB packed in with bicycles and other vehicles:

From upper deck

The wonderful thing about the ferries is that you have a break from riding and can have lunch or other meal while you cross. No need to look for a supermarket or restaurant. Very enjoyable with nice cool to chilly breezes even though it was quite warm on land.
I can't recall if it was 1 or 2pm when we got to Saltery Bay...we wanted to do a second night of camping and Mermaid Cove was almost too soon after getting off the ferry. But it looked inviting and as hotels and campgrounds were nearing capacity, we decided to take a site as there was still room. Got to see a bear cross the road earlier in the morning and the campground manager said another one visited the campground the night before but didn't cause any mischief. Still, we were advised to hang our food from a high branch.

The beach was only 200 meters from our spot and after getting things set-up we headed for the cool, welcoming waters. There were divers just finishing and as Jeff and I are both certified, we asked if they were available the next day, but alas, that was their off day. They thought a few moments about making an exception but realized they had family committments. Next time. There's an underwater mermaid that you can scuba to, and they said there are abundant fish and other creatures to see. I brought a pair of swimming goggles and could see purple star-fish, a few jellies and other creatures among the rocks just off shore.

The ramp is so that divers can just walk into the water at high tide and start their dive...no boat necessary.

Today, this was as good as the diving was going to get:

Jeff is checking in on his family as they have lots going on back home:

He and his wife will be heading back to BC tommorrow, Thursday, just a week after our trip started. They are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. So a lot of this trip was to scope out things for their trip.

 

[clearviewx]

Nice trip report.

 

[tommymck]

Wow, that looks fun! What was the water temp?

 

[pdedse]

There was still lots of daylight after the swim so we hopped back on the bikes, refreshed and happy to be free from luggage and space-suits. We both agreed that we ride All The Gear...98.3% of the time, but both felt that shorts, tennies, t-shirt, gloves and helmet were sufficient for the rest of the day.

We would leave the next day from Powell River bright and early, so we wanted to check out the terminal, but we also wanted to go as far as Lund, not quite the end of the road, but close enough.

Lund...with more time, I'll plan a fishing trip:

A GS or a CB? Which one would you take to BC?

A different choice...other options are available:

The sun was getting low and it was time to head back to the tents.

Forgot to string up the food after a long, fun day. But it didn't keep me awake as I slept through the night in the hammock.

Wow, that looks fun! What was the water temp?

Not sure of the actual temp, but it seemed close to the Columbia River in Oregon--which I live near--and is at around 70+ f (Aug temp). I was expecting the water to be a lot colder, but it was really nice after riding in the warm to hot sun.

It was interesting in that the water was much less salty than other bodies of water I've been in. Found an interesting article explaining this.

 

[Nachodaddy]

Beautiful. Nice report. Thanks

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Man, very nice excursion pdedse. Glad to read you made it happen.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. And with good reason, as the bays and mountains were just gorgeous.

It's gettin' closer.

Nice shots pdedse.

It looks like it, right? Those three shots were at the same time...just playing with the 40x zoom of my Canon sx740 point n shoot. Nice camera for $300 I think it was.
Leaving Earl's Cove and heading for Saltery Bay...my friend's GS and the CB packed in with bicycles and other vehicles:

From upper deck

The wonderful thing about the ferries is that you have a break from riding and can have lunch or other meal while you cross. No need to look for a supermarket or restaurant. Very enjoyable with nice cool to chilly breezes even though it was quite warm on land.
I can't recall if it was 1 or 2pm when we got to Saltery Bay...we wanted to do a second night of camping and Mermaid Cove was almost too soon after getting off the ferry. But it looked inviting and as hotels and campgrounds were nearing capacity, we decided to take a site as there was still room. Got to see a bear cross the road earlier in the morning and the campground manager said another one visited the campground the night before but didn't cause any mischief. Still, we were advised to hang our food from a high branch.

The beach was only 200 meters from our spot and after getting things set-up we headed for the cool, welcoming waters. There were divers just finishing and as Jeff and I are both certified, we asked if they were available the next day, but alas, that was their off day. They thought a few moments about making an exception but realized they had family committments. Next time. There's an underwater mermaid that you can scuba to, and they said there are abundant fish and other creatures to see. I brought a pair of swimming goggles and could see purple star-fish, a few jellies and other creatures among the rocks just off shore.

The ramp is so that divers can just walk into the water at high tide and start their dive...no boat necessary.

Today, this was as good as the diving was going to get:

Jeff is checking in on his family as they have lots going on back home:

He and his wife will be heading back to BC tommorrow, Thursday, just a week after our trip started. They are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. So a lot of this trip was to scope out things for their trip.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. ...
Maybe easy to forgive. Canada's population is less than California, so perceptions can be distorted, but thankfully not.

Ah crap, my roof is melting again. Gotta find some more snow to patch it.

 

[Cormanus]

Most excellent report, pdedse. Wonderful photos.

 

[pdedse]

Man, very nice excursion pdedse. Glad to read you made it happen.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. And with good reason, as the bays and mountains were just gorgeous.

It's gettin' closer.

Nice shots pdedse.

It looks like it, right? Those three shots were at the same time...just playing with the 40x zoom of my Canon sx740 point n shoot. Nice camera for $300 I think it was.
Leaving Earl's Cove and heading for Saltery Bay...my friend's GS and the CB packed in with bicycles and other vehicles:

From upper deck

The wonderful thing about the ferries is that you have a break from riding and can have lunch or other meal while you cross. No need to look for a supermarket or restaurant. Very enjoyable with nice cool to chilly breezes even though it was quite warm on land.
I can't recall if it was 1 or 2pm when we got to Saltery Bay...we wanted to do a second night of camping and Mermaid Cove was almost too soon after getting off the ferry. But it looked inviting and as hotels and campgrounds were nearing capacity, we decided to take a site as there was still room. Got to see a bear cross the road earlier in the morning and the campground manager said another one visited the campground the night before but didn't cause any mischief. Still, we were advised to hang our food from a high branch.

The beach was only 200 meters from our spot and after getting things set-up we headed for the cool, welcoming waters. There were divers just finishing and as Jeff and I are both certified, we asked if they were available the next day, but alas, that was their off day. They thought a few moments about making an exception but realized they had family committments. Next time. There's an underwater mermaid that you can scuba to, and they said there are abundant fish and other creatures to see. I brought a pair of swimming goggles and could see purple star-fish, a few jellies and other creatures among the rocks just off shore.

The ramp is so that divers can just walk into the water at high tide and start their dive...no boat necessary.

Today, this was as good as the diving was going to get:

Jeff is checking in on his family as they have lots going on back home:

He and his wife will be heading back to BC tommorrow, Thursday, just a week after our trip started. They are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. So a lot of this trip was to scope out things for their trip.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. ...
Maybe easy to forgive. Canada's population is less than California, so perceptions can be distorted, but thankfully not.

Ah crap, my roof is melting again. Gotta find some more snow to patch it.

So you DO live in houses made of snow....I knew it.
On Monday, we got up early to pack the tents and other gear so that we could make the 8am ferry that leaves Powell River and would take us to "the Big Island"...the other one, Vancouver Island at Courtenay.

The morning started a bit cloudy and the crossing looked a little less happy than those of the other days with the bright sunshine.

A little difficult to hold the panorama shot steady with the strong breeze, but I love the wide open-ness of these ferry crossings:

We bumped around here and there in Courtenay before heading south on hiway 19. Nanaimo was going to be our stop for the night and after the 2 nights camping, we needed a hotel break. Jeff teaches a few online courses and had to check in with students so we needed a reliable connection.

Most excellent report, pdedse. Wonderful photos.

Thanks, Cormanus...I always enjoy yours...when's the next one?
After some 45 minutes on 19, we headed west on 4...Jeff wanted to take me to Tofino on the west coast of the island, but it was about 170 kilometers, and then we'd have to ride it back and a bit more to Nanaimo, making for a long day. And we new we would have a long ride home on Tuesday. So once we road past Cameron Lake:

...we started talking and realized both of us were a bit tired and didn't feel like riding all the way to Tofino. We made it to Port Alberni, had lunch, then road back to the lake, set up the hammocks, swam for about 45 minutes, then laid out for awhile. Made it Nanaimo by 5 and found Gina's, a funky Mexican / Tex mex restaurant. The food was good after the camp meals.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Nice. I see you went through Coombs and Parksville, BC? Nice retirement communities with very temperate (rideable) winter seasons.

 

[pdedse]

Nice. I see you went through Coombs and Parksville, BC? Nice retirement communities with very temperate (rideable) winter seasons.

My friend and I thought the same about a lot of the areas we rode through, but weren't sure about winters, but temperate and rideable, you say? My wife is from Costa Rica and so our U.S. winters will likely be spent there and summers in Oregon. But we are already thinking a trip to BC via 4 wheel vehicle (she doesn't like motorcycles) would be fun.

Last day, Tuesday...

Jeff's mom was in Victoria, BC on Monday and she didn't get on the ferry to Port Angeles because it was booked solid. Lots of people moving about as Monday, August 1st was British Columbia Day, when BC celebrates being BC. Since she had difficulty getting on a ferry, we decided to make a reservation...turned out to be a wise choice.

We got up plenty early and neither of us checked to see how much time was needed to ride from Nanaimo to Victoria. We just thought and hour or so was good...got lazy. Started talking about this and that, and soon it was 8:30...and I thought I had read something about getting to the terminal an hour before the 10:30 departure. Turns out hiway 1 south to Victoria has lots of traffic and a number of stop lights and we got delayed by an accident. Jeff started picking up the pace and it was just past 10 after humming through the downtown streets of Victoria. We got to the terminal and there were 4 cars waiting to get on...when we confirmed with the attendant that we had reservations, he lightly scolded us with "ok, maybe you got a chance...but you should have been here an hour ago...no guarentees". We waited another 20 mintues before they let the last 4 cars and us through the pearly gates. Another 10 minutes for the customs guy to deal with the cars...and then us. Loudspeaker came on blaring "two minutes, two minutes till departure"...custom guy keeps asking questions...then we have to literally run to a customs office, get a quick ok, back to bikes...ride on the ferry and I was the last person / vehicle to enter. Waited on my bike for them to pull in the thick mooring ropes, they clanked the door shut and bolted it down, they had me move my bike right in front of the door, blocked it off and tied it down, and whew! nick of time style.

Lesson learned...don't lolly-gag around, we had let our guard down. I think the ease with which we got on all the other ferries lulled us a bit. Had we missed it, we likely would have got on the 3pm ferry, but we both were trying to get back, him to Rosyln, WA and me to Gresham, OR.

Jeff is still a bit giddy and grateful to have made it...I know I was:

Time to relax and enjoy our last ferry of the trip, a two hour cruise to Port Angeles

Heading out

Looking back at Victoria

I want to take a sea plane tour next time...would be fun to land on the water:

Back to the USA

Once through Port Angeles, Jeff and I parted ways. He took 101 east and was to travel through Olympia and I went west taking 112 which parallels 101, but nearer to the coast.

Last trip photo, near where 112 reconnects with 101 on the WA coast.

Some delays on 101 due to road construction. At one of them I got a text from Jeff saying he got stuck in 101 traffic on the other side of the Olympic Nat. Park, and he was turning back and coming my way! Wanted to know if I wanted to camp one more night. But I was already pretty far south and wanted to sleep in my own bed instead of the hammock...he understood. We both got to our respective homes after 8pm quite happy with the trip.

Thanks for viewing!

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Nice. I see you went through Coombs and Parksville, BC? Nice retirement communities with very temperate (rideable) winter seasons.

My friend and I thought the same about a lot of the areas we rode through, but weren't sure about winters, but temperate and rideable, you say? My wife is from Costa Rica and so our U.S. winters will likely be spent there and summers in Oregon. But we are already thinking a trip to BC via 4 wheel vehicle (she doesn't like motorcycles) would be fun.

Last day, Tuesday...

Jeff's mom was in Victoria, BC on Monday and she didn't get on the ferry to Port Angeles because it was booked solid. Lots of people moving about as Monday, August 1st was British Columbia Day, when BC celebrates being BC. Since she had difficulty getting on a ferry, we decided to make a reservation...turned out to be a wise choice.

We got up plenty early and neither of us checked to see how much time was needed to ride from Nanaimo to Victoria. We just thought and hour or so was good...got lazy. Started talking about this and that, and soon it was 8:30...and I thought I had read something about getting to the terminal an hour before the 10:30 departure. Turns out hiway 1 south to Victoria has lots of traffic and a number of stop lights and we got delayed by an accident. Jeff started picking up the pace and it was just past 10 after humming through the downtown streets of Victoria. We got to the terminal and there were 4 cars waiting to get on...when we confirmed with the attendant that we had reservations, he lightly scolded us with "ok, maybe you got a chance...but you should have been here an hour ago...no guarentees". We waited another 20 mintues before they let the last 4 cars and us through the pearly gates. Another 10 minutes for the customs guy to deal with the cars...and then us. Loudspeaker came on blaring "two minutes, two minutes till departure"...custom guy keeps asking questions...then we have to literally run to a customs office, get a quick ok, back to bikes...ride on the ferry and I was the last person / vehicle to enter. Waited on my bike for them to pull in the thick mooring ropes, they clanked the door shut and bolted it down, they had me move my bike right in front of the door, blocked it off and tied it down, and whew! nick of time style.

Lesson learned...don't lolly-gag around, we had let our guard down. I think the ease with which we got on all the other ferries lulled us a bit. Had we missed it, we likely would have got on the 3pm ferry, but we both were trying to get back, him to Rosyln, WA and me to Gresham, OR.

Jeff is still a bit giddy and grateful to have made it...I know I was:

Time to relax and enjoy our last ferry of the trip, a two hour cruise to Port Angeles

Heading out

Looking back at Victoria

I want to take a sea plane tour next time...would be fun to land on the water:

Back to the USA

Once through Port Angeles, Jeff and I parted ways. He took 101 east and was to travel through Olympia and I went west taking 112 which parallels 101, but nearer to the coast.

Last trip photo, near where 112 reconnects with 101 on the WA coast.

Some delays on 101 due to road construction. At one of them I got a text from Jeff saying he got stuck in 101 traffic on the other side of the Olympic Nat. Park, and he was turning back and coming my way! Wanted to know if I wanted to camp one more night. But I was already pretty far south and wanted to sleep in my own bed instead of the hammock...he understood. We both got to our respective homes after 8pm quite happy with the trip.

Thanks for viewing!

Low stress!

 

[Nachodaddy]

Wow, nice report. Thanks. Almost like I was there, too. :beerchug:

 

[ymtnpoah11_imp]

@pdedse This is fantastic! Great photos and detail. Thanks for sharing!
<3Victoria

 

[Cormanus]

Thanks again, pdedse, for taking us on that trip.