Coastal Adventure Day 11: Nanaimo - Victoria

Tuesday, September 19th, 2023

I wake up with a ringing head; the previous evening we enjoyed several pints of Guinness and one or two gin and tonics and I don't think I've eaten enough. I've slept on a pull-out couch, wrapped in my sleeping bag in the living room of my brother and sister's apartment. As of two months ago they now live together, quite copacetically, and their home is decorated with intention and pride; I absolutely love it. As I get my bearings they both emerge from their respective rooms and we plunge into a morning of catching up over espressos and a smoothie. The conversation is fantastic; they each continue to share how things are going and recent stories of their adventures. My sister just came back from Europe having bounced from France to Portugal and up to the Netherlands and then Ireland before returning home. She shows me her wall art; a collection of old records, too scratched up for use, which she has used as small canvases reflecting experiences and perspective. She shows me her journal which is a beautiful collection of art, clippings and written thoughts and tells me about her days full of school, work and gym workouts. My brother, who is girl-crazy, regales me with tales of dates (some gone awry), his own work as a lifeguard and shows me his skills with an accordion; I could not be more proud of them.

Before long it is time for me to take my leave. I have had a wonderful reunion with my family and know that this is only the beginning of many more visits and cherished memories but for now I want to get back on my journey. I plan to get to Victoria by end-of-day and after some delays I finally get on the road. Time is not my friend. I have a seventy kilometer time trial to complete in three hours to catch the last ferry from Mill Bay and I still have not eaten. I briefly stop at the Old Town Bakery in Ladysmith where I devour chicken pot pie, samosa, a peanut butter nanaimo bar and wash it down with the requisite americano (what else?) before setting out.

Once back on the road I am navigated through small towns, pastures and the infernal highway; there is little time to dither. Indecisive skies bring periods of rain which I ignore; I just need to get to that ferry. I press on and my speed is aided by cooperative cross tail-wind. I make the last ferry of the evening with fifteen minutes to spare and even managed a cheeky picture along the way; not bad for a neo bike-packer/blogger eh?

As day begins to dim my bike once again provides a bridge to conversation and a fellow foot-passenger asks about my adventures. Hers are much more interesting. She is a travelling nurse who has given up all possessions save for two well-stuffed backpacks that carry her portable office and living needs. She has worked all over the world taking short contracts before moving on to another community along her way. Today we meet at the end of one of her journeys and she is coming home to rest and recuperate in Victoria while waiting for the next contract. We board the ferry and I am greeted by the most cheerful crew on the tiniest vessel (by BC Ferries that is) I have yet experienced. I ask where to place my bike and this query ignites a game of 'green light, red light' that even the captain joins in on. We're all in tears by the time I've found my spot; who the heck are these happy sailors?

I walk off the boat with the nurse and chat longer than expected as I follow her up to her bus stop. As we go she tells me more stories of her life and again I find myself a wandering traveller, meeting incredible strangers and collecting wonderful tales. Before I depart she gracefully agrees to have her picture taken. She is a force of energy and I soak it all up.

By now it is dark and cold and late. I keep my down jacket on as I strap my headlamp over my helmet, check my directions and plunge into the night. I have a thirty kilometer ride to my last stop of the trip. In keeping with the momentousness of the journey thus far, this next chapter will be a good one. I think I'll wait till tomorrow to tell you.