Susan & Jessica's West Coast Cycle 2000
8/15/14
INTRODUCTION

This blog was originally a website kept by Scott Campbell, one of my Red Dirt Pedaler bike club friends. Since then it has become defunct, the server that hosted it no longer available. Thus, I am converting the website copy and photos to a journal-type blog in 2014 while in a temporary cycling hiatus. Hard for me to believe that I rode the west coast so long ago. Where did those 14 years go?
THE PLAN
Susan Walker and her daughter, Jessica, are spending the month of September and the first week in October 2000 bicycle touring in the Pacific northwest—a change from Susan's original plan to tour with Scenic Cycling, Inc. The Scenic Cycling tour became seriously pricey, so it's now down to (or up to) mother/daughter! (With a lot of planning help from Tom Kirkendall and Vicky Spring’s book Bicycling the Pacific Coast: A Complete Route Guide, Canada to Mexico and route maps from the Adventure Cycling Association.)
The two plan on camping in the hiker/biker sections of state, provincial, or local parks. But, when they tire of the dark, drippy, mossy forests of the northwest, they will spend the night in a hostel. And, on occasion, they will treat themselves to a night in a motel. They plan on saving $$ by preparing their own breakfasts and suppers and by buying lunch and snacks along the way.

Their full itinerary is shown on the cover, but here is their general plan: They will take a ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, pedal to Victoria on the southern tip of the island, take another ferry to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula, and then follow Rt. 101 around the west side of the peninsula and down the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and northern California.

The two will each be fully loaded (ha, particularly in wine country!) for a self-supported tour. Jess will ride a Trek 8500 mountain bike with Rolf wheels and slick road tires and pull a BOB trailer. Susan will ride a Litespeed Blue Ridge touring bike outfitted with front and rear Arkel-Overdesign panniers.

Note: The original photos were taken with a cheap film camera, were scanned from the originals, were copied off the website, and then copied again from a paper journal, so all are a bit fuzzy. Apologies.
Day 1--ASSEMBLY PROBLEMS
OK to Vancouver, BC
September 5, 2000
September 5, 2000
This is the fourth time I have had to create this message. This little machine is having delete/memory problems and—inserts or erases things randomly—and very frustratingly!
The skinny: Bike arrived in Vancouver in great shape. I reassembled it with no problems until the handlebars wouldn't tighten. Found it was because the sleeve had come out with one bolt. When Jess arrived we took a taxi-van to Richmond south of the airport and the Steveston Bike Shop. They fixed my problem with a couple of bolts and nuts and reassembled Jess' bike for her.
We changed into cycling clothes in a pizza parlor across from the Richmond Bike Shop, so started our tour in Richmond. After changing, we biked back to the airport and then on farther north to our host lodgings on 29th street in the city. Some pretty hectic city riding, but the city is bicycle friendly with marked routes and bicycle lanes in many areas.
Our Warm Showers cycling hosts, Margaret Hunter, a retired teacher, and John Hickman, a retired diver, had cycled all over the world. Their interesting tales and their homemade wine kept us at the dinner table until bedtime.
Miles: 24.06
Weather: 58°F with light rain in early eve
Route: Vancouver airport to Richmond to Vancouver
General: Vancouver brimming with flowers. Very bicycle friendly. At one point we overshot a turn by a couple of miles and found ourselves in Asia—women in conical hats planting and harvesting, large oriental truck gardens, a huge red and gold Kaun Yin Buddhist temple.
Day 2--FERRY TO NAINAMO
September 6, 2000
Vancouver to Nainamo, BC
Vancouver to Nainamo, BC
Margaret and John lead us through the city and to the ferry to N. Vancouver. The ferry took 20 min. Started out on Rt 1/99 as guidebook instructed, but found it to be 8 lanes and high speed. A policeman rescued us and gave us better route. Rode the rest of the way on two-lane up/down Marine Way road to Horseshoe Bay and the ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Dolphins (porpoises?) frolicked in the ferry wake. We had something to eat and then I perused maps and Jess slept until docking in Nanaimo.
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Jess, Margaret Hunter, John Hickman. Getting ready to lead us from 29th St. to the north Vancouver ferry.
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Following John and Margaret across a bridge to North Vancouver. Notice the well marked cycle/ped lanes; Right:
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Jess on the North Vancouver Ferry and in a little vest pocket park at the top of our city hills and before the West Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club
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Twinkie shot to the one below: right: some of the veddy veddy properly attired West Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club members. We don’t need reminding that we are in BRITISH Columbia, eh Nigel?
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A smiling Susan on the level after an exceedingly long and steep climb up a series of San Francisco-like city hills after debarking from the North Vancouver Ferry.
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Horseshoe Bay and the big ferry we will
take to Vancouver Island |
Great supper of New Orleans red beans and rice and corn on the cob. A little hike along the shoreline where we encountered a frolicking otter and many birds, and then to bed.
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Jess slicing a tomato at our Nanaimo Living Trees Campground; Susan eating an ear of roast corn at our Living Trees CG on Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, B.C |
After dinner, we explore along the water’s edge.That’s a bird feather in my hair.
Miles: 42.74
Weather: 65°F and gloriously sunny
Route: Vancouver to Nanaimo
General: A great day in a most beautiful spot. The jagged, clouded peaks of the mountains reflected in the water; glorious sunset, peaceful campsite
Day 3--CHAMPAGNE
Nanaimo to Mill Bay, BC
We packed up the campsite and headed out by 9 a.m. What started as a beautiful morning turned into off and on rain. I took my rain jacket on and off all day, not only because of the rain, but also because of the heat I'd generate climbing. Jess, meanwhile, was bundled into two long-sleeved jerseys and her raincoat asking me constantly that most foolish of questions: "Aren't you cold?" Ha! I rode the last bit of the day in pouring rain and just my RDP jersey with my raincoat wrapped around my waist.
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Susan leaving Living Trees campground |
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Susan already minus arm warmers and with her jersey
unzipped on the road between Nanaimo and Mill Bay |
We opted for a motel this soggy, chill night. An awesome though inelegant room, kitchen, hot tub (aaahhhh) and a proprietor who dried our clothes in his private dryer. A red deer was munching on the lawn in the rain when we arrived. I thought it was a pet, but the motel owner said it was a pest instead.
Before getting to the motel, we stopped to get a six-pack and some celebratory champagne, and then had a short but tremendously steep climb to the motel. We both ended up walking the last fifty feet or so.
Weather: 62°F rain all day
Before getting to the motel, we stopped to get a six-pack and some celebratory champagne, and then had a short but tremendously steep climb to the motel. We both ended up walking the last fifty feet or so.
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Jess & Susan enjoying a champagne and some dry warmth after a cold, wet day
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Mill Bay Motel living room. Don’t know whether the haze is steam from our wet gear or a fogged camera lens.
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Route: Nanaimo to Mill Bay. Out of Nanaimo on Hwy 1, which was a 4 lane 65 mph roar of traffic with a wide shoulder but very uncomfortable for Jess. Stopped and got directions for getting to Mill Bay ferry on back roads. Longer route but much less traffic. Motel in Mill Bay.
General: A strenuous day in the rain with several climbs, very friendly and helpful people, a very weak Canadian dollar (presently worth .49 to our dollar) which makes possible buying such things as champagne and smoked salmon for dinner.
General: A strenuous day in the rain with several climbs, very friendly and helpful people, a very weak Canadian dollar (presently worth .49 to our dollar) which makes possible buying such things as champagne and smoked salmon for dinner.
Day 4--MILL BAY FERRY
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Susan in her new yellow glasses waiting for the Mill Bay ferry |
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Waiting for the Mill Bay ferry |
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Victoria's Empress Hotel |
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Quayside park with the Empress Hotel in background |
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Jess communing with a flamingo at Victoria Crystal Gardens |
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Some beer drinking doggies in wigs and hats. Anything amusing for a dime on these streets.
You paid the guy something to take a photo of the dogs. |
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Jess on the Coho Ferry to Port Angeles, Washington and the Olympic Peninsula |
Miles: 35
Weather: Very windy (headwinds), temp in the 60s and low 70s. Rained in the night.
Route: Mill Bay to Lincoln Park, Port Angeles Can't remember our distance but it was about 25 miles to Victoria plus a lot of city exploratory riding plus the miles to the campsite in Port Angeles. About 35 miles I'd guess.
Day 5--CHAINSUCK
September 9, 2000
Port Angeles to Forks, WA
Today we gladly packed up and left Lincoln Park in Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula and rode to Forks. We are in a motel because it has been cold, windy, and rainy all day and we'd had enuff!
Today we gladly packed up and left Lincoln Park in Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula and rode to Forks. We are in a motel because it has been cold, windy, and rainy all day and we'd had enuff!
Despite the weather it was a gorgeous ride along the foot (feet?) of the Olympic chain and around the east side of Lake Crescent, a 600-foot deep glacial lake with clear, deep-green water.

Left: Topiary Octopus at
the Fiero Marine Life Center,
Port Angeles, Washington
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Port Angeles by daylight, flanked by the Olympic Mountains |
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Sol Duc Valley & Hot Springs in Olympic National Park |
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Entering Olympic National Park |
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A sign we saw that we thought was funny: ORGANIC LLAMA MANURE, $3 |
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Storm King Mountain at Crescent Lake |
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Our first glimpse of Storm King Mountain |
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Jess with Crescent Lake in the background |
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The single-log bridge to Marymere Falls |
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Mutha & Dauta at Marymere Falls |
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Mustachioed with Marymere moss |
Jess stayed in a C-store/Subway sandwich place while I loaded my bike in the littered back of the character’s beat-up truck and took off with him for his workshop. Don’t think I wasn’t pondering survival moves just in case he got any weirder than he already was.
We've been having a great —if soggy—time and will send accounts of our first week if this transmits.
Miles: 51
Weather: 50s to low 60s, all day rainy and strong headwind, particularly around Crescent Lake
Terrain: Rolling hills with one very long climb
Route: Port Angeles to Forks
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