Stage 1: We set off, and so did the rain

Stage 01 / 10 · Vancouver → Powell River

We set off, and so did the rain

📅 24–27 September 2011⛺ 3 nights⛴ 2 crossings + Comox ferry🌧 4 days of rain

Every story has a beginning, and this one began a day before the first pedal stroke, on 23 September 2011, at Vancouver English Centre. It was my last day at work there. My colleagues had decorated the office to send me off: a huge “GOODBYE OG!” banner, blue balloons and a Turkish flag. They had even written our route in a corner of the banner: Vancouver to San Diego.

The stage map. Click to enlarge. The red line is where we rode; the dotted blue line is where we took the ferry.

How the stage went

• 24 September · Day 1Vancouver → Horseshoe Bay → Roberts CreekGoodbye to the city from the Lions Gate Bridge, pizza at Horseshoe Bay before the ferry, then the Langdale ferry. Night: the campground next to the store in Roberts Creek (the provincial park was closed).
• 25 September · Day 2Roberts Creek → Earls Cove → Saltery BayOur first home-cooked breakfast, then rain all day and the Earls Cove–Saltery Bay ferry. Night: no water at Saltery Bay, so we moved to a campground with showers; $1 for 7.5 minutes.
• 26 September · Day 3Saltery Bay → Powell RiverFerries cancelled because of the storm; a six-hour wait at Rocky Mountain Bakery. Night: the campground next to the terminal, a covered corner and four minutes of hot water for $1.
• 27 September · Day 4Powell River → Comox (ferry)The 7:45 am ferry finally ran; breakfast was a waffle with strawberries and cream. Vancouver Island and stage 2 begin.

“GOODBYE OG!” Vancouver English Centre, my last day at work. Thumbs up, legs not tired yet.

The colleagues who sent me off. I’m so glad you were there.

24 September · Add panniers, then try that hill again

On the morning of 24 September 2011, the real journey began in front of a house in Vancouver: two bikes, loaded panniers, Philip and me.

Before we left, Philip very carefully sealed his phone in a zip-lock bag. I watched from the side and thought, “This Swiss guy is really overdoing it.” A bit of Turkish logic: come on, what could possibly go wrong? Look closely at the photos and you’ll see the difference: Philip’s panniers were waterproof from top to bottom; mine were “water resistant”. Within a few days I would learn the difference between those two words with my whole body, but that morning I had no idea :)

Within a few days I would learn the difference between those two words with my whole body.

Philip and the famous zip-lock bag. I laughed then. A few days later I knew he was right.

Two bikes, ready to go. The grey bags are mine, the white Ortlieb bags are Philip’s. You can guess which ones were waterproof.

We took our last photos downtown. I was wearing my Fenerbahçe jersey, the yellow and navy of my football club back in Türkiye: yellow and navy in the middle of Canada! I don’t know what people passing by thought, but I was very serious.

Setting off in yellow and navy. Philip next to me, bags fully loaded.

Then the Lions Gate Bridge… From the top of the bridge I looked at Vancouver harbour one last time. Leaving behind, on a bicycle, the city I had lived in for almost a year was a strange feeling: a little sad, a little excited, and a little “What on earth are we doing?”

Lions Gate Bridge. Goodbye, Vancouver.

The first lesson came quickly. The bike I had trained on in the evenings without any load turned into a completely different bike once the bags were on. It was much heavier than I expected. The hills? The hills were pure torture. But the plan was clear: take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and spend the first night around Roberts Creek. The view from the ferry window was worth all the effort.

Pizza at Horseshoe Bay before the ferry. The box said “Healthy! Low Fat!”, and we believed it.

From the Horseshoe Bay ferry. The clouds were trying to tell us something that day. We didn’t get it.

By the time we reached Roberts Creek it was dark, and the provincial park where we had planned to stay was closed. Looking for a campsite in the dark, tired… Luckily, fortune smiled on us and we found a nice campground right next to a store. This was my first night on tour, in my first touring tent: a bit green, a bit shiny and quite proud.

The first night. Still dry, still full of hope.

The first night’s kitchen: headlamp, stove and a red fuel bottle.

25 September · Rain, and the value of loose change

In the morning we shopped at the store and cooked our first breakfast with our own hands, and it wasn’t bad at all. We had just finished when the rain started. We packed everything in a hurry and set off to catch the next ferry. It rained the whole way. That day I typed this into my phone: “First camp, first rainy night. Looks like it won’t be the last.” How right I was!

Wet leaves, wet table, wet bikes. The only dry thing was our mood. Partly.

Road selfie in the rain. The face says it all.

At Saltery Bay we pitched the tent, but there was no water for cooking or a shower. We packed up and moved to another campground. There, a shower cost one dollar for 7.5 minutes. It took me five minutes to work out how the machine worked, so in fact I had a cold shower. But those last two minutes… After two days on the road, believe me, two minutes of hot water were the best two minutes in the world.

26 September · A six-hour bakery stop

In Powell River we took shelter in Rocky Mountain Bakery. Great food, normal prices and lovely staff. Good thing, too, because we sat there for six whole hours! The storm had cancelled the ferries. We waited for the 4:00 pm ferry: no luck. We waited for the 4:15: no luck either.

On one of these rainy days we stopped in front of a red wall. While Philip posed in the rain with two thumbs up, I took a photo of the bike computer. The day’s report card: 53.5 km, an average of 14 km/h and a top speed of 53.8 km/h. Yes, on a loaded bike, on a wet road, downhill, 53.8! Please don’t tell my mother :)

Philip: Is it raining? What rain?

The bike computer, held on with tape. Waterproofing, our way.

With no crossing that day, we stayed at the campground right next to the terminal. The owners were such good people that they gave us a covered spot for our tent. After days in the rain, it’s hard to explain how much that meant. Finally we could dry out a little: our shoes, our socks and, yes, our underwear too. Four minutes of hot water for a dollar was a luxury once again.

Powell River in the evening after the storm. As if nothing had happened.

Dinner at camp. A dry table and a hot meal: luxury.

Powell River ferry terminal. The day before, we couldn’t go anywhere from here.

By the way, I have another confession: I even had a licence plate on the back of my bike. Navy letters on a yellow background: “OGseker10, Vancouver, Canada”. Yellow and navy in the middle of Canada, for the second time! I wanted the cars coming up behind me to at least know who they were about to run over :)

OGseker10. We never paid road tax, but we had a plate.

Comox ferry: “Proceed on green.” After two days, the light finally turned green.

Philip in the ferry line between the cars. The perk of being on a bike: we go to the front.

27 September · Finally, the other shore

27 September, 7:45 in the morning. The weather was finally back to normal and the ferries were running. The ferry was packed, and we had breakfast on board. I went for a waffle with strawberries and cream, plus a chocolate cookie. I still have the receipt; it says 27 September 2011.

A long day lay ahead: our first day riding south on Vancouver Island. The forecast said the wind would come from the south. In other words, right in our faces… What luck! :)

Breakfast on the ferry. The cyclist’s diet: waffle first, think later.

I’ll admit it: in these first four days there were moments when I was fed up with everything. But looking back, you learn the most in the first days: the difference between waterproof and water resistant, the value of two minutes of hot water, and the kindness of strangers who make room for you in a dry corner. When the ferry left the dock, we were still on our way, and Vancouver Island was waiting.

Stage card

• Where we slept: Roberts Creek (the provincial park was closed for the season; we used a campground nearby), a campground with showers around Saltery Bay (no water at the provincial park), and the campground next to the terminal in Powell River. Their status today: Where we stayed
• Shower prices in 2011 (CAD): $1 for 7.5 minutes, $1 for 4 minutes. Coins are everything.
• Lesson from the road: ferries depend on the weather. Always plan a spare day.

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