I started early on my trip to Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island . I was not quite sure how far it was, so
I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get there. At the end it was about
250 km, and considering that my top speed is 50 km per hour, and closer to 30
km/hour on average, it is not surprising that it took me about 9 hours to
complete the trip.
The first leg, to Nanaimo , is
due north from Victoria ,
along the east coast of the island along Highway 1. It was a busy road, but
once again I did alright riding on the shoulder. The weather changed every 10
minutes from sunny to overcast, to drizzly but was overall quite pleasant. I
passed many beautiful mountains, but didn’t take time to go for a little hike
because I felt I had to gain miles before crossing the mountains. I had been
told that the road across the mountains was very twisted and steep, so I was
giving myself enough time to negotiate it.
After Nanaimo
the road veers to the west, along a road full of cracks and differential
settlement, so in that regard it is challenging. As far as steepness or curves
it was not challenging at all. I hope these good folks never have to drive
through southern Mexico or
northern Vietnam ,
where they would have to redefine their conception of tough driving. But then
again they have their mercurial weather, don’t they. As I drove up the
mountains the temperature started dropping and the wind started picking up
speed. It must have been 10ºC, but with the wind chill factor it felt more like
5ºC. And then it started to rain. Like in other occasions I managed to get damp
between the first drops of rain and the time I donned my rain poncho, after
which the rain started to fall in earnest, chilling me to the bone.
As my body temperature dropped I started to feel sleepy.
Yes, it is possible to fall asleep on a scooter, and more than once I found
myself perilously close to the edge of the road, or swinging wildly toward the
middle of the road. I stopped once to walk a little and clear my head, just in
time for a big deluge to hit. I was under the shelter of a rest area, but my
poor scooter got drenched (it is a good thing that I had jerry-rigged saddle
bags with two water proof river bags, so my computer and other personal
belongings remained totally dry).
I started to shiver when I got back on the scooter, and the
last 50 km were actually quite miserable. This is too bad because for the last
30 km I was riding on a narrow peninsula, and I had to miss several
opportunities to park and walk to the beach. The west coast is very popular
with surfers, so I imagine it is quite spectacular, but I was a man on a
mission (namely to get out of my wet, freezing boots) and I kept going until I
got to Tofino and my hostel. I got there around 5:30, and promptly got rid of
my wet clothes, but it took me a good half hour to thaw and stop shivering.
Tofino is a nice touristy little town that overlooks a
beautiful bay. The town caters to surfers and beach combers, and has the
regular array of shops and amenities. I checked a couple of restaurants and
thought they were pricey, so I stopped at the supermarket and bought what I
needed to make a nice Jambalaya for dinner. I still need to take a hot shower
and wash and dry clothes, but for the time being I am enjoying a cup of coffee
while I write this blog. A warm bed has never beckoned in a more alluring way.
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