I caught an early morning flight to Victoria today. My bike survived the trip which was my biggest worry. Halifax Cycles did a great job boxing it up, and Air Canada managed to not lose or destroy it. The past few days have been a flurry of goodbyes interspersed with preparing our house for the people staying it in while we’re away. Now that I’ve arrived in BC I can finally relax—the trip is actually happening.
I had Halifax Cycles stuff my luggage in the bike box since the airline doesn’t mind as long as you stay under their size and weight limits. They used a fat bike box to fit it all, but that ended up too long to fit in the back of my friend’s station wagon, so my attempt to avoid a $25 baggage fee inadvertently created a $80 cab fee. 🤷♂️
The airport in Victoria is incredibly bicycle friendly. There’s a covered bicycle assembly area in the parking lot with bike lockers, tools, pumps, and a bike box library (I made a deposit today).
Then the ride between the airport and Victoria is on many kilometres of protected bike lanes and local street bikeways with great wayfinding signs. I saw so many families riding bikes together on this sunny Sunday afternoon. Also, I rode by some pigs sleeping in the mud.
Tonight I’m staying with Heather and James and their 4–6 kids. Heather was our maid of honour when we got married. They are foster parents with some full-time and some part-time charges, so the number of kids fluctuates throughout the week. I managed to leave my kids behind on Fathers Day so it’s nice having so many substitutes around.
Today’s Distance: 25 km
