The next morning we continued in the direction of Vancouver, thoroughly enjoying the picturesque Trans Canada Highway (Route 99), that ran along a raging river for quite a while.
While fueling up in Pemberton, a solo female rider on a BWM 700 GS arrived and hurriedly got off of her bike and was trotting into the station. She paused upon seeing us and said with a slight Brazilian accent “Wow! Looks like quite an adventure - I would love to talk to you guys, because my husband and I want to do something similar but I have to go call a taxi to go back to him because he dropped his bike on the gravel road back there and has hurt his foot too badly to ride.”
Roel offered to take the taxi back with her and ride her husband’s bike back to the gas station while they took the taxi to the hospital, so that they could avoid paying rural towing charges. And mind you, this was not just any bike, but a Multistrada. Perhaps he was overly happy to help out another rider in this instance ;)
When Roel returned, we continued on our way to Vancouver as we had a ferry to Vancouver Island to catch. However, by the time we made it to Whistler, we were so hot and miserable in the heat of the day that we had to stop for a swim to refresh ourselves.
The Sea to Sky Highway was gorgeous - no wonder it is a popular spot for Vancouver riders any day of the week. We enjoyed the road and the views, and so did everyone else it seemed, as the traffic was pretty thick. By the time we made it through Vancouver to the ferry launch, we just made the last ferry to Victoria.
(Ferrying to Victoria, Vancouver Island)
(Perks of taking the last ferry)
From the ferry launch, we headed through downtown Victoria to the coast and found ourselves on the doorstep of our friend Phoenix, who we met at the Overland Expo back in Arizona. We had kept in touch via Facebook, and when she saw we were planning to visit Vancouver Island, she invited us to stay with her at the beach house she had rented for the summer.
(Delish breakfast with the Riding Lovebirds)
Reconnecting with Phoenix and meeting her partner (who she met while riding in Mexico), was good for my soul. Phoenix also rocks the KLiM Altitude suit, but is a girl after my own heart in so many other ways. Spending time with her felt like hanging out with the big sister I’ve never had.
(Altitude Ladies & Roel (photo credit: Bobbi Bjornholt)
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