Cycling

Today I decide to go from Comox to Courtenay and then towards Royston.  I bike down Comox Road to the 17 Street bridge which crosses the Comox Estuary.

The Comox Estuary.  This is the point that we sailed to the other day then turned around because the mast of the sailboat wouldn’t fit under the bridge.



Cross the bridge then I’m in Courtenay.





Tide is going out.  Quite breezy but beautiful.



There are several old ships here that were used to build the breakwater.





These greenways are nice to ride.



Then back to Comox.  I was gone a couple of hours.

Off to Comox

I have a housesit in Comox on Vancouver Island for 10 days.  Looking after two cats and hope to do some biking. The Filberg Festival is happening and plan on attending that.

Coming in to Departure Bay in Nanaimo I realize that we are moving away from the shore, not going closer.  Then there is an overhead announcement that they are experiencing engine trouble and we can’t dock until the problem is rectified.  Finally things are fixed but we are about an hour late in docking.  Off to Comox which should take about 2 hours.  The weather is beautiful.

This is where I am staying.  Cute home, nice and quiet.

Right next to the property I am staying at is the Filberg Lodge and Park.  It’s beautiful and this is where the festival takes place next weekend.

The grounds are beautiful.  This arbor leads to the water and the lodge which used to be the home of the Filberg.

Lots of wild flowers.



This cairn is in the Mack Laing Nature Park.  He was an ornithologist, artist and naturalist who died in 1982.  He worked right up to the day he died at age 99!

Beautiful boardwalk.

Then as I’m walking along I meet Rob who is just going out in his sailboat and asks if I’d like to join him.  Well he didn’t have to ask twice.  He hands me a life jacket and off we go.  He rows out in his rowboat and then we switch over to the sailboat.

He’s almost got the sails up then I transfer over to the sailboat.  What a beautiful day with a perfect wind.  We sail down to the river and the 17th Street bridge where we have to turn around as his mast will not fit under the bridge.  He takes me to a spot where they have sunk old ships to make a breakwater.  He has so many stories to tell with boating.

Back at home that evening Milo and Finnegan are enjoying some rough housing.

The next day I decide to go on a bike ride.  This is Kye Bay Beach.

Then I head to Goose Spit Park where there is a Naval Base.  The beach along here is beautiful.  I then ride up the hill 😳 and back to my house.  A full loop which just took slightly more than an hour

I finish my day with fresh local steamed clams and a glass of rose at the Tea House over at the Filberg property.  I then totter home to see what the cats are up to.

Weekend on Vancouver Island

This weekend started with my niece’s wedding taking place.  I managed to find a housesit in Sidney for two nights so accommodation was covered.

Meet 4 year old Nana.  What a sweetie.  I really enjoyed looking after her while her parents went to Vancouver to see their son graduate to become a police officer.  Such a nice couple.  Nana’s bib says Eat, Sleep, Drool!

A big happy girl!  A true gentle giant.

My trusty steed! Riding the circuit around the Victoria airport.  10 kms of nice paved path.



This is a memorial to people who lost their lives in the Air Force during WWII when this was a training area.





The next day I found the Lochside Trail which starts at the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal and runs in to Victoria.



I stopped for lunch at the Harvest Road roadside cafe.  Fresh great food.  Popular stop for cyclists.



I rode into Sidney down by the water.  Sidney is such a pretty place.







Then it’s time for the wedding at the Beach House Restaurant.  What a great venue.



All set up for nuptials on the beach.



Grandkids all dressed up for the special occasion.



Bride and groom, Charlotte and Jacob.  Beautiful couple.



And the boys partied hard.  Quite the moves!



They all had a great time.



The next day after leaving my housesit I went for a walk down at the Sidney waterfront.  Perfect weather.



The pier in Sidney.

I then drove to my B&B in Colwood.  It’s close to Royal Roads University so on Sunday I’m up early and make my way through the grounds of the University to one of the entrances to the Galloping Goose bike path.  It’s so pretty with paths going off in all directions.  Got lost a couple of times but find my way eventually.

Lake Matheson 

I ride all the way to the Sooke Potholes.  Approximately 90 kms in 5.5 hrs.  I’m knackered but I had to get back to the B&B, load up my bike and drive to the ferry.  I managed to get there early and there was room on the earlier ferry so I’m home early.  What a weekend.  Better go to work and rest up!