The exciting conclusion to the Vancouver Island & Sunshine Coast Bike 4 Bibles Tour of the Canadian Bible Society in August 2015...
The West Coast blue heron is a distinct subspecies and is listed as nationally vulnerable.
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@ Gibsons Ferry from Daniel Loucks on Vimeo.
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From the church in Gibsons out to the ferry terminal, it was an easy 5km ride, ending with a long, glorious descent to the ocean. As we did the previous day, we left town before the roosters crowed in order to catch the first boat into the city. This was the day that we roadies were perhaps most worried about because of logistics and rider's safety, but it turned out to be unwarranted, thankfully. In fact, the riders were split into four groups, each led by a cyclist who was familiar with the route through Vancouver, and had no trouble whatsoever, while at least two roadie crews made 'navigational errors'! Cyclists with us from Victoria also did the same thing for us through that gorgeous city on the first day of the trip.
The 45 minute ferry to the city was arguably the most spectacularly scenic of the four ferries that we took, despite being the shortest. The first three cruises were merely beautiful trips.
The 45 minute ferry to the city was arguably the most spectacularly scenic of the four ferries that we took, despite being the shortest. The first three cruises were merely beautiful trips.
The trip through the City of Vancouver was very scenic, travelling along the incredible Marine Drive on the North Shore, across the spectacular Lion's Gate Bridge above Prospector's Point Lookout in iconic Stanley Park, past the international airport in Burnaby, and on into Richmond, on the Fraser River and home of The Tapestry Church (somewhere between the 'C' in "Richmond" and the 'O' in "Steveston" on the map above.)
The map above shows our route during the 2015 Canadian Bible Society's Bike 4 Bibles Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast Ride. We took the ferry from Vancouver to Sidney, the starting point. Sooke, the nest destination, is on Hwy 14 on the extreme southwest edge of the island. Then Duncan via Port Renfrew, Courtenay, Campbell River, Powell River, and finally, Gibsons. I think this area of BC is, somehow, even more beautiful than the Rocky Mountains, but that is my personal opinion!
Thanks to Veronica Zhou for taking several of the photographs in the slideshow above.
The photographs in the gallery above, and this one of Liani, are from the final rest stop before we returned to the church where it all began just eight days earlier.
Malcolm and Jean Gaston, a wonderful pair of Scots transplanted to Victoria, BC. Their daughter Judith was a roadie on this tour. Photograph by Veronica Zhou.
Before we knew it, we had arrived at the end of the route, at Tapestry Church in Richmond. This was where many of us had gathered eight days earlier, and where we ended off with a farewell luncheon and then continued along our separate paths. The end of the ride is always bittersweet. People return to their lives and only occasionally manage to remain in touch with new friends.
But what a wonderful week we had just participated in! There was one major injury, a fractured collarbone with bruised ribs and a rather serious road rash to Sharon. However, we were and are grateful because she could have easily been injured far worse. The short ride up to Campbell River from Courtenay was a brutal day thanks to the cold temperature and steady rain, and there was that chaotic morning through the Nanaimo area.
Despite these proverbial bumps in the road, the scenery was fabulous, the weather generally so, the chemistry between the entire group was unusually strong and cohesive, and the week flew by much too quickly. Two years later, I fondly recall the experience, and have managed to stay in touch, at least nominally-thanks, Facebook!-with a number of people from that group. I look forward to more opportunities to participate in B4B in the years to come!
But what a wonderful week we had just participated in! There was one major injury, a fractured collarbone with bruised ribs and a rather serious road rash to Sharon. However, we were and are grateful because she could have easily been injured far worse. The short ride up to Campbell River from Courtenay was a brutal day thanks to the cold temperature and steady rain, and there was that chaotic morning through the Nanaimo area.
Despite these proverbial bumps in the road, the scenery was fabulous, the weather generally so, the chemistry between the entire group was unusually strong and cohesive, and the week flew by much too quickly. Two years later, I fondly recall the experience, and have managed to stay in touch, at least nominally-thanks, Facebook!-with a number of people from that group. I look forward to more opportunities to participate in B4B in the years to come!
I owe many thanks to many people on this project: to my editors, Cindy Chan, who was a road-crew colleague, and Jane Loucks, both of whom put in many hours with ideas, adjustments, and encouragement!
Thank you to Bryson McEwen for his technical wizardry on several of my videos.
Thank you to Amie Wiebe, who captained the Sunshine Coast Ride for B4B and did an awesome job!
Thank you to Edna Rabago of the Canadian Bible Society, who gave me the green light to go ahead with this project.
Thank you to the 4 dozen inspiring people who participated in this tour of southern British Columbia! They are AWESOME!
Thank you to Bryson McEwen for his technical wizardry on several of my videos.
Thank you to Amie Wiebe, who captained the Sunshine Coast Ride for B4B and did an awesome job!
Thank you to Edna Rabago of the Canadian Bible Society, who gave me the green light to go ahead with this project.
Thank you to the 4 dozen inspiring people who participated in this tour of southern British Columbia! They are AWESOME!
Edna Rabago has been publishing this series, in condensed form, parallel to my own blog. Here is the direct link to the last chapter on the Bible Society's Bike4Bibles website:
http://bike4bibles.ca/2017/05/18/b4b-2015-day7-finally-vancouver/
http://bike4bibles.ca/2017/05/18/b4b-2015-day7-finally-vancouver/
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