Galloping Goose 2018

Just got back late yesterday afternoon from our almost annual Galloping Goose bicycle trip on Vancouver Island. Jeff and I didn't go quite as far this year, only about 170 km, due to lack of bicycle riding leading up to this event. Somehow my motorcycle got more riding time this Spring than my bicycle. Nonetheless, after a new pair of tires and new brake pads front and rear, and of course a new  cheapo GoPro knock-off mounted to my handlebars, we were ready for action.

Sunrise was pretty impressive. Kinda made up for getting up at 4:45 a.m.

A rainbow send-off seemed a good omen for the weekend.

They say the prairies are "Sky Country", but on
Friday morning the Tsawwassen ferry offered up
some steep competition.

The new Johnston Street Bridge is open now and it made a good experimental
backdrop to try out the panoramic feature of my iPhone to create an accordion bus.

Here we are probably half way to Sooke on Day 2.

Jeff identified this as a bear print on the shore of
Matheson Lake on the way to Sooke.

Apparently there was lots of wildlife to be seen, but we saw
very little.

I'll call this my artistic representation of a weasel; the only wildlife
I saw on this trip. He was too fast for my shutter.

I wasn't expecting to see a paddle board on Matheson
Lake.

No shortage of warning that bears were about.

We'd never done a side trip to Matheson Lake before. Quite
a tranquil place.

Many sections of the trail can give one tunnel vision. Although admittedly, I
did enhance the effect just a bit.

Arbutus trees are not uncommon on Vancouver Island;
they've always been a favourite of mine.

Road construction is continued from last year in an attempt to alleviate
the dreaded "Colwood Crawl".

Same bridge, different camera.

Km 33; back at Swartz Bay ferry terminal.