Route notes from Roxanne Stedman Pre-ride date: April 16, 2017

Dave Suttill and I set off from Melissa and Steve’s at 7am for the pre-ride. Wind was from the East.

There are a lot of ups and downs on this route starting with the Malahat. No issues re debris on the Malahat except some random large nails that were easily avoided. Through Shawnigan, the temperature cooled to ~2C due to some fog lingering over the mountain tops, so we kept our booties on. At our First control at the Utopia coffee shop in Chemainus- we were welcomed by music of Queen but unfortunately, they were playing “We are the champions” vs “I love to ride my bicycle” which I that point we did.

Along Wesholme, there is no road sign for Richard’s trail but it is the next left after Westhill and there is a blue Artisan sign directing you left to Richard’s trail.

The Cowichan Valley Hwy 18 was the same as usual – lots of vehicles and that horrible chipseal shoulder that sometimes forces you to ride close to the road line for a smoother ride. Fortunately, the wind was still at our backs – it is not usually that way in the Cowichan corridor. The re-vamped and nicely stocked Co-op gas station was our Second Control stop in Lake Cowichan. It had warmed up to ~17C.

Things settled down on the Renfrew Road. There is a large sign warning cars of pot holes but they are easily visible and avoidable by cyclists. What traffic there was, was headed the over way. Once through the clear-cut section, the scenery gets better and better along the beautiful Harris River. Once you turn west and are on the flats, there is often a headwind but today we were lucky. The burnt forest comes right to the road’s edge as you approach town.

Our stop in Port Renfrew was not so great as it was Easter Sunday and the only thing open was the general store serving munchies to hungry hippies. No bathroom facilities were available as The Coastal Kitchen and Tomi’s were both closed. The control is at Tomi’s, on the right side of the road. As it closes early, there will be a “manned” control there for you to restock.

The long grind up WestCoast Road from Port Renfrew was survivable because of the beautiful trilliums in the ditch along the road. The road pavement has heaves in places. There are lots of ups and downs but there was very little traffic as I think everyone was home for Easter dinner including the Harley boys. By the time, we hit Sooke we were really feeling beat and it was starting to get dark. The A&W (Sooke control) brewed fresh coffee which we poured into our water bottles and cooked up some quick burgers for us and we were on our way.

As usual, there was lots of traffic along Sooke road but there is enough shoulder space for bikes. As fatigue sets in and it is dark, take care in traffic and be visible with good lights.

Kangaroo Rd and Lagoon bypass – no issues- except it was very dark.

Dave brought his Spot as cell reception is spotty along this route.

Wildlife sittings: one Easter bunny, a herd of Elk and one deer, (heard one owl).