Friday, Aug 10, 2012

Tofino is a hard town to leave- especially when the weather is perfect when you’re there. I woke up at 8am to a shining sun and a low mist over the sea that was slowly dissipating as the air got warmer and warmer. The sound of seagulls chirping filled the air as I opened the balcony door in my room and enjoyed a single cup of coffee overlooking the marina one last time before heading east.

The objective for the day was to cross back over Vancouver Island and get to my cousins John and Theresa’s place in Victoria.

The road back from Tofino to Port Alberni was just as pleasant to ride as it was two days earlier. The sun was still shining, it was about 22 degrees out, and traffic was light. The first part is the most perilous, and given that I was not in a huge hurry I simply took my time as the road got tighter and tighter against the mountainside and higher and higher over Kennedy Lake.

I reached Port Alberni around 1:00 and stopped for lunch at a pub I discovered on the Magical Mystery Tour 2008. Pretty sure I ate the same thing, too…a chicken quesadilla. After a half hour break I continued my eastward journey through the Cathedral Grove and back through Coombs.

The ride south on the Island Highway is a fast one and devoid of the breathtaking scenery that other areas of the Island have to offer. There are no ocean views or high vistas, and I suppose that makes fast travel safer…but it sure doesn’t make for an interesting ride to write about.

After several hours I finally made my way to the Cowichan area just before the long ascent up the Malahat. I had been warned repeatedly by multiple people about the dangers of this stretch of highway. It is a long and winding road up a high mountain pass with heavy, fast traffic and no lane dividers for most of the journey. I even did some research the night before and found that this highway claims the lives of 8-12 motorcyclists every year- usually on weekends and always as a result of the speed and carelessness of other drivers.

It was Friday at 4:00 and traffic was getting heavy. I prepared myself mentally for what was to come and after downing a bunch of water I continued south to climb this mountain. The ascent was steep and the traffic was fast. A few large trucks slowed own the right hand lane making the passing lane prime real estate. Lane shifting was difficult but I was patient and didn’t make any foolish moves.

After crossing the pass the long descent into Victoria began. I always find riding down a hill much harder and more hazardous than riding up one…stopping and maintaining control is easier when going up…you can’t slam brakes on a motorcycle so on a descent you have to maintain control of the bike despite it’s natural tendency to give into gravity and constantly accelerate. The real problem is that most vehicle drivers either don’t appreciate this so they ride on your tail in an effort to get you to go faster.

Traffic was getting heavier, but most of it seemed to be in the northbound lanes. By the time I reached the bottom, traffic was backed up for miles and miles and I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was not to be in gridlocked traffic sitting in black leather against hot asphalt. Instead I was able to keep cruising east. The mighty Malahat had been conquered.

By 6:00 I was in Victoria and found my way to my cousin John’s house (technically John is my dad’s first cousin- making he and I first cousins once-removed). He and his wife Theresa were waiting for me and we enjoyed a few drinks and caught up before enjoying a big dinner. After so many days alone on the road a sit down dinner with family was very welcome. John is also a motorcyclist, so naturally we talked about our favourite highways and shared stories about road adventures. Eventually the day caught up with me… I started to fade and fell asleep at around 11pm.