Bike Travels of Summer: 100+ Km's in one day

My mom is recovering from hip surgery and I wanted to visit her but I hate the greyhound bus (stinky, too expensive, risk of beheading) so I decided to have a little adventure instead. On Monday at 7:00 AM I packed up my paniers, slapped on some sun screen and set off for Nanaimo just me and my bike. I made it to Swartz Bay in time for the 9:00 Ferry to Saltspring Island. I had an awesome lunch in Ganges and hit it off with this guy who owns a little bike shop there. I didn't get to Crofton until 2pm. The heat of the sun was getting to me a bit so I took the super scenic route through Saltair and then through Cedar. It was uphill most of the way but I managed to make it home for dinner. In Nanaimo I ran over a piece of glass so I ended up having to patch the tire which was a grand occasion for my cousin Tim and I to drink beer and gab about music. Then I took it for a spin and noticed that I pulled some muscle in my foot that I was not even aware I had. I'm still limping around. This is what you get when your pedals are 23 years old and don't turn as well as they should. After long day on a bike the little things you usually never notice get to you. Did I mention I caved in and bought some of those padded butt shorts for the trip? Hot.

I highly recommend cycling from Vic to Nanaimo via Saltspring. This way you avoid imminent death (the Malahat) and can sit around in Ganges with a pretzel from Barbs Buns and friendly awesome Saltspringers. Next time I'm taking it slower and bringing a bathing suit because Cedar Rd crosses one of the best swimming spots on the Nanaimo River.