The first week is a fact.

The first 100 kilometres, the first rains, the first sun, the first hotel, the first camping, the first cooking, the first hills, the first parks, the first seals, the first sea-eagles, the first deer on the road.

After a short discovery of Vancouver with hiking the largest suspension bridge Capilano and biking the Seawall around Stanley Park (according Tripadvisor best park in the world) we headed off to Vancouver Island to relax and try-out our camping equipment. We found a great camping ground, the Living Forest. Located next to a lagoon where I did my first open water swimming.

Yes this is my goal: swim in as many open waters as possible!

After a few days biking around the small town of Nanaimo and checking out one of the parks we had to move to the next spot as this weekend was Victory Day which meant that everybody was camping. Going North we stayed at Parksville but this was too crowded, too many people and too much tourist focussed, us getting the last tent spot as all hotels and motels where booked. But now we found a very quiet camping in Lantzville, with the great name of Snaw-Naw-As (name of Indian tribe of which a few members still live here).

Sea, sun, eagles. And open water swimming: yes in the lagoon connects to the ocean!

For camping it is great weather, during the day around 18, at night around 12; perfect!

Today planning on how and where to cross back to the mainland as we will skip the week staying in a lodge. We want to do this on the way to Banff, we will need the rest in-between, everybody we meet and ask where we are going are saying we’re crazy biking to Banff.

Solution we need to find is how to charge the GPS and phones in-between. Especially when camping as most camping sites or support 30-50 amp for RV’s or are unsupported campsites (as everybody comes with a car or RV). We need to find the USB charger for the bike so we can use our power to charge.

I will post separately some photos.