Goodbye to the Goose

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Day 5

It's been fun.
Planning a short ride, we slept in, and took a more leisurely breakfast (at you know where – The Ruby).  Great again!  We drove to the Rocky Point trail head, about six kms from where we ended yesterday’s ride, and cycled back toward that point, but stopped about two kms short of it because the trail became much less interesting. 

It is remarkable how quickly an environmental niche can change.  The first four kms were gorgeous—the trail we hoped to see!  It was covered by a shady canopy of mixed conifer and deciduous trees, including Madrones.  Beautiful sword ferns covered the slopes, and there was mossy fallen deadwood reminiscent of old growth forests on the Olympic Peninsula.  The air was pleasantly cool and almost sweet smelling.

But when we crossed a local road (not even a highway) there was a marked change in the look and feel of the trail environment.  It became much like what we traveled yesterday. 

So, we headed back and past the Rocky Point trail head.  Even more gorgeous.  To our left was Matheson Lake, 62 acres of shimmering green water.  Shortly after reaching the end of the lake, we had views of the Salish Sea, and the Goodridge Islands. 

Because the Todd Creek Trestle is closed for repairs and we did not fancy taking the detour, we did not ride the remaining portion of the Galloping Goose. But we were very satisfied with the ride today!

After returning to the Transit, we took a scenic drive to Sooke Potholes Regional Park, then stopped for sushi and ice cream on the way back to the hotel.  Having had our fun, it was time to do laundry and prepare a light meal.

Tomorrow we have a non-biking day.  We plan to explore Victoria and its southern shores, then head up to Lake Cowichan Lodge, about 100 kms NNW, and get set to ride one portion of the Cowichan Valley Trail.  We anticipate riding various portions of this trail over a three-day period.

Stay tuned,
Diane & Rob

Some pics that lend credence to the narrative :)




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