Cycle to Thetis Lake

Time to get back on the bike! Spring is here now in full force in Victoria, so a bike ride on this beautiful Easter weekend was definitely in order. A good option for a bike ride is along the Galloping Goose trail to Thetis Lake. This is approximately 11 km from Victoria (one way) to the lake , just take the Goose and then turn right onto Six Mile Road.

There are bike racks right at the beach. You can either sun yourself on the main sandy beach or opt to go for a hike around the lake, which is what I did. It's a beautiful hike, with the choice of just walking the lower lake or a slightly longer trail of the upper lake. The longer route is about a 40 minute walk, so still not too bad.

Fishing and boating are popular activities on the lake. The park is also very popular with dog owners, with lots of friendly pooches going for walks on the trails and running along the beach.

There are still lots of places to find your own quiet spot, away from the crowds at the main beach.

The hiking trail around the lake is not too difficult, with some small hills and some rocky spots to navigate.

Admire the delicate wildflowers along the way, adding colour to the green and brown forest.

After the hike, one can always go for a swim back at the main beach. Although no one was doing this today, as the water is still likely a little chilly. Only the dogs were swimming.

If you are feeling hungry after all this activity, you can head to a nearby pub. Cycle from Thetis Lake just down the hill on Six Mile Road, to the Six Mile Pub. It's a great place to grab a burger and has a nice riverside patio. Just being off the Galloping Goose Trail, they are a bike friendly bar, as displayed on their bike racks.

Here's to many more rides to come for this year! 

Fall Bike Ride to Rithet's Bog

On a crisp and sunny autumn day, I rode my bike out to Rithet's Bog in Saanich for a quick hike around the park. While situated amongst a developed residential area, Rithet's Bog is a nature sanctuary, home to many wild birds and wildlife. It is undergoing a conservation effort to encourage diversity within the park and restore and protect it's natural habitat.

It's easy to get to this park. Just ride on the Galloping Goose Trail and connect to the Lochside Trail. 

Easy And Flat Bike Trail On Galloping Goose

When the trail comes to Royal Oak Drive, turn left and ride in the bike lane until you come to Royal Oak Avenue. Turn left and ride down Royal Oak Avenue until Chatterton Way. Left again and then you are at the park at the corner of Chatterton and Dalewood Ln. There is a bike rack at this location for you to leave your bike, as the trails are only for hikers in order to protect the sensitive ecology of the area. 

The trail around the park is not too long, about 2.8 km around. There is a wide variety of plants, reeds, and birds to observe.

Check out the beautiful fall colours and the relaxing swaying of the grasses on your walk.

Just a quick ride from town, Rithet's Bog is a great option if you are looking for a shorter bike and hike. Check it out!

Bike Ride to Goldstream Park- The Splendour of Nature and Salmon

If you are feeling energetic, why not try a combination bike and hike out to Goldstream Provincial Park?

I always wondered if one could ride out to the park without venturing near the Island Highway, which is notorious for being quite dangerous and accident prone in that area. The answer is yes, one can bike to Goldstream Park through some of the new backroads and trails built recently, and you do not need to ride on the side of the freeway!

Goldstream Park is about 20 km from downtown Victoria. Take the Galloping Goose trail from downtown and then once you hit Atkins Road along the trail, travel along Atkins until you come to Goldstream Avenue. Cross at the intersection, and turn left onto Station Avenue. Cross onto Dunford Avenue and then left onto Leigh Road. This will lead to Langford Lake and the new Ed Nixon trail, which is a flat gravel path.

After this trail, turn onto Hensen Trail which will lead you to West Shore Parkway, then turn left and then right onto Amy Road, and then left onto Sooke Lake Road. Turn right at Ma Millers Pub onto Golden Gate Rd to the Goldstream Campground. At the Camp Gatehouse, turn right and the hiking trails will be at the end of these campsites. You can lock your bike up here, even to a tree will do.

There are many hiking trails in Goldstream Park, but if you are feeling full of energy, give this loop a try. It took me about three and a half hours for this hike, taking my time. From the trailhead, take the Prospector's Trail to the right, and follow this until the trail leads you closer to the highway. I would recommend wearing gum boots for your walk, as to go under the highway, you will have to wade a little into the river to cross under the bridge. The water was not too deep, well below my knee so I did not get too wet. The Prospector's Trail continues on the other side and will lead you to the main part of Goldstream Park.

From the trail, turn left onto Finlayson Arm Road towards the Goldstream River again. The park is beautiful all year, but it is particularly unique in the fall. From late October to December, salmon spawn in the river. Check them out as they fight their way upstream, trying to lay their eggs.


























 It is fascinating that these Chum, Coho and Chinook Salmon can navigate back to this same river where they were born after four years out in the vast Pacific Ocean. Yet somehow they find their way back. Salmon also are a huge part of the eco-system of this forest, providing food for eagles, bears, and all sorts of forest creatures, filtering nutrients back into the river system and into the trees themselves through their decomposing carcasses. There were a few dead fish on the side of the river, with many more still to be piling up in the next few weeks. By the end of November, the riverside can be pretty stinky, but then the animals can feast, especially the eagles. Prime eagle watching can be had from December to February in the park because of these very salmon, providing a much needed winter meal for them when other food can be scarce.

River Full Of Fish 

Next check out the estuary and nature house at the end of the Visitor Centre trail.

Now to cross over to the other side of the park, you will have to walk through a tunnel which goes under the freeway again. 

On the other side, first check out Niagara Falls , a beautiful waterfall that is 156 feet high.

Then take the Gold Mine Trail and then Arbutus Ridge Trail back to where you started your hike. 

For your bike ride back, you can go back the same way, or another option is to cycle back the same way until you hit Langford Lake. At City Centre Park, ride onto Glen Lake Road and just before you come to Sooke Road, there is the Galloping Goose Trail, which you can ride all the way back to downtown Victoria. 

Goldstream Park, a rainforest right in the city limits. Check out this jewel of a place, a perfect spot for a daytrip and bike ride. 

Cycle Up Mt Doug- A View From The Top

Mt Douglas Park, located in the Gordon Head Area of Greater Victoria, is one of the best viewpoints in the city. At 213 metres high, it's more of a large hill than a mountain, but the summit still offers a great vista and the surrounding area is a lush and mature forest, full of ferns, Douglas Firs, cedars, oaks and maples. 

First, start your bike ride on the Lochside Trail in Saanich, crossing over MacKenzie Avenue. On the trail, turn right towards Galey Farms, and cycle past the popular corn maze. Continue straight, crossing over Blenkinsop Road, and up Mt Douglas Cross Road which has it's own separate cycle lane.

Turn left at the top of the hill on Glendenning Road, a quiet residential back road.

Biking The Quieter Back Roads 

Cute Farmstand Along the Way

Turn right and then left onto Parkside Crescent and then left again onto Cedar Hill Road, until you reach the entrance of Mt Douglas Park.

 The numerous trails in the park cannot be accessed by bike, they are only for hikers, but Churchill Drive, the main, paved road up to the summit can be cycled. Until noon each day, this road is closed to vehicular traffic providing an ideal time to bike up it. Although I went later in the afternoon, there still was not much traffic on the road, so it wasn't a bother later in the day either. The road to the top is about 1.5 km long, and winds its way up. It can be fairly steep in parts, so I'll admit I did have to get off my bike and walk part of the way up. There is no shame in that! My heart was definitely pumping and it's a great workout. Just think of the way down, all you have to do is coast!

The view from the top is beautiful. Sometimes we can forget we are on an island, but this viewpoint will remind you as you see the 180 degree expanse of water, clearly the south point of Vancouver Island.

  Look for the views of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains of Washington State in the distance and the view of the downtown city of Victoria, the rural farmland of Saanich, islands in the Straight, and all the neighborhoods of town. 

Saanich Farmland 

View Towards Oak Bay 

Cadboro Bay 

A Place For Reflection 

A challenging ride up the hill will give you the reward of the beautiful views. It's well worth the climb.

Autumn Colours

Fall offers up many things for us to enjoy this time of year. The bounty of the autumn harvests, cool and crisp mornings that feel so fresh, and of course, the beauty of the changing colours. From the lush green of the summer, now comes the multitude of muted browns, the vibrant shades of red and bold orange.

Grab your bike and head out for a bike ride to enjoy these fall landscapes.

The Changing Of The Season

A Carpet Of Leaves Covers The Trail 

 A great place to cycle to is Saanichton or Central Saanich. It's an easy ride on the Galloping Goose Trail or just find a back country road to explore on your own. This pumpkin patch can be found along the Galloping Goose trail at Mitchell Bros. Farm in Saanichton.

Enjoy the colours and your ride! 

In the Footsteps of Emily Carr-A Victoria Cycle Tour Of The Artist's Notable Places

Emily Carr, one of Canada's most famous and beloved artists, spent much of her life in and around the city of Victoria, with many of these buildings and places still in existence today. Here is a cycle tour of some significant places in her life as well as some additional stops for the Emily Carr art fan, all well within easy cycling distance of each other.

Emily Carr

Emily Carr has always been one of my favourite artists. In my opinion, no one has been able to capture the lushness and beauty of a west coast forest quite like she did. My first stop was to check out the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, which has many Carr originals in its permanent collection. The Art Gallery is located at 1040 Moss St. so from downtown Victoria, just ride up Fort St. until you hit Moss Street, and then turn right.

As luck would have it, right now the gallery has an ongoing exhibition called Emily Carr: On The Edge Of Nowhere, which features works from its permanent collection as well as some borrowed items from other museums and private collections. This is well worth checking out if you are a fan of Emily Carr, as well as if you want to just learn more about her and her life. There are many of her early works showcased, as well as later ones, so it's interesting to see the progression of her work from the different stages of her life to her own distinct style she achieved later in life. Some of her most famous works were painted in her 60's, which always gives me much inspiration that you are never too old to achieve great things.

Here are some of Emily Carr's works at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

A Skidgate Beaver Pole

Above the Gravel Pit
(This gravel pit is still in existence on the way out to Metchosin. I love how she can find beauty in what many people see as an eyesore)

Light Swooping Through 

Blue Sky 

Shore and Forest (Cordova Bay)

After the Art Gallery, keep cycling on Moss Street and then turn right on Rockland Avenue. Continue on Rockland, passing over Cook Street and then turn left on Vancouver Street. Turn right on Southgate Street and cycle until you come to Government Street. Turn left on Government Street and then stop once you come to what is now the James Bay Inn, located at 270 Government Street. 

James Bay Inn (formerly St. Mary's Priory, where Emily Carr Died)

While the James Bay Inn is now a hotel, it was formerly St. Mary's Priory from 1942-1945, where Emily Carr had been a patient in her final sickness. She died here on March 2, 1945 at the age of 73. 

However, just a block away is Emily Carr's birthplace and childhood home. Located at 207 Government Street, Emily Carr House is now run as a museum and historic building, offering visitors a glimpse into what life for the Carr family might have been like. Emily Carr was born on December 13, 1871 and lived at this house for much of her childhood. 

Emily Carr House

Parlour Room 

Dining Room at Emily Carr House

After losing both of her parents by the time she was sixteen years old, Emily and her siblings divided up much of their family land into lots, keeping five for each of them and selling off the rest.  Around the corner from Emily Carr House, at 218 St. Andrews Street is the house that belonged to Emily's sister Alice. 

Former House of Alice Carr

Alice had run a kindergarten school out of this house and Emily even taught some art classes there, from time to time.  There is also another sisters house across the street, at 231 St. Andrews Street, which belonged to Edith Carr. 

Around the corner from these houses, at 646 Simcoe Street is Emily Carr's own house she built and lived in, the "House of All Sorts", immortalized in her book of the same name. 

The House of All Sorts

Emily had four flats in the house, renting out three of them for income, and living in one with her animals. This house still has a mural that Emily painted on the attic roof in the style of First Nations. 

Continue riding up Simcoe Street to Beacon Hill Park. This park was basically Emily's backyard and you can picture her throughout her life walking and enjoying the natural and scenic beauty of the area. The park is filled with aged trees, many that would have been there in Emily's time. Take a look through the park that she loved, and maybe even stop to enjoy a picnic along the way, taking it all in. 

Trees and Lush Forests Were a Favourite Subject of Emily Carr's Painting

Old Trees Abound in Beacon Hill Park

Now head back to downtown, turning onto Government Street again towards the city's newest Emily Carr homage. In front of the Empress Hotel grounds, at the corner of Government and Belleville Street, is a bronze statue depicting Emily Carr with her sketchpad . Her Javanese monkey "Woo" is perched on her shoulder and her dog "Billie" is at her feet.  Erected in 2010, this statue will remind visitors and locals alike of the legacy that this great artist has had. 

Almost seventy years after her death, Emily Carr is still studied and admired. A painter, writer, nature lover and visionary, she was a real artist in every sense of the word, and a true original.