Nanaimo

The day before I got on the ferry, Robin texted me and told me that she and her dad were going to be driving to Port Hardy to give some volunteer beach-trash cleaners a ride. It turned out they would be staying the night exactly the same time my ferry arrived, and that I could get a ride to Nanaimo the next morning if I wanted. The timing couldn't have been any better!

Robin met me at the ferry at 11:30pm, so I didn't have to ride 10km in the dark and rain to their motel. Robin brought me some beers and we stayed up chatting for a while. It was great to see her again.

On Wednesday we drove back to Robin's parents house, in Nanaimo, and hung out for the rest of the afternoon. It was a nice place to relax.

On Thursday Robin and I took her parents sea kayaks out to Maude Island, off the coast of Lantzville in the Salish Sea. We paddled around the island and then found a little cove with a rocky beach, and also ~5 foot high rocks which we could climb onto and jump of off into deep water. It was a fun afternoon.

On Friday I rode my bike to a ferry which took me to the mainland just west of Vancouver. It was so nice to ride my bicycle with no bags on it! The road to Vancouver was called Marine Drive, and it was a nice, windy road along the coast. The Lionsgate bridge and Stanley Park were also nice. In Vancouver I ate tacos and then poutine and then sat in a park for a while. While I was biking around I made a Boston Left turn just as a light turned green and some guy in a brown SUV got mad at me. I took the ferry back and Robin and her sister, Heidi, who was also visiting, picked me up at the ferry at 11pm.

On Saturday, Robin's family was preparing for a party for her dad's 65th birthday. I alternated between trying to help out and trying to stay out of the way. About 20 people showed up, and there were sausages and cheeseburgers and cake. After the party, Robin and Heidi and I stayed up playing cards until ~1am.

On Sunday I woke up around 11am and then packed up my things and left on my bicycle, en route to Victoria. Robin's family was so nice to me. It was a great way to both celebrate and relax after reaching the Pacific Ocean!