We enjoyed our biking adventure in western Canada this year. We flew into Victoria, a city in British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Before the trip, I did not know the difference between Vancouver and Vancouver Island; I had to ask a local. Vancouver is a major city in British Columbia. Vancouver Island is home to the city of Victoria and Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. Geographically, we were about 60 miles from both Vancouver and Seattle, Washington. We were in the southern portion of Canada, below the 49^th parallel.

We began our journey, stopping in Montreal and arriving in Victoria after dark. A wonderful city, easy to walk and fun explore, was ready for us to see. To acclimate to the time change, being out west, we walked and enjoyed all Victoria had to offer for a full day prior to the beginning of our biking tour.

We had in mind prior to our visit to see the Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. It was a bit of a long walk; we enjoyed the neighborhoods along the way. The “castle” was a good stop. The building itself had been a private residence and at one time a college.

The highlight of our first night on Vancouver Island was exploring the Butchart Gardens and seeing their final fireworks show at the garden for the season. Walking around the gardens at twilight and evening with lights on the pathways lent a different feeling to the gardens. We really enjoyed the experience and were glad to take part in it.

Pictures do not do justice to the grand fireworks show. It was unlike any I had seen. Sometimes it looked as if the fireworks were walking across the garden. I saw several YouTube videos filmed during one of the shows. Even they do not do justice to the amazing show set to music. They do provide some sense of the show.

At night the capital building is all lit up and looked terrific. We were staying in a hotel next to the capital building.

This is not the first adventure for our group of dedicated biking friends. VBT does a wonderful job arranging the trip and providing bikes. We show up, enjoy the tour and pedal.

We all started walking in downtown Victoria waiting for the bike adventure to begin. We had previously been on a bike tour to the Florida Keys and had our picture taken at Mile Zero in Florida. We were happy to have that landmark for us to walk to as we traveled around Victoria.

Our first ride was just around the streets of Victoria. It is a pretty city and we enjoyed the ride. We saw a giant totem pole, and we all stopped at the Mile Zero marker this time in our biking gear for a picture. We also pedaled though a park. They have beautiful gardens in Victoria.

On the second day we biked to the ferry and took it to Pender Island. We then rode across the island to our hotel.

Near the hotel, riding from the ferry, my wife and I could not resist stopping at the Enchanted Forest. You would have stopped as well. We took a hike to the forest after our biking adventure the next day. It was a fun place; we spotted several faerie doors hidden throughout the forest. If you find yourself on Pender Island, the view from the forest was worthwhile as is the path through the forest. It was a fun day.

I really enjoyed our time at Poets Cove Resort & Spa on Pedler Island. We could not get enough of the view from our room and the resort. The food was terrific and the accommodation was wonderful.

My wife loves kayaking. Part of this journey was a sea kayaking guided tour. We were treated to sweeping views of Boundary Pass, the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands, and Mount Baker. I did not bring my phone on the kayak. But I am happy some of our friends did.

After kayaking, we went for a quiet bike ride to Brooks Point Regional Park. It was the shortest day of biking for us. We did have wonderful views and took our bikes over to the Enchanted Forest.

We were almost sorry to leave Poets Cove Resort, but we were looking to ride more and explore. We rode our bikes back to the ferry and back to Vancouver Island. After leaving a small island for a larger one, we were back on the bikes. We went to the family owned Sea Cider Farm & Cider house. After a fun lunch, we pedaled to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria. We enjoyed taking a dip in the hotel’s heated seaside mineral pool.

We had a fun breakfast with the group and a final briefing on our last day’s big ride.

We took our longest ride from Victoria to the Butchart Gardens. We enjoyed the scenic ride and managed to get a little lost on the way; we found our way back to the path with the help of our guides and fellow bikers. We started early so we could have plenty of time to explore the gardens.

We enjoyed our second visit to Butchart Gardens. It was all in the daylight and we were able to take our time and see some of the sights we missed on our first visit.

Some of the members of our group wanted to ride the Rose Carousel. The carousel is comprised of 30 hand-carved wooden animals and two chariots. The artwork was very pretty, and it was a fun diversion from biking and walking around the gardens.  

The gardens are the main attraction, and you will have to visit. It is well worth it. A beautiful layout of flowers, trees and shrubs. Every garden just flowed and it was hard to put the camera down.

We eventually got back on our bikes and pedaled back to our hotel. It was a good day at the gardens, and we were happy to visit twice.

We managed another day of wayfaring around Victoria prior to our plane leaving in the evening. The parks and inlets are gems. We enjoyed taking in the sights in and around Victoria, including palm trees in the yards.

It was sad to say goodbye to Vancouver Island. It is a place to visit again. Fortunately for us, we have signed up for another bike tour in 2026.

Other fun:

I was able to go on a few runs in and around the area. One of my favorite runs was along the water in Victoria and crossing bridges.

I was also able to run on the other side of Victoria after our return from Pender Island.  

Of course, we prioritized stopping for ice cream. Or was it dinner? It was good, especially after a fun day of biking.

Getting in shape for our ride, we took a few rides on our local bike path.

See you on the road.