Day 1 – Ride to Desolation Sound

Day’s distance: 145 miles (odometer)

Temperatures ranged from the low 50s to low 60s with occasional showers. I left the house shortly after 8am and stopped for a coffee and snack in Sedro-Woolley.

Today’s goal was to get to Vancouver Island to meet up with Harald, a friend who is joining me for much of this trip. He is hosting me at his home for this first night.

In preparation for the trip, I had the bike serviced and new tires installed.

After using the Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires for years, I decided to try a set of the Metzler Roadtec 01 HWM tires, shown in the photo above. I will provide some feedback on these tires after the trip, but I’m hopeful they are smoother and a bit better performing overall that the PR4s.

I’m also trying some new dehydrated meals. For years, I’ve used Mountain House brand meals. This trip, I packed meals from both Backpacker’s Pantry and the Good To Go brands, just to see how they compare in price and flavor.

Motorcycles get priority boarding here, just like in Seattle. After paying my fare, I rode to the front of the line. The cost of the ferry, me plus the motorcycle, was just under $35 US.

Instructions are posted on the bulkhead for newbies like me.

Another motorcycle rider was able to walk me through the process. It was a smooth sailing on this rather large ferry.

The scenery from the ferry was pretty amazing, especially traveling through the relatively narrow cut between Galiano Island and Mayne Island.

The ferry crossing was about 95 minutes long. Harald met me near the ferry terminal and escorted me to his house. Afterwards, we went out Sidney for an afternoon coffee and a bit later to friend’s of Harald for dinner.

It was a good start to the trip and I’m excited about exploring new-to-me parts of the western side of Vancouver Island tomorrow.