Day 1 Vancouver to Victoria, BC

Woke early today in a University of British Columbia dorm room.  It's a luxurious accommodation as compared to what our tents will be on most days.  According to Rajan, the Uber driver who transported me from the airport yesterday, UBC is the second best university in Canada, 2nd only to the University of Toronto, where his son is studying to become a lawyer.  Rajan sported a Stanford Cardinal T-shirt, while driving a Tesla Model Y as an Uber XL, the big vehicle needed to carry the giant box with my bike packed inside.  Rajan drives for Uber 1 or 2 days a week to help pay for his son's education.  

Dorm room University of British Columbia

Appropriately, I woke early today, the longest day of the year, with first light at 04:30.  When sleeping in the tent further north of here, I'll have to wear an eye mask to keep from waking before then.

Fourteen of 21 cyclists are riding to Victoria and back in the first two days.  We ride west to Victoria in order to reach MILE 0 at the Pacific Ocean, where we will proceed with the ritual dipping of the rear tire into the Pacific.  This is the only day that we will be riding west on the tour.  We pass through a tunnel under the Frazier River, and then on to a ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. 

Cyclists loading bikes on shuttle to drive under the Frazier River

 

 Ferry to Vancouver Island.  Capacity of 2,400 persons.