From Victoria to Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada

An overnight riding trip can be a little intimidating as you step out the door. Did you remember all the supplies? Will you make it to the sleeping spot by dark? Oh, and don’t forget about all the bears… and cougars (Vancouver Island has the highest concentration of cougars in the world).

Luckily things were a little different for this trip, we still had the same level of nervous excitement, but we were prepared. There were six of us – four on bikes and two driving the support car/ filming. Our plan was to ride 230 kilometres (round trip) from Victoria, BC to Port Renfrew over the course of 2 days. Our route skirted the west coast of Vancouver Island along a mix of narrow paved and gravel roads.

We set off with beautiful weather and rolled into Port Renfrew with little trouble. Our first stop was Fairy lake, just outside of Port Renfrew. Its famous bonsai tree seemed straight out of a fairy tale (maybe that’s how the lake got its name?).

Walking down to the bottom of the tree was a battle through prickly bushes and rotting stumps, but it was well worth the effort as we looked upwards at the ginormous tree that towered over us.

After that, we set off on a rough gravel road in search of old growth trees. One of the most famous in the area – Big Lonely Doug, is the second largest Douglas Fir tree in the world.

As the sun started to set, we were still a distance away from our sleeping spot. Luckily, we had small lights to help us get to our site safely. A full moon and a clear night were the perfect way to end the day.

A few short stops for food and scenery were all we needed because the rolling hills were slowly adding up and our legs were starting to feel it. As we pedaled back into Victoria, darkness set in and the rain began to come down.

Overnight, fog rolled in and we woke up to clouds. Fortunately, they didn’t last long and within an hour we were greeted by sun once again. After breakfast, we hopped on our bikes and made our way back to Victoria.