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The last day before a break. We set out after a nice bit of food, and made our way to Merritt. Maybe it was just the way we went through the town, but it seemed so unremarkable and small. I'm glad it was a short stop.
Highway 5 south was exciting. Beautiful scenery the whole way. Quit a big chill coming off the mountains the whole way down, and regrettably not much of a highway to stop on for photos as nearly the entire stretch was considered avalanche and slide area. Not where you really want to get caught.
Stopped in Hope, and met a couple local bikers who suggested we opt for the Highway 7 rather than the Trans-Canada Highway. It's less congested and more scenic. One thing he neglected to say about that highway was that the smell would be unpleasant. It was a constant cycling of manure, garbage, and stagnant water smells throughout.
Getting to Vancouver was easy. Finding the Tsawassen ferry from where we came in was not. We ended up separated, without working headsets, and me without any kind of a map or way to get directions. I was very unhappy with this, to say the least. We eventually made it back together and found out how to get where we needed to be.
At this time I was starting to feel a bit of pain from repetitive motions. My left hand and arm through the elbow were in throbbing pain and I couldn't wait to get off the bike.
When in Tswassen, we got lost trying to find the ferry. I find some of the road signs near Vancouver extremely ambiguous. Way too many arrows pointing too and from destinations on the same roads. Despite the setbacks, we did make it.
We got in around 7:45 just as the people for the 7:00 ferry were boarding. The ferries were delayed 45 minutes because of a previous medical emergency. While the website said hourly ferries, there was apparently no 8:00 ferry, and we had to wait for the one at 9:00--which wouldn't be leaving until nearly 10:00. After such a long day, being stuck at a ferry terminal wasn't my idea of an awesome time. We made the most of it. There was at least decent food, and free wifi. It was probably the cheapest meal we managed to have the entire trip, and among the best. If you're ever stuck at the ferry terminal at least you won't go hungry.
Eventually we had nothing to do but wait.
And more waiting.
There were a few other bikers there that we started chatting up. There was a very nice woman on a kitted out Honda CBR that gave us a rundown on ferry etiquette. It helped put things a bit more at ease.
We did board, and it was the first big ferry trip I've been on that I can remember. I found it a little unnerving. The hour and a half on the boat went by quickly. They let motorcycles on and off first, which is quite a nice perk. We started riding on the island just shy of 11:30, and got to our destination before midnight. It was a surprise visit for someone on their birthday! And quite the surprise indeed. That started the two days of mostly rest and relaxation that I was aching for by this point.
Total riding: ~460km. Odometer read 2064 at the end of leg 1.
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