Earth Day ’24 April Mayne Ride

I love riding bicycles around the quieter Gulf Islands. A group of eight from Salt Spring joined two from Mayne for a jolly Earth Day bikeride on Sunday, April 21. We met at Village Bay to chart our course:

After leaving Neil in capable hands to fix a few punctures in his front tire, and admiring Rob and Lauren’s amazing tulips, we set out for the Japanese Gardens.

Relaxing into paradise, inhaling uniquely-scented light pink perfect rhododendron blossoms (vanilla? honey? frangipani?), souls humming with the deep reverberating bell that we leaned into, admiration for ying-yang balancing human creativity with the natural, the care and attention to detail that goes into this place… we reluctantly left this tiny piece of heaven, if only in pursuit of the blissfully decadent…. CRONUT!!!

This delectable concoction is none other than a deep-fried crossant, glazed and sugared like a donut… and that first bite out in that early sunshine. Divine.

Fueled, we set off for Georgina Point…

Followed by more refueling at the Farmgate Store…

And then back along the extraordinary new CRD Regional Trail linking Miners Bay to Village Bay, Mayne Island. This 2m-wide packed gravel trail will be officially completed in July 2024, but most of it is ready to ride. We saw families on bikes, dog walkers, and others already enjoying this off-road multi-use pathway. On Salt Spring, we’re eagerly awaiting a similar multi-use trail that would connect Fulford with Vesuvius, the missing link in a 200km loop called the Salish Sea Trail that includes the Cowichan Valley, Sooke Wilderness, Galloping Goose, and Lochside Trails.

Back at the ferry terminal heading home — we waited with toes in the sand and played on the driftwood sculpture. A good day was had by all.