By Cycle: A Sampling of Sannich Spirits

With atypical weather for a Saturday in July, I set out on what should be a typical midsummer event. In a steady rain I headed around the corner from home for a delicious Cornerstone Café Americano made by my wonderful roommate. This gave me the drive to continue on to the galloping goose where I picked up a new riding companion for the journey along Lochside trail to Saanichton. Our destination was a decadent brunch to kick off an afternoon of spirit tasting. Our hostess treated us to a delicious meal consisting of fluffy pancakes, omelettes, smoothies, orange juice, coffee, tea, fresh berries and fruit salad. Luckily, by the end of brunch the rain had let up and it was time to get moving.

   Shortly after noon we set out by bicycle to our first stop, Sea Cider. With a lovely view of the water and James Island we sampled all the ciders on offer and a plate of local appetizers made up of bread, cheeses, meats, pickles and a chocolate truffle. There are nine ciders to choose from and all are delicious; anyone should be able to find one to suit their palate. My favourite was the Pomona dessert cider, an apt after dinner substitute for port or sherry. 

    All ready into mid afternoon we had to move on to our next venue, Victoria Spirits. We were lucky enough to arrive in time for the beginning of a short tour by Peter, the master distiller. Though previously a winery, Victoria Spirits has gone full time into the distillery business and while best know for their Victoria Gin, they make several spirits. Our tour was followed by a tasting of these offerings which included hemp vodka, two distilled wines (Eau de vies), Victoria Gin, Oak aged Victoria Gin and a bitter. There is also a whisky in the works. Interestingly, the whole family is involved in the business in some way whether it is using the products in cuisine at Paprika restaurant in Victoria or growing various ingredients for the spirits themselves. For me this was a highlight of the tour, but with time running short we had to move on.

    Next door to Victoria Spirits sits Dragonfly Hill Vineyard where we were treated to a tasting of three wines (two white, one red) and a fruit dessert wine by the owners. They use some unique grapes here and make some very individual wines. The Ortega Auxerrois was my favourite and is made from 100% estate grown grapes.

    By the end of the day my pannier was full with a bottle from each stop. Vancouver Island offers an impressive array of alcoholic delights and learning more about them by visiting and tasting is best accomplished by bicycle. Be sure to drink lots of water though as this could be a dehydrating experience. This was a perfect way to meet new friends or bond with old ones. Our pace was slow and easy as there were all types of bicycles and cyclists in our group. It also required minimal planning as one can simply drop in during the various businesses’ open house hours.

    The tour concluded, some of us continued back to town by bicycle, while others went back to the brunch location to return by car. The best part is that this is only a tiny sample of Saanich and Vancouver Island has to offer in the way of fine alcohol so we can do these tours again and again discovering new offerings each time.

-VBN

Washington Weekend

   To celebrate my country’s birthday I decided it was best to visit our neighbours to the south. It happens to be a bit of a Victoria Canada Day tradition to ride up Hurricane ridge in Olympic National Park and although I had planned to take part in that, I decided to do something different in the days leading up to the event. Some friends had mentioned a little weekend bike trip consisting of two nights and three days of riding. We would do a small loop from Victoria through Washington via Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Whidby Island and Anacortes. Was I ever glad I made that decision?

Day 1 – July 1^st, Canada Day

     Our trip began casually catching the Blackball Coho ferry to Port Angeles, Washington at 10:30am. There, the three of us met our fourth companion and headed east towards our first destination, Sequim Bay State Park. Not 30 minutes in we had our first flat. The sidewall of the tire was in a sad state, I waffled on going back to Port Angeles for a tire, but we decided to boot it and buy a tire in Sequim. The Olympic Discovery Trail network provided us with an unexpectedly pleasant riding experience.  We were unaware of the trail until just a few days prior to the trip. On the outskirts of Sequim we found Mike’s Bikes, picked up a new tire and discovered a second flat. All was repaired and we continued on out way.

   Sequim state park was very bike friendly with three hiker/biker sites on a first come, first serve basis. There was one other cyclist couple from Victoria. The fee was a reasonable $12 for the night for one site and was right on the trail! We enjoyed soup, salami, cheese and good bread for diner. Of course some local beer and a box of wine were required. Perhaps it was the Bota Box that was responsible for a late night of star gazing and reflection down by the water.

Day 2- July 2^nd

    With minimal sleep and a cold night I arose early to camp coffee and oatmeal. Although a little tired from the night before we were packed up and on the road by 9am. There were many miles to cover and the Discovery trail ends shortly after Sequim. However, there are several quiet side roads off the highway that offer nice views of Discovery Bay. At the base of Discovery Bay it is necessary to take to a few miles of narrow shoulder on highway 20. For the most part this is not bad riding unless a transport passes you. We had big rig pass and it was a little scary, but we kept a good tempo and the miles fell away quickly. Good time was made and we stopped at a bike shop on the outskirts of Port Townsend. The owner was into wood working as much as bicycles, which made for one of the most interesting bike shops I have ever encountered. He suggested a good restaurant and after doing a loop through a grassy field we found the trail into Port Townsend and had lunch on a patio.

    Port Townsend is characterized by large bluffs and an old downtown with a decidedly east coast feeling. The ferry to Whidby Island is only $3.25 per person; thank-you government of Washington!

    Whidby Island was a new place altogether. High winds and rolling hills covered with farms characterized the island along with several military base parks. Our destination was Fort Ebey State Park, about 10kms or so from the ferry on the west coast of the island, but first we had to resupply in Historic Coupeville. Once again there were three hiker/biker sites at the park, but this time we were the only users. The sites were new and very private. We were able to explore the old military base built into the hill and the pill boxes on the bluffs despite being extremely tired from out day’s labours. The bluff tops were covered in beautiful grass meadows perfect for more star gazing and listening to the sounds of the sea, protected from the wind lying in the tall grass. Sigh.

Day 3- July 3^rd

    Luckily for me, my tour-mates were ready to head home on day three. We had to catch a 2:45pm ferry at Anacortes, about 45kms to the north. Once again we were on the road by 9am and made great time to Deception Pass, a narrows between Whidby and Fidalgo Island with a high bridge. Fortunately, there is a less traveled road up the west side of the island which leads you to Anacortes. It was smooth sailing all the way to town where we stopped at a pub and ordered our lunch off the brunch menu before continuing to the ferry. We ended up having some time to spend lounging in the shade as we waited for out boat on a melancholy west coast afternoon. At least three of us dozed on the ferry before returning to Sydney where we had another 25 or so kilometres home.

   This is a fantastic three day trip that is very achievable by the average cyclist with some reasonable equipment. I had the three best travel companions a cycle tourist could ask for. Despite some flat tires our spirits ran high the whole trip and everyone was genuinely enjoying themselves even at the end of long days in the saddle. The sights in northwest Washington are wonderful and all the interactions were very friendly, I hope to do this same tour again in the future, but before that there is a lot more of the Olympic peninsula to explore. Get out there!

-VBN