Ride on, Highway Cat !!: PORT RENFREW LOOP, Highway to Hell

DAY 5, Mon. July 24, 2017
Port Renfrew to Victoria, Dist, 103km, Avg 18.9km/hr, Ride time 5:45, Total incl. breaks and sightseeing 7hrs

I woke to the sound of crashing waves. Normally, wonderful, however, the sound was so intense that it freaked me out. I thought that the tide was coming in and I was gonna be swept away. It's a good thing that I got up abruptly as clean up took a while.

I headed to the the low key cafe "Tomis" for a huge omelette and a bucket of coffee. I sat out on the patio where I could listen to the conversations of visitors and locals. There was a busload of West Coast Trail participants or would be participants (I think the latter as they didn't look like their souls were crushed)
https://www.westcoasttrail.com/

The ride out of town was nothing but climbing. Funny how that happens whenever I start at sea level, ha ha, sigh. The road conditions were nice for a bit as I passed several huge clearcuts. Unfortunately, the road became progressively worse. There was no shoulder at all. In fact, the road (HWY 14) was cut right on the white line, sometimes on the inside of the line. This was the worst cycling experience that I have ever logged. I have cycled all over Canada from coast to coast and never saw such crap. There were situations where I would have to bail if a truck approached or if two opposing vehicles converged at my location.
It was nice to take a break at "French Beach" for lunch and relaxation.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/french_bch/#PicnicAreas
There was a huge grassy area with a few picnic tables. I made one my own for 30 min or so. This area overlooked a huge beach that had access via stairs. We had a gander, then hit the "Highway To Hell"...

As we neared Sooke, we passed a small town called Otter Point. The properties overlooked the ocean. They were beautiful homes painted brightly which reminded me of homes I rode by in Quebec and New Brunswick. They were spaced far apart along the Saint Lawrence River.

It was a fantastic feeling to enter Sooke. A bike lane suddenly appeared and the stress fell to the wayside. Thank God of Roads! A bike lane is sweet of coarse, but having a 28 inch shoulder is all I need. Anyway, sure beats the 75km or so of white knuckle riding.

On route to the Motel, I had some minor direction issues. I stopped at a gas station to look at a map and ask to be pointed in the right direction. "Pillsbury Doughboy Bob" gas attendant pissed me off when he said cycling was pretty much the same as driving. It's amazes me how many ignorant people are out there. Anyway, It was a fairly short easy ride to my safe place which had all my needs close by. Awesome! And they are known fondly as Beer and Pizza.
I was so happy to get settled in as this was one of my most stressful rides ever.