Victoria\'s Galloping Goose Trail just what the doctor ordered

Who could be more excited and enthusiastic about going to Victoria, B.C., in April than an Edmontonian? While people are cycling, gardening and golfing in April in many other Canadian cities, Edmontonians can expect to be hauling out snow shovels, cross-country skis, inner tubes and toboggans.

Sure enough, this week the Edmonton area was hit with one of the worst spring blizzards ever. However, just a 90-minute flight west lies an opportunity to experience spring in all its finest -- walking on green grass, inhaling the wonderful mixed fragrance of sea air and hyacinths, and cycling unimpeded by ice and snow.

"I've never heard of the Galloping Goose," my friend said as we walked towards the bike rental place on a floating dock at the bottom of Swift Street. Neither have many others, I discovered, as I later told the tales of our delightful overnight cycling trip from downtown Victoria to rural Sooke.

The Galloping Goose was the name given to an ungainly gas-powered rail car that noisily transported mail and 30 passengers twice daily between Victoria and Sooke during the 1920s. After nine years, the route was discontinued.

Since 1989, the abandoned rail bed has been transformed into a picturesque, non-motorized bike and pedestrian route, sometimes shared with horse riders, that covers 55 kilometres. By combining the Galloping Goose with the Lochside Trail, it's possible to ride the length of south Vancouver Island from Sooke to Swartz Bay.

My friend and I flew into Victoria International Airport at 8:40 a.m., took a taxi to our hotel near the Inner Harbour, dropped off our suitcases to be stored until we checked in the next day, and headed to the bike rental place. With only a day pack containing our overnight essentials and rainwear, a map, a pump and patch kit, we were on the trail by 11 a.m. We had made plans to stay at a bed and breakfast just off the trail at the 40-kilometre marker.

Walking our rental bikes up steep Swift Street, then two blocks south, we crossed the nearby blue Johnson Street bridge, and turned right onto the paved path that connects to Harbour Road and the trail. It was that easy. We then stayed on the trail all the way to our destination.

For a while, the trail traverses urban neighbourhoods and some light industrial areas. One has to be careful because some sections cross public roadways. The trail also parallels the Trans-Canada Highway for about six kilometres and the traffic noise is not very enjoyable.

Soon, however, the trail moves from urban to peaceful rural scenery, through rolling farmland and pastoral scenes with grazing sheep and horses.

One surprise along this section was a monument at the site where a pioneer family settled after travelling the Oregon Trail routes from southern Kansas in 1877. According to the monument, a son was born there in a log cabin in 1882 and lived his life on the farm for 82 years.

Eventually the scenery changes to wilderness. Passing deep forests of tall Douglas fir and arbutus trees, the rocky shores of Matheson Lake and Sooke Basin, one hardly notices the steady slight incline of the trail. ("It's all downhill from Sooke to Victoria," they told us at the bike rental place.)

Not having been on our bikes since October in Edmonton, we were more than ready to stop at the 40-kilometre mark. We passed another inviting bed and breakfast along the trail at 37 kilometres and our tired bodies wished we had booked that one instead. When we got to our destination, we were pleased with the accommodation and hospitality. Our host drove us to a lovely restaurant in Sooke and we returned by hiring one of the only two taxis in town.

My friend and I had to set out early the next morning for our conference in Victoria, but with more time there are many things to do in the Sooke area. One could explore Sooke village and its many art galleries, bike over the Todd Creek and Charters Creek trestles to the Sooke Potholes for a refreshing swim, rent a kayak and explore the Sooke Basin and Harbour, and picnic along the trail at Matheson Lake Regional Park.

Janet Greidanis is a chaplain and counsellor living in Edmonton

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© The Edmonton Journal 2008