Few places are more idyllic than the Canadian Gulf Islands in the summer: rocky coastlines bordered by dense forests of cedar, fir and madrona trees; deep green moss and ferns dappled with soft sunlight; fresh, cool ocean air; and quiet winding roads with beautiful views and farmstands offering everything from fresh flowers, berries and greens to duck eggs – all on the honor system.

On Canada Day (July 1), we set off on the Victoria Clipper high-speed ferry from Seattle to Victoria, where we were met by a festive multicultural crowd proudly decked out in all manner of red and white maple leaf attire gathered on the lawn of the ornate BC Legislative Assembly building. Canada is a country of immigrants, with almost a quarter of the population born in another country (compared to around 15% for the United States) and as if to emphasize the point, minutes off the boat we were handed small Canadian flags as a group of foreign exchange students began belting out the national anthem, “O Canada.” What the group lacked in harmony (or knowledge of the lyrics) they more than made up for in volume and the crowd loved it. We enjoyed the scene, fastened our flags to our bikes and set off north for Swartz Bay along Victoria’s superb regional “Galloping Goose” and Lochside bike trails.

From Swartz Bay, we caught a BC Ferry to Salt Spring Island. Riding off the boat into the sleepy village of Fulford Harbor, we relaxed into the much slower pace: a few small shops, one selling groceries where we picked up provisions and one selling pottery, plus a few quiet restaurants. Like most islands, Salt Spring is hilly, but the scenery is beautiful and riding slowly allows you to soak it in.

We made our way to Ruckle Provincial Park, an expanse of coastal forest and rolling farmland on the southeast tip of the island. Ruckle has one of the loveliest campgrounds we have ever experienced, a bluff made up almost entirely of walk-in sites perched above the ocean (the lack of cars and RVs means no engines or generators which means you can actually hear the sounds of nature). From our campsite, we enjoyed the abundant bird life, the beautiful sunset and moonrise and were mesmerized watching a pod of orca whales feed a few hundred feet off shore.

We loved Ruckle so much we stayed an extra day, hiking a coastal trail with beautiful bluffs and enormous madrona trees and eating a lovely lunch of salad and fresh eggs from a local farmstand.

While on Salt Spring, we visited old friends Chris and Farheen Haq. I had the good fortune of meeting Chris on the flight from Seattle to Buenos Aires when I was 17 and beginning a year as an exchange student in Argentina. We became fast friends and subsequently traveled across South America together, sleeping in parks and hostels while hitchhiking the length of Chile and into Peru before heading into the Andes and altiplano of Bolivia and then into Paraguay and Brazil. Being with Chris was always an adventure and a learning experience and I have cherished his friendship ever since.

From Salt Spring, we made our way to Pender Island on the Salish Heron, one of the beautiful new BC Ferries. Being from Washington State, where we have a proud but aging fleet of ferries prone to breakdowns and mishaps, the BC boats were a marvel of design and engineering. Perhaps distracted by my surroundings, as we exited the boat on Pender, I left my front handlebar bag containing phone, wallet and passport behind, a mistake I realized a few miles up the road at a small store on Pender. In a panic, we sprinted back to the dock only to see the Salish Heron gliding off towards the horizon. Kicking myself and imagining having to spend days at the consulate and on the phone with credit card companies, I approached one of the BC Ferries employees, a kind looking woman whose name tag said Ingrid. Not only did Ingrid help by radioing the boat and confirming that they’d found my bag, she assured me that all was well and if I just turned up the next day at 11:15 am, the Salish Heron would be back and my bag returned. Could it be so simple?

Pender is quieter than Salt Spring, with lovely trails and a farmers market where we bought delicious homemade bread, ripe raspberries and fresh greens.

We camped in a Gulf Islands National Park campground, hiked to Medicine Beach (where we saw a harbor seal playing with kelp like a puppy in the shallow water and an otter eating dinner), swam in two local lakes, Magic Lake and Roe Lake (the former populated by locals cooling off, the latter by dragonflies and red tailed hawks) and hiked to the top of Mount Norman, with views back to Salt Spring and Vancouver Island.

And, of course I never should have doubted Ingrid, my BC Ferries savior. The next day, we returned to the Otter Bay ferry dock. Ingrid greeted us and shortly thereafter the Salish Heron arrived. Not one but two BC Ferries employees in crisp white uniforms strode off the vessel and returned my bag and all its contents to me with a smile. I could have kissed Ingrid. The term “small acts of kindness” understates just how important these gestures are.

From Pender Island, we took another BC ferry to Mayne Island. If Pender is quiet, Mayne is downright sleepy, in the very best sense. We camped at a beautiful private campground overlooking Miners Bay and enjoyed the tranquility of our campsite and the outdoor shower, built on a wooden platform between two massive fir trees. We hiked Edith Point overlooking the Straight of Georgia and Mount Parke, where we were dazzled by a swarm of dragonflies, and riding our bikes back to camp tried to resist the many free items offered on the side of the road, including my favorite: camper van windows and jacks (but not the power pole).

After Mayne, we ferried to Galiano Island. Growing up, we visited Galiano on family summer vacations for a number of years and many fond memories slowly came back to me as we cycled the island. Little has changed, from the charming little shops of Sturdies Bay and the general store at the Montague Harbor marina to the sculptural sandstone coastline and remote beauty of Dionisio Provincial Park.

And of course the many quirky businesses and farm stands along the way.

As the sun set, we enjoyed a delicious camp stove dinner on the beach at Montague Harbor, watching eagles, seals and happy kids on paddleboards.

From Galiano, we returned to Vancouver Island, where we reconnected with a close school and college friend of Allegra’s named Rupert whose family of seven has called the beautiful Cowichan Valley home for the past 20 years. Over the years, Rupert and his wife Kate have farmed intensively, shoed hundreds of horses (he is a trained farrier), delivered hundreds of babies (she is a midwife) and raised five very interesting kids. They currently operate a a small farm with horses, sheep and Flemish Giant Rabbits – emphasis on giant. Their farm was the perfect point of departure for the final leg of our trip, a loop of the Cowichan Valley along an idyllic rails to trails bike path through forests and farms and eventually to Lake Cowichan.

Lake Cowichan is in the heart of what was once primarily logging territory and is now transitioning to a more sustainable form of forestry combined with outdoor recreation. The lake is beautiful, deep and dark blue with forested mountains in the background. We camped beneath massive fir and maple trees and swam and relaxed in the sun on the pebbled beach.

From Lake Cowichan, we made our way back towards Victoria, via the Cowichan Valley Trail and two other gravel trails that wind through the Sooke Hills. In Victoria, we saw Allegra’s mom Elaine and step-father Bill for a delicious lunch and walk. Bill is almost 90, dresses like an Italian film star and gets after it every day on Victoria’s walking paths with his dark green carbon fiber walker. We should all be so lucky. As we cruised home to Seattle on the Clipper, our dusty bikes strapped securely to the back of the boat, we reflected on how lucky we are to live in such a gorgeous part of the world, whose natural beauty speaks deeply to us and where we have such lovely friends and family.