VANCOUVER ISLAND: day 5
Accidentally didn’t wake up early. Urgently starting to feel the need for a proper shower/hair wash. Campsites here are very basic, i.e. picnic table and a drop toilet. Still haven’t got round to filling out the shower bag (lake rinses and wet wipe baths can only get you so far), so will head to Victoria today. Also need to do a food shop, find a potable tap and get fuel. Even on a road trip, this admin queen manages to squeeze in a day of admin.
I drove the first stretch and whilst over taking an enormous truck, a large rock flew up and put a very substantial chip in the windscreen, right between my eyeballs. We add getting that fixed ASAP to todays admin list.
Made it to the first campsite, picked as it had showers, but it was full. Suddenly realised that it’s a long weekend (Canada Day grrrrr) so most campsites around Victoria are likely to be full, showers or no showers. Sat in a pub nearby feeling a bit defeated. Googled places to fix the windscreen/potential shower options over a couple of pints, on their very mediocre WiFi.
We also didn’t anticipate how a global pandemic might affect our cleanliness on this trip. All of the sneaky ways to shower properly whilst on a road trip (gyms, public washrooms, showers at the beach etc.) are CLOSED or by appointment only. And obviously, appointments are fully booked until later next week. I guess we will have to suck up being grubby for a bit longer.
Found somewhere in Langford to fix the chip before everywhere closed for the long weekend. The guy found 4 more chips we didn't know about, but fixed them for free. Big tip for you sir.
Did the food shop next, but the pint had gone straight to my bladder. NO TOILETS IN ANY SHOPS ANYWHERE NEARBY WERE OPEN. If I see one more sign saying ‘closed due to COVID-19’.. !!!!! I ran around like a headless chicken trying not to wet myself until I eventually found one in Tim Hortons. Sadly, I was forced to buy a chicken caesar wrap just so I could use it. You can’t just pick a nice bush in a city. Get me back to nature where you can dig a hole if you really have to.
It’s also a lot harder to find a sneaky camp spot in a city too. Drove around Victoria for a good while, before finding a pullout next to the road on the south coastline and asking a guy who lived there if he didn't mind us staying the night. No signs that say you can’t park overnight either, so fingers crossed no fines.
The view was pretty sweet and America is even closer than before. So close that my phone picked up the US signal and my phone network charged me for international roaming.
Made a one pot pasta for dinner and watched the sunset from the van. Very, very blustery outside, but the sky is full of pinks and yellows. Still feeling pretty grubby, but a serene ending to an oddly stressful day.
