Anyone who has frequented fancy oyster-bars in New York, Tokyo, Dubai, and Moscow, should know, but for the rest of us mundane mortals, I should tell: Oysters from Fanny Bay are considered to be among the finest, tastiest, most sought after, and hence most expensive oysters anywhere in the world. Of course, you have to take my word on this piece of objective Truth, just as I accepted the lore of the locals as such.
In any case, on my day off, I just jumped onto the saddle of my trusted Zorra Roja, to see where the ride would take me. The local geography didn’t leave me many options: Either go back South, that is down-island (strictly speaking South-East) where I had come from, take to the steep and rugged paths into the coastal mountains (going actually South), or following the coast further up Island. Not feeling up to another strenuous bike-climb, the third option seemed to be the winner.
Going up on the Old Road as locals like to call the West Island Highway (19A) is not very spectacular. That means, sure it is! With yet more of majestic forests to both sides, and occasional glimpses on bays and inlets of the Straight of Georgia, separating Vancouver Island from the mainland. All in all, the scenery only gets boring if one has been exposed to it for quite some time. Along the road are various RV parks, or little shops selling knickknacks to the tourists, but no towns to speak of. The road goes over a couple of hills, but being well rested and happy to ride, they did not pose a major annoyance.
Finally, after about a good hour of pedaling, I reached the famous Fanny Bay. The sign says “unincorporated” which I interpreted as not being a town in its proper right. In fact, the closes thing alluding to a township was the sign itself. Just before reaching the docks where the ferry to Denman Island departs from, I passed by the famous Oyster shop. I secluded little building on the shore. Inside it also had the sad, salty, and soggy look of a marine farm, and I even asked if they had oysters for sale.
Sure they did! One pint of shucked oysters for eight dollars! Honestly, I don’t know the price you’d pay for just one oyster in Tokyo or Dubai, but this certainly sounded quite good. I made a purchase, then took a quick look around, before turning my fox around and riding back to the property.
Once again I let Strava take notes on my every move, as I started it on the main road in Qualicum Bay, where I had WiFi reception. Interestingly, the first five kilometers it failed to record as I rode. No data on speed or elevation change, not even on the road itself, as it seems to have marked the distance “as the crow flies”. My Fox is no flying fox, quick and fiery though she may be. So the all in all the ride was 44.5 km (27.7 miles) instead of the 39.8 km indicated by Strava.
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