Dionisio Point, Galiano Island, Spanish Banks

At the crack of dawn, I could see that the mosquitoes were hungry. Alternatively stated, we three bikepackers, having been riding around on steep hills without taking a shower for three nights, were taunting them from inside our tents. That stalemate could not last forever, though. I formulated a plan to move out of the woods, back to the beach (at my original favourite "claimed" spot yesterday) and set up for brunch.

It was an unhurried ride to take the 17:15 ferry back to the mainland. My impression of Galiano Island is that it's a rather sleepy place. Other than a cluster of businesses within a kilometer of the ferry terminal at the SE end of the island, and a pottery and glassworks studio near the middle, there seems to be nearly no commerce happening on the island. The western half seemed to be mostly forests. The few self-service farm stands appeared to be barren; we were told that there's a local waiting list for island-produced eggs. The sole gas station's pump is broken, so there is no gasoline to be had on the island. A few eateries seemed to have very limited hours.

Dionisio Point and Galiano Island are named after Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, a Spanish navy officer who explored the west coast of North America (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionisio_Alcalá_Galiano). It therefore seemed fitting to end this trip with a short excursion to climb the hill near my home — Spanish Banks — which bears a historical plaque with the following text:

"The Last Spanish Exploration

In June 1792, these waters were the site of an encounter between Spain's Malaspina expedition, led by captains Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés, and that of British captain George Vancouver. Despite tensions between the two empires, the parties exchanged courtesies, and after circumnavigating Vancouver Island separately, they shared information at Nootka. Their investigations disproved the European theory that a navigable route to the Atlantic Ocean existed in the region and marked the last major Spanish voyage to search for a North West Passage along what is now the coast of British Columbia."

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This activity is part of a series: https://komoot.com/collection/4637403