Down in Victoria, BC

Surrey traffic sucks! Big time. But we do manage to get breakfast at a diner, and head out on the highway to the ferry terminal. It's not exactly clear how to get to the ferry. We've got instructions from a couple of sources, and have a couple of maps, and are trying to follow the signs. Nevertheless, I'm surprised when we actually get there! And early enough to get on board! It's a little cold and grey today. Up on the deck we meet a charming young woman singing and playing guitar. Sandy Powlik. She's pretty good, and she plays us several songs before the cold air drives us inside.







Landing near Victoria we find our way into town, make a quick stop at Long & McQuade, and then find our motel. It's another down day— our last on the Tour, so we'll try to make the most of it. Michael heads out on foot to visit an old friend, and I suit up to go for a long run.

I check my map of Victoria, and then head out down Government street. The city is a bit smaller than I thought, so it's not too long before I'm downtown, here's Chinatown, here's the Empress Hotel, here's the houses of the government...





What a great way to be a tourist! Just run through with your camera and get those shots! Returning to the motel it's more uphill, and a little work, but a very good run. I follow the shore for a while, cut across Lo-Jo (Lower Johnson), and scamper back to where I started. How far did I go? 10- 15 km? Nice.




These Mizuno shoes are the best I've ever run in. They are wearing pretty well, too. I don't replace my runners as often as some people advise, but these are holding up well. Plenty of cushion, good support, comfort. I run somewhere between 40- 65 km every week, and I bought these in March. So there's maybe 1600km on them now. I still need to get these puppies wet in the Pacific before the Tour is done. I'm going to buy another pair so I can start to rotate them...



I'll be calling on John Stanton CEO of Running Room to talk about next year's Tour. I've enjoyed huge benefits from running/jogging/walking, and I'm serious about sharing these with other artists and fans. A great way to keep the music alive and well is to keep the artists and the fans healthy. Maybe we'll be stopping to play some Running Room stores next Tour!

Later I head out to a cafe near Chinatown. I'm back to the motel early. Michael returns as well. Would you believe that we are tired? In bed before 8 o'clock? Life on the blues tour is full of surprises. Sleep is one of them.

Here we are taking in the sights...