Sunshine, tailwinds, beautiful views, and safe roads were with us the entire route, along with good food and beer in cool towns at the end of each day, and not a single flat nor mechanical issue. We had initially considered doing the route in a clockwise direction. Upon examining prior weather data, we figured we would be more likely to have tailwinds riding counter-clockwise, since the prevailing winds in August are consistently from the southeast on the Sunshine Coast, from the north in Nanaimo, from the northwest or west in Port Angeles, and from the south in Bellingham; the historial trend was accurate, as we encountered headwinds only occasionally for a few kilometres (e.g., where our route had significant bends) while benefitting from gentle tailwinds for much of the route.
Our route started and finished in Vancouver. Ferry access to Victoria, Nanaimo, and Anacortes allowed Chris, Matt, and James to leave or join the ride partway. In total, our route included six ferry crossings.
The route was excellent for the entire six days, with the only major potential change to recommend for future riders of this loop being the latter half of the sixth day, from Fairhaven to Richmond. A route closer to the water, through Neptune Beach, Birch Bay, White Rock, and along the western perimeter of Surrey to the Alec Fraser Bridge would likely provide more enjoyable cycling, while only increasing the distance by 10 km or so. We intentionally avoided the George Massey Tunnel since, in addition to being on the busy Hwy 99, bicycles are not allowed in the tunnel and require a shuttle to cross. Also, as mentioned above, choosing secondary roads for the 3 km stretch through the town of Oak Harbor would likely have been more pleasant (less traffic) than the route we took along Hwy 20.