🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi Claire!

2 Questions:

Are you arriving at DT vancouver and pedaling out to catch the ferry in 
Tswassen??  Or are you coming up from Seattle??  OR, are you coming up from 
Seattle, riding to DT van, and going on from there to the island?

AND...

What day of the week will you be making the trip?

Question 1 derives from the fact that it is far easier to head out to the 
Tswassen ferry terminal from the border crossing in south Surrey...If you 
are travelling from DT van, I would try the Massey Tunnel shuttle to get 
thru from Richmond to South Delta.  The shuttle itself was (still is?  I 
didn't ride it at all last year) an aged Chevy cargo van towing a 20ft 
utility trailer with aprrox 1doz or so armatures on the trailer deck to 
clamp bikes to. (far as I can recall).  He might have to arrange it a little 
differently than a single-rider bike, but I have no doubt he could 
accomodate your tandem.  Also, the shuttle service, as may have been 
mentioned, is FREE.

I would not recommend the Alex Fraser Bridge route. (east out of Richmond 
paralell to hwy 91 and over Annacis Island).  The previous posters may have 
made the passage over the bridge sound more hazardous than it actually is. 
(I ride it twice daily in-season)  BUT: the bridge walkway itself has a few 
doglegs and bottlenecks which would be...interesting...to negotiate with a 
fully loaded tandem...that, plus there is no freaking WAY you would make the 
turn on the west side south end exit with a tandem; most people can barely 
negotiate that hairpin on a single.  Best there to blow right past the 
turnoff and try to get the tandem turned 'round in the sandlot about 25ft 
past the turn.

Time of the week has bearing in that bikes are permitted on the Skytrain 
during the weekends.  Hopping on Skytrain downtown and leaving at say, Scott 
Road or King George station would save you considerable time, but is an even 
looooonger detour than the hwy 91/Alex Fraser route.  Tho' it probably works 
out about the same, travel-time wise.