Vancouver Island, Coast & City

So we got up at 4 am, sneaked quietly out of the campsite in Prince Rupert and headed to the terminal to try and get a place on the ferry to Vancouver Island. Luck was on our side and we managed to get a ticket right away! Yay to motorcycles!! The ferry ride took 17 h along the Inside passage – whale watching included.

From Port Hardy we rode south along the coast to a free campsite on the ocean that we had heard of at Little Bear Bay. To get there we followed a logging road for a few kilometres. Around the corner Kate suddenly skidded to a halt – two little bears where on the middle of the road – now we know why the name of the bay. We arrived shortly after and set up camp by the side of the ocean. In the morning we were invited over by our neighbours for a hearty breakfast, where given some home smoked salmon and tips on the Island.

Our plan for the day was to ride south to Courtney to get our desperately needed rear tires and then head over to the other side of the coast. Arriving in Courtney we got the tires but right then it started raining hard. No dry place in sight so we let the local bike dealer change our tires. They managed to put the tire on the rim incorrectly and had to use way to much lead to balance them –  but that was not the only thing they did wrong, as we were later to find out…. Happy with our new tires we drove about 80 km towards the west coast in direction of Uculelet where we found a nice logging road leading to a clear cut where we decided to stay for the night. Flo was snacking on some of the smoked salmon when suddenly we heard a grunt from the bushes behind us. Shortly followed by a mighty roar – a bear was just a couple of metres behind us! While Flo hastily swallowed down the salmon and grabbed the bearspray, Kate turned on the bike and revved it a couple of times to make some noise. This shooed the bear away. Uff!. With the roar still sitting deep in our bones, we packed all our stuff up with the efficiency of a special ops team and drove the remaining 70 km to Uculelet in the dark. Later we learned that there are a lot of berry bushes growing on clear cuts which attracts bears. Live and learn!

Waking up the next morning to rain pouring down on the tent, Flo noticed that there was almost no air left in his rear tire! The tire had been pinched – that’s why the rear had felt strange rolling into Uke last night after midnight… The pinched tube got fixed successfully, so now we know we are ready for any further punctures!

We decided to do some hiking along the coast near Uculelet and after another night in the area we headed back to the other side of the Island to ride some logging roads and spend some time in less touristic areas. Somewhere in the woods we got sort of lost and stumbled upon Stella Lake – a free recreation site directly on a lake with a beautiful sandy beach, success! We planned on staying just for one night at first, but the place was just too nice, not speaking of our neighbours! We were invited for a chilli the moment we arrived, what a great way to end a day riding in the woods! While Kate read a book the next morning, Flo tried to keep up with the youngsters on some trails and not to embarrass himself too much. The next few days where spent relaxing on the beach, joining Don on a fishing/ beerdrinking trip, exploring the logging roads without luggage on the bike and having nice conversations over a couple of brews with our neighbours. Thanks again to Tamy, Don & Kal!

It was hard to leave this place after four nights as we headed to Comox for the ferry to head over to the Sunshine coast. We spent a few days travelling down the coast and finally arrived in Vancouver to spend a few lovely days with Kate’s parents. We stayed in Downtown in a condo on the 28th floor with a view over the whole city and explored the city. Cycling in Stanley Park, visiting Grandville Island and their local brewery – and were spoilt with Gin and Tonics, lovely food and much love!