Welcome to the Jungle

I've been told to stop slacking, so here's a start. I need to become antisocial. 

Food makes the touring world go around. Today I had the double effect of use of a kitchen, through Warmshowers and a companion in Isobel. This made shopping time much more interesting, but first we had to get to town.

Our wildcamp was discovered when a resident passed in the morning, with nothing more than a bemused look. After breakfast with a view we were off on a very scenic ride.

Thankfully it was scenic as the wind slowed us down, but with only 60km it was still a short day.

After my first shower in a week we got stuck into cooking. The entrée of pizza barely touched the sides, the main of roast veggies however filled us up nicely.

For most people being full would be the point where the story ends, however we had bought a tub of ice cream. 1L each later and we'd consumed ~2500 calories for dinner.

Long days had become normal over the last week, so it was strange to realise that the upcoming day was the first time we had actually planned a day above 135km. We had a ferry to catch though so planned to reach Prince Rupert that night, 150km away.

It still sounds strange saying it, but it should have been an easy day, and it sort of was but we didn't feel it. Flat roads and tailwind should have made for a really pleasant day, but accumulated fatigue  made it tough.

Riding along the river was stunning, I don't think I've had a flat ride be so spectacular.

We met two couples along the way, the first was an elderly couple with travel bags jury rigged to the frame. The second was much more of a surprise, Matthew and Florence, about two weeks since we parted ways in Whitehorse. Turns out we were doing a switch of hosts.

Hills to end the day drained what little energy was left, but another great meal later at a very chill couch surfing host we were ready for our early start to catch a ferry.

Early starts mean alarms, something I enjoy not needing in general, but with a deadline there was no helping it.

I'd  heard good things about the inside passage, and the ferry ride was spectacular. I was extremely glad to have company though as it was 16 hours. The best views came late in the day, once the clouds cleared and the light dropped. Earlier we'd seen some humpback whales.

When we loaded our bikes we saw another loaded bike, with a rider but he walked away before we could have a chat. We did end up meeting Douglas, who was on a credit card tour from Vancouver.

It was 11.30pm when we arrived in Port Hardy, and gloriously dark. Actually seeing  stars for the first time was really cool. We'd picked out a beach 45 mins ride away that I'd seen and made our way out.

Night riding can be a lot of fun, and this was definitely a great night to be out. My first deer sighting was the typical deer in headlights, which amused us both.

Arriving at the beach it looked like it had been designed for camping, with only a nearby streetlight to ruin it. Ended up being a very late night.

With a normal wakeup time we didn't end up with much sleep. During the ride Isobel started mentioning she was feeling ill, eventually mentioning she was losing peripheral vision. We got to Port Mcneil, and during a low speed maneuver Isobel crashed. Mostly unhurt we had a long rest, before another long rest over lunch and only rolled out at 3.30pm.

To make matters worse I got a puncture, the first actual puncture in ~10,000km. We still managed 100km's, arriving with just enough light to get settled. Along the way we saw two black bears, but for a change they were really jumpy, one even climbed a tree. In camp Isobel had a great time once she noticed the giant slugs.

Some good climbing to warmup in the morning  was great and the descents seemed to go on for ages. After lunch we met a couple of Canadian guys. Something was very odd though, as they had just started their tour, and wanted to catch the next days ferry, 160km away. Did I mention this was after lunch? We suggested trying to hitch. We aren't exactly slackers and we wouldn't even consider riding that distance so late.

I'd been warned about the crazy traffic and heavily developed land from Campbell River all the way south, but it still came as a shock, especially after the solitude of the Cassiar. We were definitely out of the wilderness.

Late in the day, whilst stopped for water I had my legs admired. Strange but nice to see others appreciate it.

My introduction to lower BC was continued with a lengthy jaunt on a divided highway. This offered really quick, but unpleasant travel. When a bike path showed itself we jumped at the opportunity, 15% grade had us looking for the next exit to the hwy. A side road offered a much better ride, although we still had a few sections of 15%.

To add some excitement to my day my big ring decided to bend, no idea how but I could still manage 30kmph, at extreme cadence.

Myself and Isobel parted ways, with a rendezvous in a few days, including a small hill called Duffy Lake.

Having gone the last 2 weeks having only payed for camping once I was determined to wildcamp. Usually this means not being seen. I failed miserably, and got a beer and a chat from a local couple.

The high cadence training continued with a ride to the Swartz bay ferry, including catching a rec cyclist uphill. The ferry ride went extremely quickly thanks to the company of Andrew, a Kiwi cyclist just finishing his trip.

A nervous bus ride with my bike hanging on the front and a surprisingly pleasant ride through the suburbs of Vancouver brought me to an old workmate Casey's place.

A surprisingly productive rest day was much appreciated, and a relatively straight chainring got my trip back on track. A few hills were in my future.