Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Dwagenheim
09-27-02, 11:18 PM
The morning was looking pretty dismal. It was cloudy and a bit windy and looked like it could rain any minute. I decided to hang out in town until 8pm when I could catch the last ferry to Sointula, on Malcolm Island. On my way into town, I ran into Kevin and Miel and their friends Ben and Laura. The rain was coming down pretty good, so I decided to seek shelter in a nearby café. I got some French toast and homefries and coffee and waited for it to clear up outside. The others were taking the noon ferry back to Port McNeil. I said goodbye to them and went to the laundromat to dry my tent and rain jacket. I met a nice couple from Sandspit, Queen Charlotte Islands, who were sailing around and on their way back home. We talked a bit about the Charlottes, logging, the fisheries, and tourism for a while. After my stuff dried, I walked down to the burial grounds where there are many totem poles standing in memorial. I took a few photos and continued walking. Eventually I turned around to head back to the ferry terminal, stopping occasionally to pluck sweet blackberries from the roadside bushes. I decided to leave at 3pm instead of 8pm for an earlier start on Malcolm Island. Since the laundromat, the rain had stopped and there was even a bit of sun coming out through the clouds. The ferry ride was nice and scenic. We stopped at Port McNeil first and then headed over to Sointula. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect to see in Sointula, but when I arrived at the ferry terminal, the sun was shining. I had a choice, cycle left or cycle right, and I didn’t want to sit around, so I cycled to the right along the coast for a few miles. There was a slight breeze but it felt good to be on the water on a nice day. It seemed like a pretty quiet island as I passed rustic farmhouses with a great view of the water and the scenic land beyond. The road ended at a lodge that had llamas and kayak not too far from one another. The architecture of the main house was so cool, I had to photo it along with another house with a twisted chimney. I turned around and headed in to campgrounds off to the side of the road and set up my camp. I rode back toward the center of town but stopped to enjoy the island scenery from a driftwood log on the beach and a doob in between by fingers. When I got back to town, I decided to keep following the main road and I started to get into some houses closer together but equally charming. I stopped at Sointula Harbor and got a milk shake from Lish’s café then took a few photos of the fishing boats from the dock. I got back to the bakery and bought a loaf of French bread for tonight’s dinner and had a nice conversation with the lady that served me. It was a pleasant ride back to the campground where I was the sole person and got ready for dinner on this beautiful evening. I started a fire, which I was pretty proud of since there was rain this morning, and started cooking the usual pasta and stewed tomatoes. This time I had garlic in a tube and a tube of sun-dried tomato paste. I made some killer garlic bread with the French bread and had a delish meal by the fire in the woods. I finished the rest of the joint from earlier and had a couple granola bars and continued enjoying the fire. Eventually, I crawled back into my tent and laid down in my soft bed. I’d pitched the tent under the trees in a perfect soft mat of pine leaves and cones. The night is looking dry as I write about one of my best days in B.C. and listen to the fire crackle in the distance. Now it’s off to sleep. (18 miles)
Peace
Dave
Pic: Alert Bay Native burial grounds
Peace
Dave
Pic: Alert Bay Native burial grounds