Trip Blog
We saw the Northern Lights!
One night we were camped right on the beach at the south end of Dease Lake, which is a long north-to-south lake. When we got up to pee in the night, lo and behold the stars were in the sky, but the whole north part of the sky was lit up with something else. It wasn't residual sunlight - it was all kinds of other colors and flavors. We couldn't believe it. Sorry - it wasn't bright enough for a photo!
Ed Frank, mask carver
Boarding the Hyder, Alaska Mailplane to Ketchikan
Ferry Mixups - On Vancouver Island
Well, we got to Prince Rupert and got ready to take the ferry down to Port Hardy (at the top of Vancouver Island). The main reason for going the Prince Rupert way was so that we could take this beautiful ferry, which goes through the Inside Passage and is supposed to be wonderful.
Unfortunately, I had not really done my homework, and there was no room for us at the inn. We had not made reservations, and it's running completely full due to the tragic sinking of the ferry earlier this year. Well, now we know to call in advance and check it out.
We're having a pleasant time on Vancouver Island - last night was on Sointula, on Malcolm Island, just offshore. We visited Alert Bay, too, and it's definitely a place to go back to!
Victoria: The touring bicyclist's theme park
Salmon smoking - first step - sear them
Vancouver Island touring cyclist report
Vancouver Island is about 300 miles long on the highway. We had a pleasant time touring it, but were surprised by the traffic on the narrow road up north (no surprise since we've been on the easy northern roads for so long).
The section from Port Hardy to Port McNeil was quite pleasant, and we really liked Alert Bay, and also went to Sointula. Very nice cycling.
From Port McNeil to Campbell River was quite bad - much of it has no shoulder, and there are lots of big trucks, including logging trucks.
From Campbell River to Nanaimo was rideable, but not terribly pleasant. There was a lot of traffic on a road with adequate shoulder, but certainly too much traffic.
From Nanaimo south, the roads were great, like New England. Small country roads with little traffic and nice views (and nice hills). Very pleasant. Lots of access to the various islands. We used a bicycle-specific map for this area, the "Victoria/Gulf Islands Cycling and Walking Map". It gave lots of information about the various routes and got us off the main highway.
And the Victoria area (especially Sidney) is delightful, with lots of access to everything for cyclists.
Preparing salmon rack for smoking
He has been a fisherman and a logger for most of his live but now he build boats in Vancouver but alway returns home to help his family with the yearly catching of the salmon and the canning and smoking of this wonderful wild food. Sockeye salmon is the very best. We found the people wonderfully friendly and helpful. We hope go back some day and spend some time on this incredible island. Thanks everyone at Alert Bay.
Flowers for sale - on the honor system
Canada Route
Leaving Victoria
Olympic National Park
Wow, have we had a wonderful time in Washington! We spent 5 days at various places in Olympic National Park on the west side of the Olympic Penninsula. All gorgeous. Rainforest and Beach. Lakes and beautiful sunny swimming holes. We'll try to get some pictures up for you in the next few days.
The night before last it rained for the first time in 17 days! It hadn't rained since we left Prince Rupert, not for the whole length of Vancouver Island and Washington. And then it turned sunny again in the morning. Today we're at Ocean Shores, Washington on the beach taking a rest day. I hope to buy a kite and fly it on the beach. Nancy will be drawing the sunset.
Stuart eating berries
Here is he is stop to enjoy the blackberries along the side of the highway. Life really provides everything we need.
Spruce Railroad Trail
How did I ever get myself into this? Here Nancy is doing a hikering biking around Crescent Lake. It is better to walk and be able to ride another day then to biff and slide down the gravel embankment.
Crescent lake is a 650 feet crystal clear lake with the best swimming holes we seen so far.
For those that want to avoid the traffic on the south side, try this little known trail called the Spruce RailRoad trail that follows the lake on the northside through the forest. Otherwise take the the south side but push the button at the beginning of the ride which will warn drivers there are bicylist on the road.
Hurricane Ridge
I must say the ride down was fantastic and worth ride up.
Hug Point
Here we are taking a moment to enjoy a special moment at Hug Point along the Oregon Coast as we ride up Route 101 to our campground near Ocean City. Oswald state park is a walk-in site next to premier surfing beach. The camping is an amazing experience where you haul your stuff down to the forested camp site in a wheel barrel down about a half mile to the site which is set next to the goreous surfing beaches.
Thanks to our friends Bob and Honna who drove ahead and found us a site on labor day weekend. I can not believe we even got a site her of all places on labor day weekend
Cape Kiwanda Fence
We rode here on Weds with the wind at our backs and had lunch. Don't miss this one even if it is a good solid hike to here. The wind sculptures the trees, the sand dunes, the rocks into perfect photographic images. What do you think? Pretty nice. Eh? ( I am trying to learn to talk like a Canadian by saying "eh?" at the end of a sentence and making it sound like a question.)
Cape Kiwanda
Cape Kiwanda dunes
Oregon coast
We have been riding along the Oregon Coast for the last 4 days. The big, wild Pacific coast is inspiring to experience. The beaches are nestled in between cliffs lined with towering evergreens leaning away from the oceans powerful offshore winds. Occasionally parts of towering cliffs have collapsed down to the protected beaches. The beaches are wonderful places to walk, explore tidal pools, surf or even drive cars. Every corner offers a new photograph opportunity.
We are in Lincoln City, Oregon, staying at a warmshowers.org bicycling host. Thank you Suzie and Jim. We sat in their jaccuzi and watched the sun set over the breaking waves. For almost two weeks we have been going to sleep with the sound of the ocean waves lapping at the evening darkness.
I am finding the roads in Oregon mostly great with a few sections of hell. Today was a tough climb up a windy 4 lane section of highway 101. Cars love to cut the curves which have very little shoulder on the climb up and the over grown blackberry bushes hide us around dangerous curves. Both of us nearly got taken out by a car driving on the shoulder around a right hand curve.
We are finding many bicycle tourists in Oregon, more then we have ever seen. Every day we make a ton of new friends. Our newest friend Stuart, from Wellington New Zealand, has been riding with us for the last three days. He has taken the night off to be alone. It seems all this socializing is a bit overwhelming after he has spent almost 3 months cycling alone. We love riding with him because of his fun loving adventurous spirit and the way he views the world. We laugh while we ride.