Saltery Bay to Savary Island via Powell River

I left off at Saltery Bay Provincial Park where I woke up the next morning to a steady drizzle. I tried to sleep in to wait it out but by 9:00 it hadn't let up and I decided I should get on the road. I packed up my camp after removing several gnarly big black slugs from ground cloth and was on the road shortly thereafter. The ride to Powell River was gently rolling with signs everywhere of the enormous logging industry that makes up the majority of B.C. commerce. They say that after many years they have managed a sustainable system, but I suppose only time will tell.

After about 20 miles to Powell River my legs were beginning to go weak so I decided to call on a lady named Katherine I had met on the ferry to Saltery Bay. She lived just over the hills from the town of Powell River in a little community called Cranberry due to its proximity to Cranberry Lake. She invited me in an offered to due my laundry while I took a shower. After she fed me lunch she sent me out on a borrowed mountain bike to explore the back trails in the area. My legs weren't really up to it so I just rode down to beach to begin reading Dublineers by James Joyce over a cup of iced coffee. As you can see from this photo below the sun finally made an appearance on what Canada has deemed the Sunshine Coast but had hitherto not lived up to its name.

On my way back to Kathy's I bought a six pack of cold beer which the two of us split after she cooked up some frozen stir-fry for us. Just like the stuff I remember from my adolescence. I was pretty beat after dinner and so I went to bed pretty early in a room Kathy had made up for me in the attic.

I woke up the next morning to a breakfast of steak grilled rare, eggs, potatoes, biscuits, grapefruit, pineapple, orange juice and coffee. The highlight was probably the local grown blackberry preserves, and believe you me I ate every bite so as not to offend. Before I left she stocked me up with a half dozen hard boiled eggs and a can of baked beans. I have never in my life experienced such generous hospitality. I promised I would return the favor some day.

After a bit of convincing I decided to take a 20 mile side trip to Lund which is perched at the Northern terminus of highway 101. From here there is a few gravel and dirt roads continuing of into the wild north but was about about as far as my bike and I could go. Back in Powell river I had met several folks who made me swear I would go to Savary Island lest I regret it the rest of my life. A water taxi runs from Lund to Savary Island which has about 100 homes but no running water or on the grid electricity. I arrived in Lund about 10 minutes after the last ferry had left for the morning at 10 a.m., and so I hung out in the small town of Lund until the tide came in and I was able to catch a boat to the Island at 4 pm.

Savary is a unique Island in B.C. in that one it lies east to west while most lie north to south, two it lies in the rain shadow of Mt. Washington and thus experiences less rainfall and more sun than most of Canada, and finally has the only sand dune environment in Canada. Apparently it has plant and animal species that occur no where else in Canada. I don't know much about that really but I did discover some amazing beaches. There are no public parks on the island but all the beach and most of the middle of the island is in government hands and camping is allowed and free. After biking down this dirt road from the docks on the right I found my way to the southern side of the Island where I saw this eery skull perched up upon a rock.

Despite what the underexposed photos suggests it was really quite sunny and being quite hot as well I got out of my clothes and went for a swim on the deserted beach. Here is me a little more clean shaven and maybe a little more tan than the last shot of my face. Don't be fooled I am alone and the camera is on a timer. Without a mirror its nice to remind yourself of how you look.

After a moments indecision I set up my tent right off the beach as you can see instead of right on the beach which was my first intention. Good decision as you can see below that when the tide came in it was well past the sandy spot(yellow arrow) I had in mind for my tent and later almost to the tree line.

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Before I retired I made a dinner of shrimp bisque and a baguette I had purchased at the most delicious little bakery in Lund. Maybe you can see in the photo above that my tent is at a slight angle and I continually slipped downwards throughout the night which disturbed my slumber a bit but still I slept well with the crashing waves at my feet.

A long day from Sechelt to Saltery Bay

I updated the previous post with some photos of my ride from Vancouver to Sechelt so check it out.

Where to begin. I really have large backlog of days to describe as it has been a while since I was last at a computer I could upload photos to. First I have some photos of the little town of Sechelt, gateway of the Schelt Peninsula where I was staying at small hostel after my first day of riding from Vancouver. Below and to the left is a photo of the Sechelt Inlet on the West side of town and the one on the right is of the ocean side to the East.













Below a picture of my trusty steed the Centurion ProTour 15.






After an early start from Sechelt I made my way north along the Canadian 101 for about 20 miles before taking a side trip off the main route to Smuggler's Cove, which was first used to smuggle Chinese laborers into the U.S. after the completion of the Canadian railway, and later during Prohibition to smuggle Rum to thirsty Americans. I had my lunch out on a great sunny boulder and spied my first bald eagle and what I believe was a sandpiper. The two mile ride down a dirt trail and through some wetlands was my first off road experience with the loaded touring bike, which behaved remarkably well soaking up most of the smaller bumps and was with the added weight on the rear surprisingly hard to skid. Below to the right is a photo from my lunch spot.


After climbing back up the road to main highway I put another 20 miles in before reaching the small harbor of Madeira Park where I had a snack and stocked up on camping supplies at the grocer. I took a short rest down by the docks and here is shot of my ugly mug badly in need of a shave with the view across the water behind me.




After another 20 miles I was about to the ferry terminal at earl's cove but I had about two hours to kill before the next ferry so I took another trip off the highway down to the Skookumchuk Narrows at the mouth of the Sechelt Inlet where the tidal force of the massive inlet results in massive reversing rapids which make boat passage only possible during the short period when the tide cycle is at crest or a trough. Below is a shot of kayaking navigating the incredible currents. Kind of small for some reason.

The next photo is of the trail down to the narrows on the left and on the right an image of the map which covers pretty much the whole distance I rode today.

After delaying here for a bit too long I realized I only had about 45 minutes to bike the 7 or 8 miles to the ferry terminal. Normally not an issue as I average about 10 mph but I had covered some seriously rolling terrain to get to the narrows and I had all ready gone about 50 miles. I pushed it as hard as could only to arrive at the terminal 5 minutes after the scheduled departure. Fortunately the ferry was behind schedule and it was pulling in to the terminal just as I arrived. A real turn of luck as it was all most 7 P.M. and the next ferry was not 'til 9:30. The ferry ride from Earl's Cove to Saltery Bay was even better than the last as the sun was beginning to set and my weary legs really needed the rest.

As we left I could just make out the mouth of the Sechelt Inlet where I had been only an hour or so ago. With all this water about I begun to rethink my decision to bicycle and thought perhaps I would be better suited in a kayak. As we neared the Saltery Bay terminal the fires lit by the logging industry added a warm hue to the setting sun over Texada Island(below). I was much relieved when the camp site at Saltery Bay Provincial Park was less than a mile from the campground. I made camp and took my stove down to Mermaid Cove where I cooked my dinner looking out across Malaspina Strait (again below).

It was long after 9 when I fell asleep in my tent listening to Belle and Sebastian as the rain began to gently fall.

Just a little update

As I left Vancouver over the Lions Gate bridge I took this photo of downtown.


I made Sechelt, north of Vancouver about 40 miles, yesterday evening sort of late, and found a hostel with a great kitchen. Enough time for a shower a run to the grocery and to bed around 12. The first day of biking was tiring for sure. I am a little out of shape as its been so hectic the last month or so I really have had much time in the saddle. Not to mention the 40-50 lbs of gear I am carrying. I am sore this morning but not in a bad way.

Yesterday's bike ride had a nice break in the middles as a 45 minute ferry ride took me across the Howe Sound. The scenery was breathtaking as you can see.
It would be hard to describe the beauty in words but I can only imagine it will be akin to sailing the inside passage up to Alaska. Snow tipped peaks in the coastal range to the west and countless tree covered islands with the occasional private estate nestled on the beach.

After the ferry it was highway cycling on the Canadian 101 which had a relatively unrelenting stream of traffic. I think the stress of riding that close to speeding cars all day was more tiring than the numerous hills. I am anxious to make Saltery Bay where I am told the traffic will dwindle to nothing.

I am staying at the UpperDeck Hostel in Sechelt where this photo was taken off the back deck.

Unfortunately this computer running windows 98 won't let me upload any photos, but I am anxious to be on the road anyway. Hopefully I will find another place to use the internet before I make camp this evening. (I am now posting photos several days later). This last shot is of my loaded bike before heading out towards Saltery Bay.

Trying to explaine Lost to a French girl with spotty english

Today, hopefully within the hour, I am leaving Vancouver to the North by bicycle and riding as far as Sechelt where I will be staying at another hostel. I can only hope that the people will be as nice as they are here in Vancouver. Maybe it the lack of a war or negligible violent crime but the Canadians I have met all seem so laid back and stress free. It seems there is no lack of jobs here in Vancouver either which allows people a certain degree of freedom to move between occupations that I can only imagine decreased the daily stress. I guess I also have to factor in travelling on my own, which of course will attract more conversation than in other circumstances.

On the left is a photo of my room, 18a, at the hostel. It is almost 9:00 pm in this photo and as you can see out the window it is still quite bright. The photo is a little dim but that is my bike in the room on the left. The ability to bring it inside was a major plus. Vancouver like most major bike cities in North America is know for its bicycle theft. In fact I had a bag stolen off my bike yesterday while inside a coffee shop. I should have known better. Fortunately nothing irreplaceable or of significant value was stolen, and the need to replace certain items led me to parts of Vancouver I probably would never have seen.

To get off the peninsula that downtown Vancouver is situated on there are several bridges leading off to the north and to the south. I made my way off to the south yesterday to Kitsilano neighborhood in search of a good road bike shop to replace my stolen goods and get some advice on the wobble in the front end of my bike. They suggested adjusting the headset, and putting some more tension in the spokes on the front wheel.

This was about noon and the heavy breakfast and large cup of coffee that accompanied it were demanding some attention to my bowels, which lead me to Granville Island which is situated under the Granville bridge I had crossed to get to Kitsilano. I had intended to visit anyway to check out the graduate exhibition at the art school there, but I turned out I was a day late. Instead I wandered about the incredible market they had there and purchased some smoked salmon and fruit to snack upon as I watched boat go in and out of the canal called False Creek that separates downtown from Kitsilano.

From where I was sitting I had a nice view of the Burrard Street Bridge shown above, and after lunch I took a water taxi, which you can see in the lower right, across the canal where I snapped the photo on the right of the underside of the bridge. Heading west along the bay along the Seaside pedestrian and bike trail (lots of Rollerblades as well) I passed Sunset Beach shown at right before I took this series below along the path into Stanley Park.



At the tip of the peninsula is Stanley Park which is an incredibly lush park and I took the path around the perimeter on the water's edge. Seems like it was one way the other direction, but by the time I realized this i was a quarter of the way around and did not want to retrace my steps. On the Northern side I took this photo of the bottom side of Lions Gate Bridge which I will traverse later today on my journey North.

After the park I took the SkyTrain on a loop around the outer regions of the city. I took a nice series of photos out the rear window of the train of all the stations we passed through that I will post when I have time to assemble them. Next stop was a bike shop relatively near my hostel where I dropped of my bike for the suggested adjustments. I had planned to walk back across the city to the Hostel but about this time a torrential downpour pushed me onto a bus. It had been a long day all ready so I didn't mind so much. I bought some tortillas from the Taqueria down the street and ate rice and bean tacos for dinner. Haven't really wanted to cook meat since I left Berkeley and so I have eaten a vegetarian diet for every meal. I eat more this way, which I prefer as food is a fine friend when away from home.

Watched the season finale of Lost. Disappointing lack of resolution, but what did I really expect.

I am off to retrieve my bike, pack, and then get the hell out of dodge and on to the open road.

Beware the Nutria!

Here are some pics from my trip to Seattle. That gray sky seems pretty indicative of the Pacific Northwest. They were taken while driving to Whole Foods to pick up some fixings for dinner. I really dig the MooseWood cookbook that Andrew bought for Clare. We made Stuffed Zucchini and a Waldorf salad that were both excellent.

This next one was taken at the Gasworks Park which is situated across Lake Washington from downtown. That's Andrew and Clare for those of you that don't know. The park is on the site of the old natural gas plant which used to power the whole city. The whole scene has a marvelous post industrial revolution look to it.

Clare and Andrew were excellent hosts and I hope to seem them again soon.

The ride from Seattle was not entirely the pleasant train ride I had planned. The first part was fantastic as the train headed North hugging the coast of the Puget Sound where you can see lush forested islands engulfed in fog across the water, and later after heading inland a really fine view of the Cascade mountains to the East. These vistas were accompanied by a running commentary provided by a Bush Bashing Gun Toting Libertarian that I was warned I would come across. He offered to let me crash at his pad. I respectfully declined. Upon reaching Bellingham the unpleasantness began. We had to get off the train as there was a freight derailment farther up the track and this was a far as we could go. After a long 80 miles to Vancouver and one hell of a time crossing the border, I was more than ready to crash at the hostel.

Today I am off to explore the City. I am going to check out a couple Vintage Bike shops. It seems the fixed gear craze has made it to Vancouver, which seems a pretty hip place for the most part. And I think I will take their El-train,they call the SkyTrain, around the city for a cheap tour. I'll try a snap a few more photos for you folks back home.

Sweating in Seattle

Here is the official first entry for my Blog.

Sitting in the Fremont Coffee Cafe high on caffeine and gently sweating in this muggy Seattle weather. I got in yesterday and settled in to the apartment under Andrew's parent's house that he shares with Clare and his brother Ben. Both Andrew and Clare have been quite accommodating and even sacrificed their bedroom for my visit. I have been out a bit here on Seattle's northside which seems a pleasant sort of sleepy place where people are nice and the streets are clean.

I went to the Wright Brothers bike shop this morning to borrow a pedal wrench to put the pedals back on my bike that I had removed to box it for checking on my flight from Berkeley to Seattle, what a fiasco. First of all I bought my ticket from Alaska Airlines because they said it was free to check a bike in a box. Only caveat was you had to buy a box from them. 20 bucks. Not exactly free but not bad. anyway I get to the airport a couple hours early only only to find out they don't have any boxes to sell me. Funny to force me to buy a box that doesn't exists. Well i tromped around to the other ticket counters until United said they had boxes but they couldn't sell one to me without a reservation. After threatening to buy a ticket just to get the box, they relented and sold me one. Only 10.78. Not bad I thought as I was saving 9 bucks but lo and behold as I check the bike in at the Alaska airlines ticket counter they charge me fifty dollars to check the bike. I began to protest but by this point I was ready to get it over with. I paid the 50 which got my bike to Seattle but hardly in good shape. The box was all but destroyed with only remnants of cardboard loosely taped around the bike. Fortunately no real damage and after a few hours of work today I think it is ready to ride.

After tuning up the bike I rode along the canal located at the bottom of the hill Andrew's house is perched on. One direction heads inland to Lake Washington and the other way out to the sound. apparently the barges come through in the wee hours and the only boats I saw on the water were kayaks. I rode as far as Ballard where I chanced upon a Farmers Market and bought some Apples and Spinach but the Rhubarb I was after proved elusive. Afterward I found a nice outdoors store where I bought a used titanium cook pot and some waterproof stuff sacks for my tour in B.C.

Tonight, after Clare is off work, we plan to catch a movie and make some dinner. One more day in Seattle before I head to Vancouver by train early on Tuesday morning. No pictures today as I didn't bring my camera to the coffee shop. Next time.