After the gas leak in Prince Rupert we were eventually moved to 'emergency' accomodation at midnight which meant a not so long sleep before an early morning ferry on our way to Vancouver Island. Tired heads we slept pretty well then i woke at 7am...aahhh! we had slept through our alarm and the wake up call from the hotel never came...calm down, we can still make the 7:30am boat. Moments from leaving the bed we were all on our bikes powering to the ferry. We scraped on board with 10 minutes to spare and a warm reception from the passenger deck, as we were the only ones holding the boat up as we rode down the ramp (thanks Jeroen and Arda for stopping the ramp from being lifted!).
So we made it, and after a coffee or two the nerves eased and we sat back and enjoyed a sunny day through the inside passage to Port Hardy. Sheer cliffs of black rock, waterfalls plunging into the ocean and humpback whales surfacing occasionally near the boat with sprays of water followed by their rolling bodies and tails. Good times spent with a dutch family, keeping the kids busy, sleeping, cards, enjoying the sun and watching for whales before a late night arrival in Port Hardy on Vancouver Island.
We took nine days to ride the length of 'the island', 600 km in all from the north with its beautiful forested hills and high lakes and rivers, forestry scarred hills and log trucks to the busy south of the island with dual lane highways, RV parks, busy coastal roads and people everywhere. I guess from our time starting in Alaska we had been spoiled with open space and wilderness and now in peak summer holiday time we had hit civilisation on Vancouver Island. This took a little while to adjust to as we longed for the quiet roads, quiet camp spots and unscarred natural beauty. Two of the best spots we discovered were Alert Bay in the north and Salt Spring Island in the south as we ferry hopped across to Sidney and the end of our ride south. Alert Bay is a first nations village where the U'mista Cultural Centre is which houses one of the largest collections of masks used in the Potlatch which had been confiscated by the Canadian government now rightfully returned. A moving place, and more sad stories of the destruction of indigenous culture in this part of the world.
Arnout, Anna's brother had joined us for this part of the trip and we enjoyed his enthusiasm, laughter, exercise regime (which he unsuccessfully passed on to us) and fresh perspective on the journey and the people we meet along the way. We introduced him to mountain biking on the rooty, technical singletrack of Cumberland which he loved and passed the test. As we struggled a little with the busy roads, lack of beautiful camp spots and peoples well-intentioned but highly annoying comments on the weight of our bikes, he kept us focussed and turned it all into a positive experience...thanks Ar!
We then met up with Dad and Joan in Sidney, Vancouver Island a day later than planned (Hazeldine planning for you...we share the blame) for some down time from the bikes and to explore the west coast, Victoria and Strathcona region of the island...did i mention rest as well. We have enjoyed the family time and catch-ups from back home. Explored the culture of Victoria, spent time on the west coast with ocean walks on the pacific rim, a short kayak trip, then some forest walks in Strathcona and time around Campbell River.
We have just enjoyed a couple of days around Vancouver, a beautiful city full of contrasts, the mountain backdrop, the ocean lapping at its feet, contruction everywhere, the rich and the extremely poor and homeless and then Stanley Park, a huge park near the heart of the city which we rode our bikes around the seawall. So after some good value family time, and a stint off the bike, Dad and Joan are heading up the inside passage to Alaska and we will be heading from the sea to the sky up to Whistler for Crankworx (a free ride mtb festival) and then onto Jasper in the rockies.
So we feel that our first phase of the trip has come to an end from Alaska to Vancouver...which then opens another page for the second phase of the Fuego Project which will be the rockies south into the deserts of north america.
Life is good, blue skies, enjoy the journey...
Love from the north
Alister and Anna
the Fuego Project
