Campbell River was a delightful surprise. We haven’t been here in some time. It’s funny...Barry and I are not inclined to go on long car trips as we prefer to ride our bike. We used to come up island to camp at one of our favourite Provincial campgrounds, Ralph River and we have kayaked on Quadra Island, but since retiring 9 years ago, we have been away quite a bit. It took COVID which has prevented us from travelling away to get back here. We had thought that the further north we got, that the less welcome we would feel as cyclists. There is certainly not the infrastructure that we enjoy in the south, but we have encountered respectful drivers, and this includes the logging trucks and endless big pickup trucks.
Screamer always gets to stay in our accommodation -it is our first priority when we choose a place.
An “eagle eyed” reader and fellow cycle traveller, Steve Miller (Grampy) wondered about Screamer. He knows that we ride a Rans tandem in Europe and that it stays with friends in Germany. However, what he didn’t notice was that it is a different tandem. We own 2 recumbent tandems. Both are made by Rans, but the Europe bike is Seavo, has S&S couplers, 26” wheels and a more aerodynamic design.
This is a picture of our beloved Seavo, who has honorary European citizenship and lives on a farm in Germany
Packed and ready to head out. It is another beautiful fall day. We know that there isn’t much in the way of services for the next 74 km, so we have lunch and snacks on board.
Barry BartlettHi Keith,
We got our Canada flag from t-cycle.com. They are located in Portland. Teracycle makes an adapter that the flag can be mounted be on any bike.
Well, it is not a surprise, but we have over packed. We had decided not to bring our tent as we had researched our route and found that we can find accommodation, as long as we are prepared for some 100 km days. somehow, we managed to bring items that are needed at camp, but not so much in a hotel. Just like on our trips in Europe, there comes a day when we mail things home to lighten our load. Well, this is day 4 and we are now heading to the Post Office. One parcel will go to my sister in Prince George and the other will go home. Sometimes, the best feeling is to release some of your belongings to the Postal service and carry on.
Many of the businesses in Campbell River have sponsored murals like this one.
Campbell River is a Mecca for outdoor pursuits, salmon fishing and fishing generally. There were several people in waders fishing in the river as we left Campbell River.
We are entering a new region with lots of wildlife. As we headed north from Campbell River, the road signs warned us of wildlife, logging trucks, chains required as of October 1, etc. We’re not on Saltspring Island anymore.
We pulled over to take advantage of the view at Seymour Narrows but where is the view? We satisfied ourselves with the chance to have a rest, but declined to go down the path for the view.
Rumble strips...grrrrr. We understand the concept, but boy do we hate them. Sadly, there was a new section of highway which was blissfully smooth, but the newly created rumble strips were not. We support the lobby by Adventure Cycling (based in Missoula Montana) to eradicate these from the highways as they are such a menace for cyclists.
Jacquie GaudetWow! I've never seen one of these before (and we spent years driving in BC for our vacations). Here I thought the usual RVs would be expensive to operate! Reply to this comment 4 years ago
Now this was a delightful surprise. We were prepared to have our lunch by the road, but this rest stop at Robert’s Lake complete with a view of the lake and bathrooms was just what we needed.
A welcome sign. Today’s ride has been hard due to continuous head and side winds. Riding from Campbell River is mostly hills but the wind prevented us from enjoying the downhills. We have enjoyed the spectacular scenery with mountains, forests and the odd elk. No towns or services, but it was a good day. We are tired and ready to stop when we get to our cabin at Fisherboy in Sayward.
Our neighbour at the cabin is a logger who falls trees in the bush. He was showing us a red cedar burl that he had cleaned up and will take home. Perhaps it will become a bowl. A beautiful piece.
