July 20, 2024
Qualicum First Nation Campground to Miracle Beach Provincial Park
Growing up, did you ever wake up while tent camping drenched in sweat with the sunlight gleaming through the fly? If you did, then you know how I felt when I woke up at 6am. I slept soundly, having taken a benadryl beforehand to alleviate some of the allergies I was experiencing at camp.
My dad clearly hadn't had the same experience, as demonstrated by him sleeping until around 7:30 while I was making coffee and packing up my tent. We found that much of our gear had acquired large globs of pine sap overnight, which made for sticky packing. Somewhat worryingly, we also found that our spray sunscreen took it off quite easily.
The riding this morning was considerably easier than the past two days, due in large part to the amount of shade we had on the shoulder as well as the easy grades. We made good time to Royston, stopping briefly along the way to use the bathroom, drink water, and grab scones at a roadside coffee stand.
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In Royston we stopped at a coffee roaster for a cup of their local brew and a breakfast burrito. It was heating up, with today slated to be the warmest day of our trip at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Getting back on my bike, I questioned my decision to have a hot drink, but the energy it brought was much appreciated.
After a brief stop at WalMart to stock up on food for the next few days, we hit the trails and roads through Courtenay and Comox. I noticed at this point a creaking from my left pedal, which turned out to be a loose crank arm. After loosening the two attaching bolts and using a piece of gravel to tighten the bearing preload cap, I fixed the issue and felt quite ingenious in doing so.
We looped around the bay before cutting across the peninsula and over to the Seal Bay Regional Nature Park. This was the start of what felt like true northwest wilderness. The singletrack trail took us through beautiful groves of pines, with moss dripping from branches and giant ferns adorning either side of the loamy trail. At any moment we expected to see a rogue Ewok poke its head around a corner. Alas, while it was reported that bears and cougars were in the area, Ewoks were not recently sighted.
We eventually made our way down to Kitty Coleman Beach Provincial Park, where we watched gulls poke at the remains of salmon discarded by fishermen. It was just before 4pm and we were each feeling strong, so we decided to push on another 11 miles to Miracle Beach Provincial Park. The ride to this campsite was similarly beautiful and remote, cutting through deep thickets of trees, grass, and tall brusg on overgrown singletrack. We made sure to deploy our bear bells in order to avoid any unwanted surprises.
We eventually made it to camp and snagged an unclaimed site in an otherwise full campground. It was bustling with families enjoying the long summer days, and kids whipped around as we made dinner and set up camp. The ranger at the park entrance told us that a cougar was spotted yesterday evening and a bear just a few days earlier and to therefore be mindful with our food. Hearing this, I questioned my dad's decision to purchase lemon eucalyptus bug spray, which smelled like something you'd put on a salad. Hopefully the local fauna doesn't have a taste for citrus. I'll report back if I make it through the night.
I now find myself typing out this blog entry at 9:17pm. The sun just set but the sky is bright and will be for another hour or so.
Today's ride: 87 km (54 miles)
Total: 226 km (140 miles)
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