August 14, 2021
Day 3: Getting the hang of this bike touring thing
Little Qualicum Falls to Denman Island
We are getting lucky with the weather as it continues to be sunny with zero chance of rain.
We were up early as usual. What could we expect after going to bed at 8 o'clock. Luckily no bears or other creatures were able to get into our stash of food that we had hung in the tree. We were starting to make a dent in the huge bag of granola I had packed and Gary discovered it tasted really good mixed with Nutella. No surprise there.
Surprisingly I was able to cycle further up the hill before having to stop and push. My confidence in my ability was beginning to grow. What a great feeling.
The shortcut Gary had scouted out the night before had a few obstacles. There was a fair amount of loose gravel that I started to spin out on. Being a newbie, I am still learning what gears I need to be in for different situations.
It didn't take us long and before you know it we popped out on a quiet, country residential road, passing some lovely homes.
You know that time in the early morning before the world wakes up. Where the sun is just starting to rise into the sky and the lighting is magical. Well that feeling of hope, joy and everything that is right in the world, was present as we crested a hill and began a glorious long decent all the way down to the coastal hwy. It was wonderful and definitely a highlight of the trip.
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We didn't have a campsite booked but Gary had an idea of where a suitable wild camping spot might be.
We stopped for more groceries, after all we were almost out of granola, and took a short break at Rosewall Creek Provincial Park near Mud Bay.
It was easy riding on the coastal highway and we arrived at the turnoff to the Denman Island ferry but we weren't going there, or so we thought . We instead took a left up a steep gravel road that had the potential for wild camping according to Gary. But it didn't feel right so back down and another left up the hill to the Buckley Bay Road rest stop. Can we wild camp here? With so many people and vehicles coming and going we agreed that it wouldn't be wise.
As we sat eating lunch and wondering what to do, we looked out over the bay upon Denman Island. Hey, is there a campground on Denman Island we asked each other.
A google search, a phone call and a promise of an over flow camping spot later had us packing up and speeding down that hill to the ferry dock. We didn't have to wait long before we boarded. I can't remember the price, but it certainly is cheaper on a bike.
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It was a short ride across the Island to the campground, about 5.5 km's but first, a couple of very steep hills with the 2nd one a 13 % gradient.
Debb and I were just about done in and at just that time a miracle appeared. The Denman Island bus. Now the fellas were far too stubborn to take the offer of a ride, but not us gals. We were even treated to a cold bottle of water each.
She offered to drive us all the way to the campground but we aren't THAT lazy so we were dropped off at the top of the hill where we could cheer the fellas on. I do believe this was the one and only time that Gary the Grinder pushed his bike.
There was a no show at the campground so we were able to set up in a campsite instead of in the over flow. Life is good.
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2 years ago