August 4, 2005
Day 79: Campbell River to Parksville
No dew. Huge trees. Ferns. Campgrounds stay noisy late into the evening, but are so quiet at sunrise. I packed up quickly and headed off into town for breakfast. A truck driver suggested a logger's cafe just across the bridge. The pancakes were kinda small, but the blue and white tiled floor and old photos on the wall made up for it.
I reconnected with Jean Pierre as I was leaving town, but he needed to shop for groceries, so I headed on. The old highway south of town was stunning - following the shoreline for miles. Islands dotted the channel and the glacier-capped Coast Range rose up dramatically from the far shore. But it was definitely south island - solid houses and heavy traffic.
At Courtenay I stopped for a lemon gelato - my first one of the trip - and was delighted. The server warned me that it was a "different" lemon, but it was just like the tart lemon I had grown up with in Puerto Rico.
The ride south went inland just enough so that the shore wasn't visible, but the traffic eased up as well. I finally had to quit refilling my front tire and do something about it. I found a tiny piece of wire by cutting my finger - ouch! The source of all my aggravation removed at last - with the help of some tweezers.
So I was off again through busy Qualicum Beach. This time with a fully inflated front tire. I went on past Parksville to Rathtrevor Provincial Park where they had a separate tent camping area just a stone's throw from the beach. The noise continued until nearly midnight, so I got up and took a stroll along the beach, gazing at the stars. Vancouver and Nanaimo created two huge domes of light to the southeast - erasing most of the night sky. But towards the northwest, the myriad stars of the Milky Way still shone brightly.
Today's ride: 81 miles (130 km)
Total: 4,276 miles (6,882 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |