Pixmin

Everything worked out perfectly and after dropping off the car, we left Nanaimo on the 8h30 ferry, direction Vancouver, just as we hoped to. This will give us extra time to go riding to Cypress in the afternoon.

From the back of the ferry, I watch Vancouver Island getting smaller and smaller with a little bit of sadness. I somehow got attached to the pretty island. I’m also looking forward to starting the part 2 of our Rocky Road trip: the ski resorts.

But first, as soon as we get off the ferry, I need to get to Vancouver to get the car. And here starts my nightmare. My french credit card won’t work, and they won’t accept debit cards. We try to call the bank to get the problem fixed but 1. they won’t let me call France from their phone, 2. the bank is closed. Then they tell me I can’t go to Yukon nor to Alaska. And there’s a huge fee to pay to go to the Rockies (and I can’t pretend I’m not going and go as they’re tracking the position of the car via GPS and would charge me when I return the car).

Then, when everything seems to finally be solved, just as I am about to sign the rental agreement, they tell me they don’t have a car for me (it took us a few hours to get around all the problems and the car I had booked is gone). Fortunately, someone is just returning the car we need and I should be able to drive away with it in a few minutes.

Shared between the sadness of having my trip shortened and the excitement of going to the Rockies, I go back to pick Adrian and all our stuff to the ferry terminal and we head direction Cypress. Let’s forget about all those problems and let’s go riding.

PS: Thank you so much to Valérie and Hugues for receiving us in Vancouver and being so kind to us. We had a nice dinner and a really great evening. Thank you so much!

Today I wake up before the sun, which is good as it will make up for all the time I’m about to waste. Finding the road to Mount Arrowsmith isn’t an easy task and I’ll drive past it a couple of times, going back and forth between Coombs and Port Alberni. All the directions I’ll be able to get are that it’s right after the top of the mountain (when coming from Coombs) and there’s a wooden sign, but it doesn’t say “Mount Arrowsmith”. That’s it.

But I’ll finally find it:

Then it will be lots of small dirt roads. I’m not sure how I did but I ended up taking all the right turns amongst the maze of smalls logging roads. The road is getting steeper and I have to stop near a car parked on the side. I ask them if it’s the way to Mount Arrowsmith, which they confirm. They also let me know that they just tried to continue on the road but the hill is too steep and they started going sideways. I ask if they have four-wheel drive, thinking that they don’t and that I’ll be able to continue since I do. They smile and say they do, but without chains there is no way I’ll be able to go up. I slowly go down, half sliding half in control, park the car in a spot where it shouldn’t be in anyone’s way, get changed and start hiking up.

The fresh snow is deep and I regret not having snowshoes. But the view is great and I’m getting once more fantastic sunshine so I keep walking to finally arrive to a point where the snow is so deep that I cannot continue. So I look for a nice spot to have a break and get my thermos out for some welcomed hot tea. And what a great view.

I’ll spend a little while, resting and sun tanning, and just as I decide to walk down, clouds will appear.

Next stop is Courtenay to pick Adrian with whom I’m going to do the second part of the trip. Direction Nanaimo where we’ll spend the night before taking the early ferry to Vancouver Monday morning.

PS: Michelle, thank you so much for receiving us, thanks for the soup and thanks for the lovely breakfast!

My lesson is booked for 2pm. I can’t go back, no chickening out. I’m told I’m extremely lucky to have such a sunny weather, which is very unusual. The usual being yesterday’s weather (mostly raining). I decided not to trust the Tofino Time this time and let destiny drive to me Bruhwiler Surf School. I’m the only one so I get 2h of private lessons for $100.

I climb aboard what seems to be an old army truck and go to the beach. First the theory about surfing, then a bit of safety and we head for the water. Well, I would have never thought that it would be so physical. I will definitely not ever compare it to snowboarding or skateboarding. Or maybe snowboard in an avalanche, but you’d have to strap your bindings in the avalanche before riding. Anyway, I drank a lot of salty water but I loved it. What surprised me is how warm the wet suit kept me. I’ve been colder walking by the sea in England during summer time than I was in the water here.

The two hours will fly by but I have to say that I’m quite exhausted at the end of the lesson. So I’m both happy to leave the water and get dry but also looking forward for more surfing!

Time for a treat now, I need something sweet and back on the road, direction Ucluelet.

Well, it took me some time but I think I found quite a nice spot to spend the night. It might be a bit dared but I’m willing to risk it. The view is just too good not to stay here.

I’m trying to think about where I should go tomorrow morning to catch the sunrise but the map isn’t detailed enough to find a good spot and from what I’ve seen of Tofino, all of the land seemed to be occupied, so I just watch the sunset and call it a day.

I wake up surprised that it’s already 7am and I missed the sunset. The car is covered of ice. The night was much colder with temperatures getting pretty close to -10c, if not that. I wake to a minus 7c.

First things first, I need to find a place where I can sit down and charge my batteries, all my batteries: laptop, camera, and myself with food. After ordering 2 muffins at the Common Loaf (voted best place to have breakfast in the local Tofino Time local paper) it appears that the wireless won’t place nice with macs. So don’t go there if you have a mac. Actually, don’t go their either for the muffins, they were not that good at all, nor felt very fresh. But do go there if you want to talk french!

I try a second place called Vicente’s café. $5 to have access to the Wifi for the day, but their Almond Crescent are just delicious, no regrets!

I have enough time to keep driving down the Oceanside route and decide to go by Qualicum beach. Slightly disappointed. It’s just another beach. I’m not sure what all the hype is about, maybe I missing something here but I just stop to take a photo and I get back in the car, direction Tofino.

I’m not sure if it’s me but just the fact to be on the road “to” Tofino and I start noticing Surf shops’ signs. The rain slowly turns into snow as I get more inland.  I’ve already said that, but this has to be one of the best road I’ve ever driven on, and yes it beats the road to Port Alice! Maybe the fact I’ll be following someone who obviously knows the road leading me ever so quickly to Long beach plays a part in it. And finally, a real big sandy beach!

Funny weather. It’s sunny, I could almost walk in t-shirt on the beach, then as I get back in the car, I get into a hale storm, minutes later it’s sunny again, and then raining, and again a hale storm that paints the road in white, and sunny again, and it will go on like that for a while. Crazy. I now need to find a place to spend the night, maybe get lucky and even book my surfing lesson but everything seems to be already closed.

I pass Sayward and Mount Cain without seeing much. It’s snowing and the visibility doesn’t give me a chance to see the surrounding mountains. But the weather gods will treat me with a great sunrise as the clouds slowly clear up reveling the snowy mountains.

I have to mention the great work the people taking care of the road are doing. They got the road cleared so quickly that I almost didn’t get to drive on snow, just enough to have fun :)

The road to Gold River simply is one of the best I’ve driven so far. I’m not sure if it’s along a lake or the sea, but it just looks so beautiful.

I pass Gold River and continue driving until I get to the end of the road and have breakfast here:

I’m looking around, taking photos, and the pilot of the seaplane comes to me and asks me if I want a ride. I first think he’s joking but he’s not. He says he just needs to check if there’s enough space on the way back for me. So I decide to hang around, watch the “wood factory” (can anyone let me know how this is called?) and have breakfast. This place is amazing. No network, at the end of the road, yet I don’t feel “claustrophobic” as I did in the other city ports I’ve just visited (Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port McNeill). Also, watching the wood workers is better than watching TV. They’re working in harmony like ants, moving wood around, dropping some in the water for the little boats to store them.

Anyway, I just gently wait 12h30 and times flies by. The pilot seems to be gone, another one arrived but isn’t offering me any ride, so I guess I missed my chance to fly in a seaplane and get great views. Never mind. Time to get back on the road, direction South.

My first night in the car and first impressions. Well, it feels much warmer than I thought it would be. I didn’t have to put 2 extra pairs of socks and extra layers, not even close the sleeping bag, so really it feels way warmer than in Iceland, yet the thermometer shows pretty much the same temperatures, just a few degrees below zero. I guess my survival guide David was right and my body is getting used to the cold thanks to the last few month I’ve spent sleeping either outside or near an open window. Just as in Iceland, it’s snowing when I wake up and the car is all white.

First impressions of the car (Jeep Grand Cherokee). It feels smaller than the Toyota Land Cruiser I had during my last road trip. The inside of the car also feels cheaper, especially all the plastic stuff. The back windows are all black and you can’t see inside, which is great for sleeping inside it discreetly. That wasn’t a problem while in Iceland since there was never anyone around the car, but here on Vancouver Island it’s different. I’ve also noticed the car is drinking more fuel than I’d like to, averaging 12.5l/100km.

Time to think about breakfast. The tea I prepared yesterday morning before leaving is still hot yet the bottle is freezing cold. I slowly sip it while checking the map and wondering what surprises today will bring. I think I’ll head to Gold River and have breakfast there.

Decided to see as much as possible, I take the Oceanside route up to the North instead of the highway. Amazing views from the road, what a pleasure to drive this road.

My first stop will be at Miracle beach. I only stop because of the name I saw on the sign. What a disappointment. Nothing miraculous about it. Back on the road.

Next stop will be by Sayward, another little town by the coast.

On my way to Port Hardy, I made a u-turn so see Port Alice. I liked the name of it and the sign was showing plenty of outdoor activities, definitely want to check it out. The road is just amazing to drive. I cannot but feel such a respect for the guys who built this road, what a tremendous work!

Arriving in Port Alice clears my mind in such a way. It’s a small town, by the water you guessed, but there’s such a peaceful feeling to it, another place where I could spend more time. Only I don’t feel like sleeping here, so I decide to continue driving and check out Port McNeill which isn’t too far.

But again, I don’t feel like staying here. I decide to get back on the road and try to make it to Woss as I’ve been there before (during our trip to Mount Cain) and I know I’ll be able to find a quiet spot to park the car and spend the night.