Where ever I may roam

There was a smattering of blue sky peeping through the clouds, promising sunshine, as I left home. I was bound for Horseshoe Bay to grab a ferry to Nanaimo. Getting out of the urban area was it’s usual exercise in frustration and doing my best to not get killed by oblivious drivers. As I passed under a safety sign on Hwy 1 in North Vancouver I let out a laugh, the message conveyed in large letters what I already knew: ‘Motorcycle season is here’.

There were clouds clinging to the sides of the mountains as ferry left the dock at Horseshoe Bay. I stood on the upper deck taking in the fresh air and sunshine. Damn it felt good. I was starting to relax into the idea of the trip.

The few days before I left had been packed with tasks to perform and a lot of running about.  I had only finished packing this morning and I’d left items that were not required strewn from one end of the house to the other. Ohh the joys of being a bachelor. As luck would have it I got to terminal 10 minutes before loading commenced, so it was a short wait and a chat to another biker heading out to Tofino. The clock read 4176km this morning when I left home and I have a rough idea that it will be 1000km more by the time I’m done. I was aiming to camp at Miracle Beach that evening, and I had some things to check out on the way.

I rode up the 9A at every opportunity I could as it ran right along the eastern edge. It’s called the Oceanside Route for a reason :D. I called into the info center at Parksville to see how to get to Horne Lake Caves. They said the only way was on the 19, however a bit of time on their Wifi and maps I’d figured out how to get there while staying on the 19A. For people who are interested, there are signs on the 19A indicating the way. I got to the caves at 11:55, however I’d missed the tour as it left 5 minutes early. The dirt road into the caves was fun, it was the first time off road on this trip and things were going O.K. It was 11km of dirt, 14km from highway. Prior to this the only real off tarmac experience I’ve had was a Noobie Ride with DSBC. While I didn’t get on the tour I did go on a self guided tour. The major thing I learnt was that motorcycle pants aren’t the best for climbing around in caves with. I did swap the boots for hiking shoes, which helped immensely. Scrambling around inside a cave with only a shitty headlamp for light and no route was fun. It reminded me of Giants Cave in Margaret River, something I go through whenever I’m in the area. I’m a bit disappointed that I missed the tour, it sounded like they got to see a lot more and it wasn’t all walking on boardwalks.

I arrived at the Miracle Beach park to find some poor sod lying in the middle of the road with his Harley on its side. Not an inspiring sight on the first day of a road trip. There were already several people helping him, including someone on their phone, so I continued on. Shortly after there were Police, Ambulance and Fire vehicles on the scene. He had a blood down his face but he appeared to be moving. I later found out from a RCMP officer that the guy caught a peg on the pavement coming around a corner and wiped out and that while he’s banged up he’ll be O.K. It was a not so subtle reminder to take it easy.

Sitting on an old sun bleached log looking towards Powell river and listening to the waves gently crash on the rocky shore. Out to sea, two kayaks slowly drifted across the scene, from left to right. There’s no-one around, however I’m fairly sure that will be a different story in a month.

The 19A was great to ride up. The traffic was minimal, it was a decent speed at 80km/h for most parts, and the views of the coast were postcard worthy. $33 a night for camping at Miracle Beach. I’m wondering how it works for more than one bike, do they count it as 2 vehicles or do they cut us some slack? Dinner was a can of chilli and Texas cheesy hamburger buns I’d picked up at a Superstore somewhere. Damn it was tasty. I’m so knackered and its only 6:15. I guess that it’s been a full day and I did get up around 7am. The rest of the night will consist of cleaning up, a cuppa tea and then an early night for me. I’ve been wearing my over pants, with the liner in them and jeans underneath the whole day. Towards the end they got somewhat uncomfortable and the jeans ended up sticking to my legs. I’m thinking tomorrow that I’ll use the over pants as just pants.

The clock now reads 4385km.