Where ever I may roam

I was up at 6:30, and on the road by 8. Not too shabby for cooking breakfast, coffee and packing down. The sun is shining, it’s warm and there are no clouds, looks like a great day for a ride… The air is sweet, and there is a hint of tree resin as I ride down the road. I pulled into Cambell River for info and fuel. Unfortunately I was really early and the info centre wasn’t open. Thankfully, their WiFi was accessible from the carpark so I spent a while checking road conditions from Woss to Gold River. After a brief wander  around town I decided to head to Gold River first. This was mainly because there is fuel there, it’s tarmac all the way and should be able to check on the road conditions once I get there. I had a brief glimpse of Elk Falls as I rode past, I debated stopping and exploring but I was itching to be on the road and stick to the plan. I made a deal with myself to check Elk Falls out on the way back. No really [In hindsight I should have stopped, but I knew this when I passed through. If I say I’ll do it on the way back, I won’t]. The trip along the Elk River Rd from Cambell River was windy with great views of the lake and mountains, interspersed with tree covered sections. The highway (28) itself is also twisty and has similar views, it looks like the rest of the trip to Gold River will be similar. I called into Strathcona Park Lodge for a coffee and a chat, as people from work suggested that I call in. There are great views of the lake and mountains from the lodge mess hall, it’s not surprising that it gets used for weddings. The rest of the ride to Gold River was just as fun, lots of wonderful sight and twisty roads. I took a brief hike out to Lady Falls, in Strathcona Provincial Park. The KLR is holding up wonderfully so far.

Lady Falls

I got to Gold River only to find the Info centre closed for the off season. Damit, two in a row. Looks like I’m a few weeks too early. The Bike bottomed out at some point after Lady Falls, There was a big *crunch* and *scrape*, however an inspection showed no marks on the bash plate or anywhere else, so letting it pass. [I hadn’t adjusted the preload before leaving and it was set on my default of 3. I’m guessing that that probably had something to do with it.] The guy behind the counter at Shell Gold River was most helpful, giving good information on the conditions of the road to Woss. I’m going to head for Woss but I’m still thinking of a trip out to Tahsis and back. I spent a fair amount of time at the intersection outside of Gold River. On my left was Tahis, on my right was Woss. After a fair amount of deliberation and several Texas cheesy hamburger buns I reached a decision: Tahsis it is, there is heaps of time, it’s just gone 12, and I’m in no rush.

Choices

I called into Upana Caves, however I didn’t venture down the trail to the caves as I was completely unprepared. The Island has made me realize that I need to get a caving buddy as there are so may caves around here to explore. I stopped at Painted Rock for a photo op and a bite to eat. I am currently 20km in from the intersection and it’s been about 40 mins. I continued along the road to Tahsis, dodging graders but otherwise enjoying the ride. At the 20km mark on the FSR I turned around, it was 1:45 and I still want to make it towards Woss tonight. I discovered that I am more likely to check things out and explore when I am on the bike than I was when I was in the car. I’m guessing that it has something to do with being more exposed to the environment when on a bike.

Photo op at Painted Rock

I do need to remind myself that it is more about the journey than the destination on occasion. Heading towards Woss, I didn’t get back to the turnoff until 3pm. I keep on assuming that I can go a lot faster than what is practical for these roads. Old habits of highway driving on straight flat roads I guess. The tires are a little skittish in places, especially the front. I think that this is due to how the bike is loaded, with everything over the back tire.  The roads are generally quite good and very easy to ride on, having been recently graded.

Two thrids down the trail I ran into an unexpected fork in the road. After consulting the available maps and signs I decided to follow the sign pointing towards the highway. Unfortunately this  was the wrong choice as I was wanting to follow the TCAT path and I ended up on the highway 11km west of Woss. A better map or higher resolution imagery would have solved this problem, which is something to keep in mind for next time. I’m heading towards Port McNeil for fuel and food, it’s getting late, I’m hungry and the bike is thirsty. I’m probably going to camp in Telegraph Cove somewhere, as I’ve heard it’s a nice place. I set up camp at what I think is the Telegraph Cove bush camp, it looks like a caravan park to me tho. The tent is set up next to a babbling stream and there are the occasional birds chirping. I’ve figured out one of the reasons that I’m enjoying this trip more than a single day trip… There’s no urban traffic to contend with for an hour each side of the fun bit, it’s all fun. Having a hot shower was wonderful. I’m yet to find someone to pay, I’ve been knocking at the site office door but no-one is answering. I dug through my Backroads Mapbook looking for free camp sites around Port Alberni, where I’m planning on being tomorrow.

The bike definitely got it’s legs stretched today, as the clock is now at 4760 km and a decent chunk of it was dirt.