The ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy took 18 hours.
Every now and then the captain would announce a humpback whale, or a pod of orca alongside.
Every single passenger would immediately detach from their spot and flock over to that side of the boat.
I saw a few tails slap, lots of blows and curved dark shapes above the waves.
Didn’t bother reaching for the phone. It’s hopeless for wildlife photography and there are a lot of things in life that are best not viewed through the screen of a smartphone.
Arrived around midnight and rolled out, camping in an overgrown lay-by a couple of kilometres from the ferry terminal.
If I motored on, I would get to Victoria in just six days.
Decided to make this leg feel more like a cycling holiday, than mile munching.
Since Fairbanks, most of the people and places have been obsessed with salmon.
I finally gave in to peer pressure and grabbed a fishing licence.
Salmon season was just about to wind down, so I decided to go for lake trout.
Planned a route down the island that hit as many bodies of freshwater as possible.
Discovered that I could camp for free at Woss Campground, so I stashed most of my bulky, non valuable kit in the tent.
Significantly lighter, I hit the trails in search of trout.
Pedalled out of the mountains, down to the town of Campbell River.
It’s pretty populated along the coast, getting more so the closer you get to Victoria.
Finding a spot to wild camp was increasingly requiring a bit of lateral thinking.
Camped right on the edge of a park at the harbour arm.
I reckon I got the best view in town.
Jumped on the ferry to Quadra Island. Lazed around for a couple of nights at the campground, where I got adopted by two rather friendly retired teachers, Doug and Trish.
Carried on down the mostly flat coastline, with some beautiful seaside views.
More island hopping. Travelled out to Hornby Island, via Denman island.
Lots of peace symbols and wellness businesses around.
Met John, who once rode his three speed bicycle down to Mexico in the 60s.
He laughed about how having long hair back then made people treat you like a freak. ‘Men had to have short hair, it just didn’t compute!’
He also used to be a pretty serious rock climber.
He reminisced about climbing cliffs in the Rocky Mountains back in Alberta, getting such an adrenaline rush that sometimes his muscles locked up and wouldn’t respond.
Not great when you really do need to move that hand out to grab the next hold…
Spotted two backpackers sheepishly riding the ferry both ways. They had got so stoned thar they left their camping kit behind at the terminal.
Spotted something familiar. A mirage?
Can’t pedal past an English pub!
Turns out being from the UK is a really good way to get drinks bought for you around here…
Went on a fishing diversion inland to Cameron lake.
I’d managed to glean some local intelligence that the fish only seemed to be biting worms at the moment.
I tried flinging some rubber worms at the lake and retrieved 4 smallish trout from the water.
Feels like magic to actually catch fish after spending days flailing around, dredging up various bits of vegetation and getting tangled up.
Headed for Nanaimo, from which I could get a boat to Vancouver city.
After Qualicum Beach my scenic coast road turned into an undulating dual carriageway.
Camped at an established site on Gabriola Island, across the water from Nanaimo.
Such a peaceful place, considering how crowded the main Island was this far south.
Caught a ferry to Vancouver, Horseshoe Bay.
Pedalled along Marine Drive, then over the bridge and into downtown Vancouver.
