Tour Complete

Hi all,

I am safe and happy (but cold) back in New Zealand but wanted to update on the last leg of my tour.

I spent a couple days in Prince Rupert at a guest house while a couple days of forecasted rain passed over.  This was the first time I slept under a roof since the tour started and went to a movie - very civilised!  I was able to explore the town a bit during breaks in the weather and enjoy the large number of bald eagles that inhabit the area.

I left Prince Rupert via the ferry to Port Hardy near the northern end of Vancouver Island.  The trip was 15 hours with stunning scenery the whole way.  We saw a few whales, but I was disappointed in the lack of waterfowl and seabirds along the route.

We arrived at Port Hardy just after 11:00 p.m. and I had to use my lights for the first time to ride 4-5 km to the nearest campground.  Thankfully the elderly gentlemen than ran the campground routinely waits for the ferry traffic, which turned out to be me and two other cyclists that night.

I spent the next couple days cruising down beautiful Vancouver Island.   It is definitely a place that deserves more time and I hope to get back there someday.  I had a new experience when I woke up at at a wild camp site when I rolled over and was face to face with a giant black slug, more than 10 cm long.  Two others had also tried to cuddle up during the night.

I arrived in Campbell River midday and started encountering traffic and more developed areas, so I made the decision (based on advice from Susan and Richard and an Aussie cyclist I'd met in Dease Lake) to catch the ferry to the sunshine coast (via Powell River) and follow it down to Vancouver.  It meant a few extra ferry rides but was a beautiful ride.  As I was warned, the road was steep and hilly and was a good opportunity to test my legs after days of easier graded roads.

I arrived in Vancouver on the morning of 20 July after an early start and a perfect arrive at the ferry.  I literally rolled up on my bike, pushed the button to get a boarding pass, and walked on - no waiting!

Rosemary had helped me arrange to stay with some Warmshowers.org hosts in North Vancouver.  I didn't know know the best route to get there but connected with another cyclist on the ferry that agreed to show me the way.  I enjoyed a great ride with Lee, who probably took an extra hour to get to work as we cruised along talking.  Turns out Lee is an artist who with an interest in birds, and corvids particularly, so we had a lot to talk about. Thanks for taking the time to show me around!

I stayed with Jan and Rick in North Vancouver.  They are amazing folks and made me feel at home while I stayed overnight in their home.  Jan and I took the seabus and train to the airport that afternoon, packed my bike in a box, and left it in overnight storage.  The rest of the trip was a whirlwind of exploring Vancouver.  Jan volunteers at the tourism office and knows everything to be done.

Although I'm not a city person, I really enjoyed Vancouver and could definitely spend more time there.  We did a bus tour around the city and Stanley Park, visited Granville Island (via electric boat) for lunch, and spent the afternoon at a massive suspension bridge and tree-top walk just out of town.

Later that afternoon, I packed my gear up in a duffel and headed via seabus and train to the airport, happy to be returning home to see Rosemary and Cricket.

Here is a map of the places where I camped during the tour.

I took a fair bit of video while I was riding.  If I find the energy to put together a compilation, I'll post the links here.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading.  I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed riding :).