Prince Rupert to Port Hardy
I took the ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy. It left at 7:30 but they wanted people there at 6:30. So I was up, showered, and at Tim Horton's by 6. It is possible to fit a large paper cup in my vertical bottle holder.
The ferry was not full, but almost. The passengers were mostly either retired or European tourists. It felt somewhat like I had stepped onto a bus tour from England. It makes some sense, even from Prince Rupert it is faster to get to Vancouver by driving; depending on how long the wait for the lower mainland ferry is, which way is faster to Victoria is up in the air. And the summer ferry fare is expensive at about $300 for a car.
But it was only $6.50 to take my bike. I was the only cyclist aboard, even though I could think of many routes that could involve the ferry.
The entire day was cold and foggy, so relaxing on deck wasn't all that pleasant. I did try to spend much of the trip outside. Fortunately, the water was fairly calm, expect for a little bit of rocking when we were on open sea. Around supper time, we passed a few whales.
We got to Port Hardy just after 10. I was the first off the boat. My blinky lights and I made it to the campsite before the RVs came down the road.
The camp, Wildwoods, was only 3km from the ferry. It was the best private campground I have been at so far. The sites were named after people, and best of all, there was a special cyclist rate. It was a nice introduction to Vancouver Island.
The ferry was not full, but almost. The passengers were mostly either retired or European tourists. It felt somewhat like I had stepped onto a bus tour from England. It makes some sense, even from Prince Rupert it is faster to get to Vancouver by driving; depending on how long the wait for the lower mainland ferry is, which way is faster to Victoria is up in the air. And the summer ferry fare is expensive at about $300 for a car.
But it was only $6.50 to take my bike. I was the only cyclist aboard, even though I could think of many routes that could involve the ferry.
The entire day was cold and foggy, so relaxing on deck wasn't all that pleasant. I did try to spend much of the trip outside. Fortunately, the water was fairly calm, expect for a little bit of rocking when we were on open sea. Around supper time, we passed a few whales.
We got to Port Hardy just after 10. I was the first off the boat. My blinky lights and I made it to the campsite before the RVs came down the road.
The camp, Wildwoods, was only 3km from the ferry. It was the best private campground I have been at so far. The sites were named after people, and best of all, there was a special cyclist rate. It was a nice introduction to Vancouver Island.