Day 6 Roberts Lake to Woss

Day 6 - Roberts Lake to Woss

102 km

We did more than order a cinnamon bun!  We visited the cafe, ordered up the Loggers Special and had a wonderful morning chatting with Lorna, chief cook and expert in residence for all things Robert Lake.  This amazing Grandma has been cooking up breakies for the area loggers for over 40 years.  Her cafe is full of knick knacks, old photos and memorabilia....all with a story behind them.  She delighted us with her tales...and with her home-cooked goodies.  A definite pit stop should you find yourself near Roberts Lake!  Ask for Lorna, and be sure to give her dog Ruger a nibble.

What goes up must come down!  After yesterday's long hill climb we were treated to an exhilarating descent.  We felt great, the highway was good, shoulders quite wide, a few washboards to contend with but all in all good riding conditions. We cruised into the corner store in Sayward and treated ourselves to a lemonade. While lounging about we met our first gunsmith.  When asked about his business he replied, "I got tired of fixing all of my friends and neighbours guns for free, so I started a business."  Made sense.

Everyone in Sayward warned us about the upcoming climbs and we were feeling a little anxious about the road ahead.  They were not exaggerating.  The Sayward  Canyon climb was tough, but once again on the downhill we were rewarded with panoramic mountain views.  The area is beautiful!  Not the route to choose if you are looking for towns, shops and cafes, but for us it was a joy to be cycling mile after mile in the forests.  There are numerous clearcut areas.  Clearly logging is a huge part of the local economy.

We were beginning another long climb up to Hoomac Lake.  It was gruelling!  We were forced to get off and walk at times as the effect of the heat and the climb was beginning to tax our legs.  We were  quite low on water and we were both getting cranky when we arrived at the rest stop to be greeted by an amazing young family.  They were on vacation, touring the Island and curious about our bikes.  We shared cycling stories, and joked about the "false flats", a crazy optical illusion in which the road appears flat but your legs scream hill! They generously filled our water bottles and shared a few energy treats with us.  They told us the temperature was 33 degrees.  I am 100 per cent positive that we will be happy to have our long johns and toques when we are on the zodiak in Haida Gwaii, but at that moment in time it seemed absolutely ridiculous to be hauling that extra weight up these hills.

We arrived at the turn to our intended campsite to be greeted by a 10km gravel road.  We looked at each other in disbelief and made an easy decision to go another click on the paved highway and look for a room at the Rugged Mountain Inn.

Giggle of the Day

The Rugged Mountain Inn is also home to the Rugged Mountain Pub.  In all honesty if you were driving by the place, you might be afraid to stop.  However, we were thirsty and hungry and we figured at the very least the pub would have COLD beer.  The menu was a bizarre mish mash of burgers, fries and sushi.  We decided to roll the dice and order the sushi.  No word of a lie....it was some of the best sushi we have ever had.  The suishi chef has trained for years and recently immigrated to Canada, making Woss his new home.  He was absolutely charming and we are confident he will make Woss the Sushi Capital of Vancouver Island.

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