Day 8 Telegraph Cove to Port Hardy

Day 8 Telegraph Cove to Port Hardy

66 km

Sunrise.  We woke early to this amazing view!

Really - does it get much better than this?  We put on our fleecies for the first time in 8 days to combat a slight, and I mean very slight chill in the air.  We are still dumbfounded that we have cycled Vancouver Island from south to north without a drop of rain and without ever donning our long undies!  While it has made for a very enjoyable vacation, we are seeing the effects of the heat and the drought every where we visit.  Areas are beginning to close their parks and trails in an attempt to prevent fires.  Thankfully, we are not prone to lightening strikes in this neck of the woods.

We were determined to get an early start out of Telegraph Cove.  To call the road "bike friendly" is a gross exaggeration of the word friendly.  The road twists, turns, has no shoulder and features very steep sections.  Definitely better attempted in the early morning before the heat of the day.

Once we were back on the main highway we made great time and were feeling very optimistic.  We stopped roadside to celebrate breaking the 50 mile marker to Port Hardy.  The dream was alive and we were confident that come hell or high water we would make our ferry connection.  We had just been chatting about the pressure a deadline creates, and how it is so difficult to time your ride due to changing weather conditions, terrain, mechanical problems, physical issues, etc. etc.  In a cruel twist of fate, it happened.  I flatted out!  Now that is what I call irony.

Rob put his tiring changing skills to work and we were back on the road in no time flat. (pun intended!)  We continued along Highway 19 or Bear Alley as the locals call it and soon found ourselves looking at a Prince Rupert ferry sign.  We are booked on the 7am ferry.  We have been told to arrive two hours early in order to claim our reservation.  Concerned about riding in the dark, we decided to take a room at Bear Cove Cottages, only 1 km from the ferry terminal.  Worst case, we figure we can ditch the gear and make a run for the boat.

As luck would have it, and good luck has certainly come our way this trip, the cottages are amazing!  We arrived early in the afternoon, checked in, showered and set out on foot to explore the area.  We stumbled in to Bear Cove Park and met Andrew, a DFO summer student.  Andrew is an aspiring marine biologist and is tasked with greeting the fishermen as they pull in to dock, documenting their catch and taking samples.

The view from his office is to die for!

We continued on down to the marina and had the very good fortune of meeting Neeta. This wonderful lady runs the Bait and Tackle store and is a true gem!  She asked if we would like to meet her eagle.  Before we knew it, she had collected a fish head from one of the local fisherman and was calling to her friend.  Within seconds, a magnificent bald eagle swooped down for a tasty treat.

Neeta, or the Eagle Whisperer as we affectionately called her, was very clear in stressing that she is careful not to feed the eagle too much as she does not want it to become dependent on her.  As we chatted away, a crafty river otter popped up to get in on the action.  It struck me how connected Neeta was to Nature.  We had seen the news the other day, and a young girl in Vancouver was interviewed.  She had vaguely heard something about a water restriction but had no idea there was a drought.  On the flipside, Neeta shared stories of the eagles, their babies, the seagulls, the otters.......I could have listened to her all night.

Giggle of the day

Our 'master plan" was to cycle in to Port Hardy and purchase groceries to top up our supplies before our next leg to Haida.  We grossly miscalculated the extra distance.  It was another 20km to get our groceries and come back.  Faced with another 20 km in the saddle or lounging on our deck watching cruise ships go by, we made an executive decision ...... pizza delivery!

#explorebc #cycle #cycletour #myopus #northisland