Headed in the Right Direction...Finally

Day 4: Powell River to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park

Today's Distance: 55 miles

Total Distance: 156 miles

This morning I caught the 8:05 ferry to Comox on Vancouver Island.  I had an actual breakfast onboard instead of just a Clif bar, even though I wasn't really hungry.  Every one keeps telling me that food is fuel when biking so I forced myself to fill up.  This ferry was like a mini cruise ship and it took about 75 min to cross over to the other side. Comox marks the official start for the journey south to Mexico. Yay!  I never really explained on here but I've been kinda going in the wrong direction since Vancouver.  I could've just went south to Victoria initially and been outta this country in a day, but I wanted to see more of BC so I did what's called the BC Coastal Circle Route.  To say it's been challenging is an understatement, but it's been totally worth it and I'll have memories of this beautiful landscape for a lifetime.  In Comox I decided to stop at a nice little coffee shop/juice bar.  This is the first day where I don't feel super rushed. I have my longest ride yet ahead of me, but from the map it doesn't seem all that difficult so I'm going to try to enjoy the day as much as possible.  There's this kid with a developmental disability sitting across the room with his grandpa. He has his headphones on and he is just singing his heart out and nobody seems to mind. I'm not sure if he's actually listening to music though because he can hear the baristas and every once in awhile he'll repeat whatever they say, it's pretty funny.  The kid has the biggest smile on his face and randomly cracks up and yells, "That's hilarious!  You look like a rubber ducky!"  I'm suspicious that he's talking about me since I'm the only one wearing a "screaming yellow" cycling jersey. Nice burn kid. When he and his grandpa got up to leave apparently everyone here knows him by name. This kid has to use a walker and is dealing with more than I'll ever know but seems to be loving life regardless of his circumstance.  That moment just reminded me to be thankful no matter what.   I started to get emotional in the coffee shop so I had to stop writing. I didn't want to weird anyone out.  Before I left I asked a lady to document the momentous occasion of me finally going the right way:

The rest day did me some good!  I was still a little sore but once I warmed up I was good to go.  The first 30 miles were low rolling hills, which were nothing compared to what I've already been through so I took the time to look around and enjoy it. I saw a bald eagle just chilling in this marshy area. I couldn't really believe it.  This was the first time I've ever seen one in the wild, maybe even the first time I've ever seen one, I can't recall.  I grabbed a footlong from Subway, took it to Rosewell Provincial Park, and had lunch at a creek. Reminded me of visiting my grandmas house in Oregon and playing at the creek behind her house.  I guess this is oyster harvesting territory and once I got back on the road I started noticing a bunch of fresh oyster places and tons of cars parked outside.  I was so bummed I stuffed myself at lunch because I would've loved to have a dozen to myself!

My lunch spot

Near the end of the day I started feeling some nagging pains in my neck/shoulders and in my left knee and that slowed me down considerably.  Of course that's also when it started getting a little hilly.  I had to take a break at some random bench I saw in a grassy field. I rode through Qualicum Beach which is awesome!  I saw deer just hanging out like it was no big deal and the town was very picturesque. Really enjoyed the waterfront and mini-mansions.

Arrived at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park and was excited to see other people!  They all had RV's and a campfire going and bottles of wine popped. It was a much better welcome than the dark, ominous, and empty Saltery Bay!  I however am in the walk-in site which is a huge open field closer to the beach and again I was the only one, until right before bed time a couple biked up in the dark. I put up my camp as the sun went down and made some pasta on my little camp stove. Time for bed now!

All To Myself