August 2010
© 2009-
We made it through the forest fire just south of Watson Lake and have been enjoying everything the Cassiar has to offer. Bear sightings have become as commonplace as panoramas of beautiful mountains.
The riding has been challenging, with several extended 8% grades. Still, the road surface has been much better than the dubious reports we were getting. I suppose the Dalton lowered our standards significantly...
Our journey to Stewart, a small town 40 miles off the Cassiar Highway, was dashed with rivers, mountains and bear sightings. The highlight of the detour was the Salmon Glacier towering deep within the mountains above town.
The weather was sunny and warm leaving Stewart. We finished the Cassiar Highway in the company of Joost and Michiel, averaging 100 kilometers a day in the 5 days out of Stewart.
We woke up at 5 AM to make the ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy. This took us from the upper portion of British Columbia to Vancouver Island. The 14 hour ride was full of scenic views and whale sightings. This was Jess’s also first ferry ride!
Vancouver Island took us from the remote Canadian forest to the busy streets of beach side cities. We spent almost a week cycling down the island. Along the way we experienced our first flat, some serious traffic, and a bunny infested campground.
We had a nice ferry ride into Vancouver, complete with a beautiful sunrise. Exploring the biggest city of our journey was a treat (especially the chocolate cake!)
After that we headed back to Vancouver Island, happy to be surrounded by migrating birds and blackberries again.