english : Canada : Victoria-Prince Rupert

Hello everybody,


Time again for some news.
Canada : Victoria-Port Hardy (vancouverisland)-Prince Rupert.
Total cycling distance : 2231km

Last time i wrote that i wanted to leave on monday but when i leave i notice that a spoke is broken. I go to a cycle shop and they repair it in an hour. When i go to pick up my cycle they tell me that they have damaged the rim and need the whole day to fix it. I am not to happy with it but have no choice. I spend my day in the National Britsh Columbia Museum which is excellent and cheap in comparising with the museum in Belgium. I also folluw a tour. The guide is still new and very enthousiastic. Allthough he cant answer every question it is very good. It last also a 30min longer than it is ment to be.
Again there are problems with my bike. My rim has an European standard and they have trouble to replace it. Now they tell me it will be ready on tuesday morning. That it is.

Now i am leaving on tuesday. Because i have a ferry to catch in Port Hardy which is 450km north i cant go to the west coast of Vancouverisland as planned.
On tuesday evening i reach Nanaimo. Here i ll stay with Barbara. I try to meet as many local people as i can and i do that through some travelsites. The principle is hospitality from both sides. Which means i ll host other members at my home when they travel and i can stay with others members when i travel. These sites are www.hospitalityclub.org , www.couchsurfing.com and www.warmshowers.org this last one is only for cyclist and is very small. If i go to hostels, hotels or camoingsites i will only meet other tourist. Now i meet the local people and learn much more about a country, its people and the mentality of it and the way people live.
I have met very special and interesting people on this way and Barbara is no exception. She is well travelled, has an interesting look on the world and not to forget is a great cook.
Barbara, i really enjoyed are talks and eveningstrawl and not to forget your delicious cooking. Thank you for all that.

I have also been very lucky to meet some cyclist on the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria. They told me i could take some smaller roads to avoid the main islandhighway and there is also the old highway next to the coast. Thanks to this i cycle with less traffic and a lot of miles along side the coast with some beautifull sights.
On wednesday evening when i am looking on the maps where i can camp a guy spots me and ask if i am lost. I am not but he alows me to camp in his garden. He also let me shower and gives me a great breakfast. Thank you very much, Glenn. For this and for the advice where the shops are north of Campbell River in that remote area.

Unfortunally, on thursday the wheather changes and it stays cloudy all day. Sometimes it rains, sometimes i dont know what it does because the humidity is so high i cant tell. This is also the day i have my second flat tyre this trip.
Friday start with rain but it clears up fast and it turns out to be a great sunny day. I have time to visit Telegraph Cove. A little village that excist because they needed a very good and fast way to communicate with the west coast. In WO2 people thaught that the westcoast was under treat of the Japanese army. The special thing about this village is that all the older houses are build on stelts (i hope you understand my english, if not just ask me) because there was no place to build on the ground in that bay. It was very nice.

On my way to Telegraph Cove i can watch how a black bear is eating from the berries along side the road.
In Port Mcneill i am eating and enjoying the vieuw when Chuck and Elaine talk to me. They did also some cycling trip. They invite me to their home. Chuck is from the Netherlands. He moved when he was 2 years old but still speaks some Dutch which is my native language. He is also a retired policeman and worked on the Stewart-Cassidy highway which i want to cycle on when i turn south. He gives me some good advice.
Elaine is a nurse just like me and she explains how the local hospital works. It is quiet different from home. We have separed departments for emergency patients, pregnant women in labor, heartdiseases, cancer and so on. Here they have to do everthing. But in Belgium we have more patients for each nurse. (allmost twice as much).
They make also excellent pancakes. I also love the vieuw from their home.
Chuck (sorry i forget your Dutch name) and Elaine, thank you very much for your hospitality and i hope you send me the way how i can make so wonderfull pancakes.

On sunday i ll take the ferry to Prince Rupert. This is the south part of the inlandpassage. This passage is famous for its vieuws off landscape and wildlife especially for whales.
The first 2 hours we see nothing because off the fog but after that it is great. I see three whales and i meet 3 other cyclist. One is from Seattle and he cycled a lot in the mountains and the NP. He gives me very good advice.
This part is not even the most interesting part. So i am really looking forward to the next part.

Tomorrow, tuesday, i take the ferry to Haines where i arrive on thursday. Than i cycle to Haines Junction where i ll try to visit Kluane NP and do some hiking.

This was all for now,

greetings,

nico