Outliers
Distance traveled: 252.8 km
Cumulative distance: 2692 km
Maximum Speed: 121 km/h
Moving Average: 68 km/h
Temperature range: -49 - 17.8 C (I think the thermometer was having a bad morning; pretty sure that is not correct)
We had a day to kill around Port Hardy before our departure for Prince Rupert tomorrow. But we have a whole day to sit around on the boat tomorrow, so back on the bike today. Our plan was to visit some outlying communities around Port Hardy. But, not big rush; there isn't THAT far to go.
We took our time dragging ourselves ourselves out of the rack and by the time we went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast, they had all gone home for the day. But we were told we could get breakfast down at the Market Street Cafe, a ten minute walk. Ostensibly.
It was probably fifteen but there are no lattes to be had in these parts. We walk up to the counter after eyeing the baked goods in the display case. Some items are on trays and others are wrapped in plastic wrap, which we later learn means that they were baked yesterday. But there is a big breakfast menu on a blackboard behind the counter.
The gal behind the counter is a wisp of a thing - probably 90 pounds soaking wet and knee high to a grasshopper. However, she has twice as much personality and is sassy to boot. When we waffled to place our order she walked away and called over her shoulder she would be back and walked into the kitchen and was visiting with the cook. When we are ready to order I tap the bell on the counter and she comes back. Nan orders an Egg McMuffin with hash, which I believe was meant to signify shredded potatoes but was really chopped potatoes dumped from a bag. I order eggs over easy with hash and snausages, which also comes with toast. The toast is from bread they bake and is feigning to be wholesome in some fashion because it is full of seeds and looks like whole wheat flour. It is actually very good but seems out of place here. I am also offered home made raspberry jam which really is good. She writes the order on a Post-It Note and walks it back into the kitchen and we help ourselves to coffee and sit at a large table occupied by two others. She yells at us "are we going to pay for breakfast" so I yell back "no we are planning to 'dine and dash'". She comes over and eyes us up and down and says she never forgets a face, so don't try anything.
We walk back to the hotel and saddle up to get on the bike. It's after 11 so we aren't setting any records today. Our first target is Cape Scott Provincial Park. We asked the saucy one if the road was paved and she said she thought it was paved to San Josef Bay, which is a little community on the way. Turns out the road is paved about the first 2 km and gravel the last 59 km so we are thwarted. But some intrepid soul has dragged a Google Street View Camera out there and i encourage you to Google Maps search Cape Scott Provincial Park and see where I am going on my next dual sport trip.
Next up: Coal Harbour. No, I don't mean Sydney Crosby's home town in Nova Scotia. There is a Coal Harbour around here, too. This is a fishing village and looks like an Indigenous community, too. There are houses, several fishing vessels in the marina, and few commercial buildings. We do see two float planes come in to the harbour and then taxi to the boat launch where a fork lift is waiting to lift the planes out of the water. I presume they are being taken for servicing but it seems an amazing coincidence that two come basically at once. For a few houses at Coal Harbour, they have a spectacular view of the ocean; the harbour is somewhat protected by the surrounding mountains so they don't get the full brunt of the weather bearing down on them coming all the way from Japan. Any other location the property would be worth millions but out here, probably hundreds.
After Coal Harbour, we are off to Port Alice. It is a little farther west than Coal Harbour but considerably more developed. In fact, there is a some kind of big cellulose production plant at Port Alice so I suspect that goes a long way to sustaining the local economy. Certainly, there doesn't appear to be a fishing industry here because we see no fishing boats. But, unlike Coal Harbour there is some retail here: a grocery store, a Bank of Novas Scotia, which is open two days a week, a legion, and a restaurant which is open 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. which I suspect caters strictly to locals because it is completely invisible from the street. We only see it because we had seen a sign that said "Deli and Grill" and we were walking around looking for a cup of coffee. The "Deli and Grill" is inside the grocery store and consists of a machine that dispenses either hot chocolate, mocha or something else, which wasn't quite identifiable. There are some deep fried things, like pieces of chicken, I think, under a heat lamp and then the baked goods produced by the store's bakery. Out here, beggars can't be choosers. Nan has a fancy coffee from the machine and I have coffee from one of two urns, labeled "Tim Horton's" or "Nabob". and we have some cookies, too. Port Alice looks entirely like a sleepy retirement community because there are a number of members of the blue-rinse set coming through the grocery store. It is hard to imagine living out here because it is really remote. Port Hardy looks like New York next to this place. I don't mean that unkindly.
Getting there, we pass by Beaver Cove, which is a lumber congregating place. It looks like logs are brought here and then shipped elsewhere for processing. There is an abandoned railway line leading right to the yard but it is rusted and long since out of use.
It's back to Port Hardly, as my brother calls it. We have enjoyed having an extra day here and I'm excited to come back here some time to explore some of the more remote areas.
Tomorrow we are up early to be at the ferry terminal around 5:30 a.m. We get to Prince Rupert at 11:30 p.m. BC time so not sure what I will be publishing tomorrow. I may be able to sneak an upload along the way, if a lighthouse has a wifi network.
Cumulative distance: 2692 km
Maximum Speed: 121 km/h
Moving Average: 68 km/h
Temperature range: -49 - 17.8 C (I think the thermometer was having a bad morning; pretty sure that is not correct)
We had a day to kill around Port Hardy before our departure for Prince Rupert tomorrow. But we have a whole day to sit around on the boat tomorrow, so back on the bike today. Our plan was to visit some outlying communities around Port Hardy. But, not big rush; there isn't THAT far to go.
We took our time dragging ourselves ourselves out of the rack and by the time we went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast, they had all gone home for the day. But we were told we could get breakfast down at the Market Street Cafe, a ten minute walk. Ostensibly.
It was probably fifteen but there are no lattes to be had in these parts. We walk up to the counter after eyeing the baked goods in the display case. Some items are on trays and others are wrapped in plastic wrap, which we later learn means that they were baked yesterday. But there is a big breakfast menu on a blackboard behind the counter.
The gal behind the counter is a wisp of a thing - probably 90 pounds soaking wet and knee high to a grasshopper. However, she has twice as much personality and is sassy to boot. When we waffled to place our order she walked away and called over her shoulder she would be back and walked into the kitchen and was visiting with the cook. When we are ready to order I tap the bell on the counter and she comes back. Nan orders an Egg McMuffin with hash, which I believe was meant to signify shredded potatoes but was really chopped potatoes dumped from a bag. I order eggs over easy with hash and snausages, which also comes with toast. The toast is from bread they bake and is feigning to be wholesome in some fashion because it is full of seeds and looks like whole wheat flour. It is actually very good but seems out of place here. I am also offered home made raspberry jam which really is good. She writes the order on a Post-It Note and walks it back into the kitchen and we help ourselves to coffee and sit at a large table occupied by two others. She yells at us "are we going to pay for breakfast" so I yell back "no we are planning to 'dine and dash'". She comes over and eyes us up and down and says she never forgets a face, so don't try anything.
We walk back to the hotel and saddle up to get on the bike. It's after 11 so we aren't setting any records today. Our first target is Cape Scott Provincial Park. We asked the saucy one if the road was paved and she said she thought it was paved to San Josef Bay, which is a little community on the way. Turns out the road is paved about the first 2 km and gravel the last 59 km so we are thwarted. But some intrepid soul has dragged a Google Street View Camera out there and i encourage you to Google Maps search Cape Scott Provincial Park and see where I am going on my next dual sport trip.
Next up: Coal Harbour. No, I don't mean Sydney Crosby's home town in Nova Scotia. There is a Coal Harbour around here, too. This is a fishing village and looks like an Indigenous community, too. There are houses, several fishing vessels in the marina, and few commercial buildings. We do see two float planes come in to the harbour and then taxi to the boat launch where a fork lift is waiting to lift the planes out of the water. I presume they are being taken for servicing but it seems an amazing coincidence that two come basically at once. For a few houses at Coal Harbour, they have a spectacular view of the ocean; the harbour is somewhat protected by the surrounding mountains so they don't get the full brunt of the weather bearing down on them coming all the way from Japan. Any other location the property would be worth millions but out here, probably hundreds.
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| All terrain vehicle. |
After Coal Harbour, we are off to Port Alice. It is a little farther west than Coal Harbour but considerably more developed. In fact, there is a some kind of big cellulose production plant at Port Alice so I suspect that goes a long way to sustaining the local economy. Certainly, there doesn't appear to be a fishing industry here because we see no fishing boats. But, unlike Coal Harbour there is some retail here: a grocery store, a Bank of Novas Scotia, which is open two days a week, a legion, and a restaurant which is open 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. which I suspect caters strictly to locals because it is completely invisible from the street. We only see it because we had seen a sign that said "Deli and Grill" and we were walking around looking for a cup of coffee. The "Deli and Grill" is inside the grocery store and consists of a machine that dispenses either hot chocolate, mocha or something else, which wasn't quite identifiable. There are some deep fried things, like pieces of chicken, I think, under a heat lamp and then the baked goods produced by the store's bakery. Out here, beggars can't be choosers. Nan has a fancy coffee from the machine and I have coffee from one of two urns, labeled "Tim Horton's" or "Nabob". and we have some cookies, too. Port Alice looks entirely like a sleepy retirement community because there are a number of members of the blue-rinse set coming through the grocery store. It is hard to imagine living out here because it is really remote. Port Hardy looks like New York next to this place. I don't mean that unkindly.
Our next stop is Telegraph Cove. We had heard that they have old buildings, so we were expecting to find something akin to a ghost town but it was a bustling tourist community. There were a couple of Jonview buses there, a resort with several buildings, some houses overlooking the ocean, a kayak rental place, an RV resort and restaurants. LOTS of cars in the parking lot. Not cut from the same cloth as the other two places we visited earlier in the day. But, not exactly a place to set up your retirement home either.
It's back to Port Hardly, as my brother calls it. We have enjoyed having an extra day here and I'm excited to come back here some time to explore some of the more remote areas.
Tomorrow we are up early to be at the ferry terminal around 5:30 a.m. We get to Prince Rupert at 11:30 p.m. BC time so not sure what I will be publishing tomorrow. I may be able to sneak an upload along the way, if a lighthouse has a wifi network.
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