Ferry Day - Zero Day
My day 8 - official day 6
Less than 2 miles
3 hour ferry ride from Bamfield to Port Alberni
I woke up at my usual time around 6 am but there was no need to get up. I heard a few rain drops at some point or maybe dreamt them. I read and listened to my neighbors look for a phone, make breakfast, get ready for their day of fishing perhaps. The market/cafe didn’t open until 8 am so I partially packed and left my tent at the campsite drying before I took the two minute ride there.
Ferry left at noon so there were hours spent drinking coffee, eating and being connected to the world in the traditionally misty west coast day. We all more or less did our own thing but never far apart.
We were advised to be on the dock at noon and for over an hour watched the boat unload on the other side of the bay. Big raindrops started to fall and now I had on all my jackets. Once they docked on the east side where we were waiting, it was quite the operation to unload large pallets full of boxes and materials. Small pick up trucks backed the narrow dock all the way to the boat. I thought that the 1958 Lady Rose would carry only the eight cyclists (2 Canadians from Kelowna, 1 guy from Switzerland who started in LA, 4 Americans and me- a mix) with their bikes, a family of three and an additional lady with a walker but when we pulled back to the west dock there must have been an additional 50-70 people waiting to get on. Tourists, kind of like us. Big garbage dumpsters were loaded and all of a sudden most of the seats on the boat were taken. I was glad to save a nice spot with a view in the front. A lady pulled out her binoculars as soon as she sat down and I felt a little bad about the odor that she will get to enjoy. Although I showered last night, I am a week into wearing these clothes off the bike and when I woke up this morning, I simply pulled my shorts on over the clothes that I wore to sleep. This is the minimalist bike life.
There was a lot to take in on the 3.5 hour journey through the Alberni inlet. It’s a narrow channel where you can easily see both sides and we were the biggest boat around. Lots and lots of trees. Rugged coast line. Houses and cabins only accessed by water. Windsurfers. Lumber Mills on the water. It rained most of the way
Excited travelers chatted and the volume inside the upper cabin was got loud, especially since we have seen little civilization over the last few days.
We pulled on the rain pants and jackets before the boat docked. Glad to have secured a motel for the night with all the rain coming down and forecasted over night. Our cottage was comfy and clean and four of us piled into a two bedroom motel. Having a real towel to dry off is a nice luxury. Cathy hasn’t been feeling well for a few days so she found her own room in a nearby motel.
We are off to see the goats tomorrow! (Yes. More goats)
