Still raining. I couldn’t face another day in Port Hardy so decided to brave the rain and do a short ride to a motel, where I could at least dry stuff again and wouldn’t have to deal with a wet tent. Got packed up and said goodbye to the hikers before finally riding out of town. Once up a steep climb away from the coast, I was quickly off the highway and back onto some gravel roads. Despite the four or five days of near constant rain they were mercifully not muddy. 

 

A relatively uneventful ride for most of the day as the road gently undulated through the forest. The only real point of interest along the way being an old cedar tree with hundreds of shoes either nailed to it or scattered around the base. It apparently started in the 1970s or 80s but nobody appears to fully know why. I guess you have to make your own fun living out here. 

 

The rain hadn’t been too bad until I was about 5 miles from the motel at Holberg when the heavens fully opened and I once again pulled up to my accommodation looking like I’d swam there rather than cycled. The motel was right on the edge of the village and, despite being fairly modern, had mild horror movie vibes to it as I was greeted by an enormous barking dog. The owner was extremely friendly though and showed me where I could store the bike and asked if I needed to do any washing - whilst trying to convince me that the dog was friendly and harmless. The room itself was really nice and recently renovated and I was extremely glad for the warm shower and not to be camping in the rain.

 

I wandered down through the tiny village of Holberg to ‘Vancouver Island’s most remote pub’ for fish and chips and a pint. The place seemed to be mainly frequented by other cyclists and hikers seeking refuge from the rain. Back to the motel to chill for the evening and try to dry the remainder of the wet clothes.