I was up and away fairly early, rolling past some lovely houses on the ride into Courtenay where I stopped for a coffee and a doughnut. On the way out of town I noticed a fairly ramshackle looking thrift store and pulled in, placing my bike amongst the assortment of toys and furniture in front of the store - it's three months on the road now making it more difficult to distinguish from the tat on sale for $2. I would soon be reentering the civilian population and had very little in the way of normal clothes, so I grabbed a couple of t-shirts and a pair of shorts to see me through the rest of the trip.

 

The plan for the day was to get back on the gravel around the north shore of Comox Lake and then take a series of trails down towards Port Alberni. I crossed the Comox Dam and began a series of steep climbs and descents on the logging road. As I crested one of the rises there was a forestry worker who waved me down and said I couldn’t go any further as they were actively logging and the road was only open to the public at weekends. Frustrated, I had little option but to retrace my steps and find an alternative way of heading south. I pulled into a gas station to regroup and called my parents who were now in Vancouver and were due to get a ferry across to the Island in a couple of days. We came up with a new meeting location which meant I’d stay on the coast road and avoid riding the Alberni Highway which I’d been warned against doing. Plans hatched, I headed back to join the coast road about three miles south of where I’d been over two hours before. 

 

The rest of the day was a fairly easy ride along the coast through small villages and past numerous oyster farms. I’d booked into another RV park but this was much more quaint and rustic than the place I’d been the last couple of nights. I checked in with the owners and got set up in one of the tent spots right on the waterfront. There was a restaurant within walking distance which was a beautiful setting for a beer and some food as the sun set over the harbour. Despite the late change of plans, this turned out to be a great place to spend the last few days. 

 

Day 100 - Deep Bay

 

I wasn’t meeting my parents until tomorrow and as it was only around 40 miles away, it made sense to stay here for a second night. 

 

A little further around the bay was a marine field station which was part of Vancouver Island University. It was only small but they had some cool sea creatures to look at as well as information on the research they were doing with the local oyster farmers. As I walked slowly round the headland with little sense of purpose, it felt a lifetime away from the long days spent on the GDMBR. Although I was never racing, there had still always been a sense of continually needing to move forward. That feeling had now completely gone as I morphed into holiday mode. Whilst it was nice to spend some time relaxing, finding purpose in the days became more difficult. 

 

Back at the campsite the tide had come in so I took the opportunity for a quick swim in the sea before making a final dinner on the trusted camping stove. I also got chatting to the couple staying in the RV next door who kindly gave me some cherries and other bits of food. Despite my challenges of eating and losing my appetite I was maintaining the golden rule of never turning down free food to the very end.