Discovery Islands Loop: Minimum Planning For the Win
Trust that things will work out, and they will. I’m an insatiable optimist, and that’s really my belief, but Maya and I sometimes disagree on this… Surely, COVID changes things? or does it? Could we still head out on an 11 day cycling trip with our two kids, without knowing where we would stay every night? Would Warm Showers hosts agree to host us, despite these difficult times…? I really believe that not booking accommodation in advance, and in general staying flexible and not planning too much, opens up our trips to new opportunities that present themselves. As you’ll see, this is exactly how it played out.
Warm Showers – Still Warm in the Times of COVID
Our trip started with a long wait at the ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay. We weren’t able to reserve a spot, so we ended up waiting for a few hours. Unfortunately, we were stuck waiting outside the ferry terminal, no choice but to sit in the car, an unbearable thought for Kai and Neil, our almost 2 and 5 year olds. An hour later they finally let us into the terminal and we could park the car and head off to the great playground in Horseshoe Bay Village.
Once we arrived to Nanaimo we drove off to Comox to our first Warm Showers hosts, Peter and Jude, who were happy to let us camp in their yard. Turns out that their property faces the wide open ocean, and a short walk down their private access stairs led us to the rocky beach, a perfect play area for the kids, especially at low tide. Dinner was an impossibly cheesy pizza from Comox, and we all conked out pretty quick, ready to start our trip for real the next day.
Porcelain Dolls in Campbell River
Biking out of Comox, we headed onto the busy Highway 19A. Rumour had it that due to COVID, the private road through the Seaview Game Farm was closed, and without that crucial link we’d be stuck on the highway. Luckily, ever the optimist, I gave the game farm a call from the road, and they were happy to let us through if we’d buy something at their store – a perfect excuse for an ice cream, no need to tell us twice. So we left the busy highway and headed down a gravel road which led us to wonderful Williams Beach, a perfect spot for a swim and lunch. Then we rode through the Seaview Game Farm, had our mandatory ice cream, saw some deer and then kept on going to Campbell River. Our hosts Jacob and Jannie received us warmly, pulling out their kids’ toys from the shed, from forty years ago! We took a quick look at their incredible prize-winning porcelain dolls, and Jacob showed us photos from his cross Canada tour a couple of years ago.
Catching a Glimpse of a Sasquatch on Quadra Island
The next day Jacob led us, by bike of course, into Campbell River proper, where he had a nice surprise. A fisherman chair they had sponsored in memory of his father had just been put in place, on the dock, so everyone took turns sitting on it and admiring the view. Some Fish n’ Chips and a giant ice cream later, and we were off to the nearby playground and then to the ferry to Quadra Island.
At this point, we still didn’t know where we would camp that night. Maya was not too happy about this. I was on the phone, and found us a spot at the marina, but shortly after found us a spot at the much nicer We Wai Kai campground, so that’s where we ended up. The entrance to the campground has some lovely driftwood sculptures of a whale, and an eagle nest, and it is flanked by a beach on either side. Our site was nestled in the beautiful forest, away from the hustle and bustle of the smaller sites that face the ocean directly. We spent some time exploring both beaches, and admiring the apparently famous driftwood sculpture of a Sasquatch. Riding to the end of a narrow strip of sand (Rebecca Spit) was a highlight as well.
A Shot From the Past
Our two nights of camping at We Wai Kai campground were up, and again we’d have to figure out where to camp. A local suggested we try wild camping at Morte Lake, so we headed there. But on the way we had a nice surprise. We bumped into a cyclist we know, Madhuri, who we had met a couple of years earlier. She’s on Warm Showers, and when we met her she was about to go to Cuba with Caroline, who had hosted us via Warm Showers in Idaho a few years before that. Back to Quadra Island – Madhuri said that her friend Jerry is on Warm Showers and might allow us to camp in his yard. We kept riding towards Morte Lake, but just a bit later bumped into Madhuri again, this time with her friend Jerry who was indeed happy to host us, in his yard. But we kept going first to Morte Lake, up a dirt road where we hid our bikes in the bushes, and hiked to the lake, no one else in sight. We found a tiny sand beach where the kids had lots of fun playing, and we all had a short swim. It should definitely be on the off the beaten track list for Quadra Island.
The next day we rode down the big hill to the impressive Cape Mudge Lighthouse. A cyclist told us about a trail that leads directly to the ferry terminal, skipping a big uphill. We checked it out but determined that it was too rough and narrow for us, so we turned around, which led to a close encounter with a sea lion and then enjoyed Madhuri’s pizza, and Jerry’s collection of kids toys. The next morning Madhuri baked blackberry muffins, so yummy.
Looking Homeless on Cortes Island
After four nights on Quadra Island, it was time to head over to Cortes Island. This involved yet another ferry ride, but this time we spotted some whales. When we arrived, we were faced with the usual hill that all the ferry terminals on the gulf islands seems to sport. We had been told however that Cortes is significantly hillier than Quadra Island. That rumour turned out to be correct. To make it up the steep hills we decided to redistribute our gear, and I ended up carrying all of it (including Neil and his bike), except for the trailer. Maya has commented in the past that cycle tourers look like homeless people, and we were definitely pushing it with the pile of gear haphazardly attached to the cargo bike. After shedding some sweat, while riding in the rain, we made it to Hollyhock, our home for the next four nights. It’s a place which hosts holistic wellness retreats in normal times. The setting is awesome, in a beautiful forest, and right by the ocean. Our kids were impressed by the cute wooden playhouse, set in the forest, and huge driftwood logs on the beach.
Being Millionaires at Manson’s Landing
Exploring Cortes Island led us to the endless beach at Smelt Provincial Park, to Manson’s Landing where we found so many sand dollars that we started feeling like millionaires. When we arrived, the bay was almost empty of water. A few hours later the tide came in and it flooded, what an incredible sight. At some point we realized that Neil and Kai’s prized sand toys were missing. We figured we might have left them at Jerry’s place, which turned out to be the case. As luck would have it, Jerry and Madhuri were coming over to Cortes Island on a day trip, so we met up with them at lovely Hague Lake for a nice chat and reunited with the sand toys.
Blackberry Cinnamon Helicopter
The special sauce that keeps this trip not too popular is that getting over from Cortes Island to Lund, on the Sunshine Coast, involved a $200 water taxi – there is no ferry. We huffed and puffed our way to Cortes Bay, and enjoyed the beautiful ride in the water taxi. In Lund we had to visit Nancy’s Bakery for one of the famous blackberry cinnamon rolls, which was so big that we shared one and still felt pretty full. Hanging out in Lund, a tiny spot at the end of the road seemed to be oddly eventful, with a helicopter landing and almost as interesting, a random kid getting bit by a snake, apparently not the first time on that trip even.
A Fireball at Dinner Rock
For our next night, and last one on the trip proper, I directed us to Dinner Rock Recreational Site. Getting there involved a steep descent, through the forest, to a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. There was just one problem – all the camping sites were taken. We sat there having a snack, while thinking what to do. Cycling back up the hill to look for another spot seemed impractical, and yet staying there and camping in the parking lot seemed unattractive. I headed down to the beach by the campground to take another look. Hmmm, there’s this patch of sand, and if we move a few rocks… We ended up camping right on the beach, the best spot of all. After dinner, the sunset was like an orange fireball. We figured it would be quite a grind to get up the hill, but luckily a nice Quebecois family gave most of us a ride up.
The Backdoor to Powell River
The next bit of riding was not our favourite, on a surprisingly busy road, much of it without a shoulder. A stop at a gas station in a First Nations reservation upgraded our lunch with some yummy smoked salmon. Later, riding across the bridge at the outlet of Powell Lake gave us pause – we had passed there with a car a few years ago, but didn’t even remember seeing the lake, nor that it was so beautiful. After that we entered Powell River via the backdoor, on a surprisingly rural-looking dirt road. It led us to a beautiful beach and a view of the Giant Hulks – old warships that have been converted into a breakwater for the mill. Not exactly beautiful, but a nice piece of reuse ingenuity. Then we got on the wonderful Willingdon Beach Trail, which winds through the forest and past old industrial equipment placed in the forest like a museum collection. It was actually refreshing and somewhat exciting to see what the next piece would be.
Giant Tacos, Deer, and Back to Where It All Started
In Powell River we had a couple of hours to pass while waiting for the ferry, which naturally we spent at a playground, as parents do. I say “we”, but I actually went off to buy us tickets to the ferry and some supplies. I was a little off-put by the poor “bike route” I was on – a busy and wide four lane road, especially jarring in the bike-infrastructure sense after the beautiful trail we had been on. We loaded up on giant tacos at Taco the Town Zunga Food Truck, where the owner promised us that we’d be stuffed (and she was right). The ferry ride got us in to Comox around 7pm, and we still had 10kms or so to ride, so had to get going to avoid riding after dark. Riding through Seal Bay Park we kept on seeing deer bounding across the road or munching on grass beside it – I guess dusk is a good time for viewing deer! Then, just like that, we were back at our Warm Shower hosts Peter and Jude, and our parked car. It was the end of yet another successful “minimum planning” bike trip. Did things work out in the end? You bet they did.
