Nan and I are speaking again

Day 7
Cobble Hill to Port Hardy 459.5 km
Accumulated mileage: 2401 km
Maximum speed 134 kph
Moving average: 84 kph
Overall average: 66 kph
Moving time: 5:28
Overall time: 7:00

There is a lot of mileage to cover today but we are not stressed about it. Even though we target a 9:00 a.m. departure, 9 o'clock comes and goes and we don't many any effort to get on track. This is the first day of the trip where there is no agenda, no place we have to be and nobody else to consider, other than to get to the hotel in Port Hardy.  It is beautiful and sunny and the temperature is about 21: perfect for riding.

We are sipping our coffees and I finally get to installing the new headset for the intercom, which I have been carrying with me since Abbotsford. It takes about ten minutes, with Elaine's help. With one minor setback, it goes without a hitch and once again, Nan and I are able to communicate without the need for hand signals, which she kept mixing up. We knew we had been missing the opportunity to talk while riding and as soon as we get going, we are gabbing like school kids.

The ride to Nanaimo is busy but north of it, the traffic thins. At Parksville, we opt for the scenic route and get off the main highway and take the "Oceanside Drive", which adds an additional half hour or an hour to the trip. That's o.k., nobody is waiting on us.

We stop lots, get coffee, snacks, sit on the beach and look at the old architecture. It makes me think about how much more interesting and with character is the architecture than in "new" cities like Edmonton.

North of Campbell River, the road continues on with two lanes, just as we had been riding but we are out in the sticks as there is little in the way of development. It is mostly forestry lands with the odd house. It is very beautiful though much different than what we have been riding to this point today. Both are equally with merit.

We arrive at the hotel in Port Hardy by about 5:30 after a visit to the ferry dock. Nan says "no" to a side trip to Port Alice over on the western coast of Vancouver Island. That's o.k.; our bums are getting sore and it would have added 45 minutes or an hour. We are tired and we have to get up early tomorrow for the ferry. Departure is at 7:30 a.m. and the rule for norther routes is to show up 2 hours before departure. At the 90 minute mark, your reservation is lost and you are on stand-by.