Section 3 - North Island Cycle Touring

On a cloudy Wednesday morning, four cyclists left downtown Port Hardy on road bikes to cover roughly one third of the length of Vancouver Island on a beautifully paved road with good shoulders (albeit with irritating rumble stips in many sections). Three of the cyclists were from Victoria and one was from Port Hardy. The riders were treated to spectacular vistas of mountains, the ocean, wetlands and of course forests, along with some wildlife such as a bear crossing between Port Hardy and Port McNeill. On day 1 we travelled 110 km to lovely Woss and day 2 to Campbell River. We had planned to camp at Woss Lake, but due to rain, we decided to treat ourselves to a room at the Rugged Mountain Inn and snacks at the local diner. We had two support vehicles that warned passing drivers that cyclists were ahead. Highway construction crews were very accommodating and drivers gave us a wide berth. This is a world class (short) cycle tour due to the variety of geography, the peaceful setting and excellent quality road. The total elevation gain over two days was about 1,700 meters.

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