PORT RENFREW LOOP, Pacheedaht Camp Veg Day

DAY 4, 07 23 2017
Rest Day, beachcomber style...

Got up early, spent lots of time enjoying this great camping experience with some photo moments. Had coffee dialed in as well. HWC wanted to go surfing but I convinced her to mellow out on a hot rock instead. She growled at first and then purred profusely.
After sufficient veging, we head up to "Avater Grove"
https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/directions-avatar-grove.php
http://www.ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=33
The road was paved for most of the way but eventually got pretty nasty for a steel frame road bike. A steep gravel road with switchbacks and potholes. Not fun, but we were excited to be on an excursion. The weather was great too.
Once we got to the parking area, I cable locked Shirley and headed up the trail to the special tree. It felt pretty cool to be accessing this treasure via bike among a group of cars.  Avatar Grove has an upper section where the "Gnarly Tree" exists and a lower area that has a loop trail where you can see all sorts of old growth. Visiting Avatar Grove was a unique and enlightening experience. The trees were amazing. I kind of rushed the visit as I wanted to do other things.
On the way out, I encountered a vehicle that was selling T-Shirts and concert related things. There was a rock festival in the area earlier. " Tall Tree Music Festival" I bumped into this guy more than once. I didn't buy anything...
https://talltreemusicfestival.com/2017/about/

 https://www.portrenfrew.com/botbeach.htm
After some eats and a little snooze, I ripped over to Botanical Beach to take in some marine wonders.

I was here many years ago. At the time, there was a very rough "road" down to the tide pools. I was traveling from Ontario and saw this low clearance route and decided to take my old 77 GMC Vandura down. I got a little ways down, but had to pull over as the conditions were more monster truck friendly. Walked the rest.
This time I was on my bike and the whole area has been developed. It's a walking trail. It was longer than I expected. I aborted the mission as it was getting late so I turned around. Rats.
Went to the Cafe for overpriced eats, then some beer and junk at the general store. $40.00! Arrgh.
Back at the site for photos, beer and I made myself a cool "beer cooler"

This was a good day and I was so excited to re-visit Port Renfrew after many years.

Road to Avatar Grove. It was nastier than it looks.

99.9% of people drive to this trail head

Heading up

The Gnarly tree

Lower Avatar Grove bike parking

Tree Gnome

Me holding up a big tree, no charge

Forest

Another crazy tree

T Shirt guy.

Bridge out of old growth forest

Poser at my cool site

Beach to our selves

Beach spaghetti

Cats Ass poser

Storage cooler

View

Game of Thrones Reinactment

Hey look ma!

Chillin

Crab

View

Pacificat

PORT RENFREW LOOP: Valhalla!

Day 3, Sat, 07 22 2017
Cowichan Lk. to Pacheedaht Campground Port Renfrew
Dist. 60km, Avg, 19.7km/hr, Max 59km.

The ride ahead was part of the reason for this trip's inception. I never knew that there was a solid link between Cowichan Lake and Port Renfrew. So when I discovered that the logging road was paved and offered a good link to the coast, I was happy to plan this trip.

   Pacific Marine Rd. was the link. I visited Port Renfrew 20 years or so ago and I always wanted to return. When I started my ride I was nervous and excited at the same time. As the route cuts through total wilderness, I was concerned about bears. (I am a scaredy cat) The ride was great and I was extremely excited to get a campsite at Pacheedaht Campground on the west coast beach. I was so excited to be there that I bought a T shirt at the site office. "Port Renfrew is the Cat's Ass"
I secured a fairly hidden area to call my own. Awesome spot! I got set up and then pushed Shirley through the sand to the access trail and rode into town for goodies.

It was maybe 5 km into "town". There isn't a heck of a lot in Port Renfrew.  My go to was the General Store which had beer and basic food etc.
I had lunch at "Coastal Kitchen". After dealing with asshole pickup trucks, I thought that I might have a nice peaceful snack and coffee. No luck. The most annoying young family on earth set up right next to me. New dad was constantly making loud Googoo Gahgah sounds. It was pathetic and I tried so hard to stay calm. I couldn't handle it so I left the patio to finish my coffee outside the structure. I guess that I had a "Follow Me" sign on my back because that's what the moron family did. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!

Anyway, I was happy to get back to my new beach site with cold beers and a lovely sunset.
Simply amazing. No annoying humans here, just a demanding cat.
Miles of driftwood and there is a fire ban, even on a beach. Oh well, at least I have a stellar view, beer and privacy. Oh...and a cat.

Road less traveled

Damn wildlife better lookout!

Nobody here

Clearcut

Bridge dwellers

Road to the native campground

Pacheedaht camp office

Trail to my site...

The neighborhood

Our site

The Pacific calls

Nature's artwork

Our homestead from a distance

PORT RENFREW LOOP: Trail and Trestles

DAY 2, Fri. 07 21 2017
Goldsream P.P. to Lakeview Campground, Lake Cowichan
Time: 5.5 hrs., Dist., 80km.(inc. running around), Avg. spd. 14k/hr. (super slow)

Started the day in anger mode. Took forever to get going, then I realized that I left my sunglasses back at the Goldstream Falls last night. I ripped over there and, of coarse they were not to be seen. As I left the campground, I checked at the entrance booth. Someone turned them in! Yay! Anger turns to Joy thanks to a cool camper!
    I went to the Goldstream Trail to see if it connected to the Cowichan Valley Trail at some point. It didn't, rail was still present so I headed up Hwy 1. Malahat. Lots of slow traffic caused be some major road work. I love passing irritated motorists. Ha ha. After about 16km or so, I pulled off the #1 @ Shawnigan Lk. Road West. A nice quiet country road despite having a minimal shoulder. I road along the west side of the lake passing nice homes that were situated far apart and overlooked the lake. Nice cottage feel. I turned off at was once a day use area with a huge beautiful green slope and beach. It was gated off, probably a victim of Stephen Harper's Gov. cuts a couple years ago. I did my pee break and headed out and onto the "Cowichan Valley Trail" https://www.cvrd.bc.ca/DocumentCenter/View/81763
It was a good thing that I stopped when I did because there is no way that I would've seen the trail access sign if I was riding by on the road. I was really looking forward to this urban trail as I am on highways 95% of the time on these bike trips.
    The trail was very manicured with nice landscaping and a rock dust base up until the "Kinsol Trestle" which is where all the tourists were congregating.
As I rolled along, there were more trestles to cross and the trail gradually deteriorated until it was an overgrown singletrack. Shirley wasn't impressed with the off road feel, and I was feeling the same. I slowed my pace to under 10 km/hr as the rocks and divots were driving us insane. There was not much to see as it was heavily treed, however, certainly heard something. There was a loud crashing and fast thumping noises near me. It sounded like I startled a large animal beyond a wall of thick brush. Scared the living crap out of us! I stepped on the gas, then stopped and pulled out my bear spray and kept it at the ready.
After about 3 hours of this crappy ride, I finally exited onto the pavement in a Cowichan Lk. neighborhood then onward to my campsite.
    Was pleasantly surprised to find my secluded site overlooking the camp. It was a walk/bike in area accessed by a trail. Perfect!

Traffic delays on "The Malahat" ha ha

Sign sentinel. Wields great power

My turn off

Day Use area closed. Pee break

The trail sign that I was looking for

Cowichan Valley Trail ride: Happy camper swapping bike helmet for a sun hat

Good conditions for a heavy steel steed (for now at least)

Sketch of us crossing one of several trestles

Kinsol Tresstle

End of the line

Happy and goofing around HWC was eating most of the mosquitos

My kitchen and entertainment area

My snooze zone up the trail

Beach area of campground