Day 2 - Snow Creek to Coombs Country Campground
SNOW CREEK CAMPGROUND TO COOMBS COUNTRY CAMPGROUND
This morning began by being greeted by a bald eagle, perched on a tree before flying by. After leaving Snow Creek Campground I was met with a nice long descent to start the day. That, combined with beautiful weather, was a great beginning! I saw my first bear of the trip! Sadly I could not take a photo before she ran off, but it was pretty perfect. She was sniffing around on top of a large rock about three stories over the road. So cool. Two moderate hills aside, it was mostly cruising all the way to Port Alberni, where I stopped for lunch - a massive tuna burger at a restaurant called Pescadores. SO GOOD!! When I left I realized I had a nice sharp hill in front of me.. On a very full stomach. After a quick visit to the BC Tourism Centre I began climbing for what felt like forever but once at the top it wasn’t such a big deal - maybe 300m over 3km or so. I call it “Rockies Training”. My efforts were rewarded with a nice, long descent into Macmillan Provincial Park. With old Douglas firs lined with moss as far as the eye can see, it is impossible to be in awe. I took advantage of their nature trails, snapped a few pics, and continued on. Grabbed some ice cream at Whiskey Creek and began to notice a funny trend: Chatsworth Ave, Melrose Rd, Burbank Rd… Methinks someone here had an affinity for Los Angeles. I rolled into Coombs Country Campground and because they are empty except for one other family, they let me crash here for free! No complaints here! All in all a great day.
One quick thing to note: I know it’s always hard to trust directions, but it’s hilarious when you realize how wrong they are. A well-intentioned woman warned me about an upcoming hill: “I see people having to walk their bikes up it all the time.” I didn’t get out of my big chain ring.
Distance: 45 miles
Climbing: approx 3700 ft.
