Surprisingly, I’d never visited Lake Cowichan.
Lake Cowichan is at the western end of the Trans Canada Trail, which, when completed, will be one of the longest trail networks in the world.
It looks like my kind of town. Funky.
Plenty of outdoor adventure.
Visit Lake Cowichan.
Having failed on my first attempt out of Port Alberni (two flat tires in two days), I opted instead for an easier start in Nanaimo. It was 3:30pm by the time I got going.
July 3, 2019. Day 1.
Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | info | video
I tried using The Great Trail app for navigation.
It’s not 100% ready. 😕 Nor is The Great Trail as there’s still far too much paved road included on the 24,000+ km.
The app’s recommended route started well …
… but soon got me lost.
I gave up on the recommend side roads and actually enjoyed riding the Trans-Canada Highway to Duncan. I was in a hurry to finally get on to the Cowichan Valley Trail.
The Cowichan Valley Trail is nice. Well graded gravel.
An important section of The Great Trail (formerly Trans Canada Trail).
Highlight of the day was two bears. They were snooping around my bike — no doubt attracted by the smell of my camping food.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I found a quiet place to wild camp. Yes, I hung my food far from the tent. 😀
Click PLAY or watch my day on YouTube.
Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | info | video
Pacific NW bikepacking tour – June 30, 2019
The BAD NEWS – flat rear tire.
But … I had a good ride. And I managed to fix it. At least I thought I had fixed it.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Log Train Trail is popular with everyone in Port Alberni.
I stopped at McLean Mill en route.
Despite the flat, I made it to Cynthia’s birthday party on time.
The unique thing about Parksville is the incredible beach at low tide. It’s massive.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
😕 Yeesh.
Here are all the devices I need to power for my upcoming bikepacking trip.
In fact, this photo is missing my EarPods and that dedicated cable.
For hiking I’ll carry only phone, watch, EarPods and one (of the 3) battery chargers.
Coombs is a BIG tourist trap destination on Vancouver Island.
I rode the new dedicated cycling trail to get there.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
For summer 2019 I’ll use the Relive app.
It generates Google Earth videos with the photos you too included.
Here’s an example from the FREE version of the software.
The free version adds a maximum of 10 photos. For up to 50 photos you must join the CLUB which costs US $60 / year.
Mapping works in conjunction with Strava, Runtastic, Endomondo, Garmin Connect, Suunto, Apple Health (Watch), MapMyRun, MapMyWalk, MapMyRide, MapMyHike and Polar Flow.
I might be using the free version of Strava. Otherwise I’ll use Apple Health.
One of the main things I dislike about Macs (since 2015) is the lack of ports.
For my new 2019 MacBook Pro I had to buy a Sanho HyperDrive hub. (CDN$ 109.00)
It’s tiny (80gm) and looks super durable.
If interested, there are several different versions of the HyperDrive hub.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
This is the best, smallest and lightest hardware I’ve ever used.
I splurged a bit on the Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB USB 3.1 for CDN$ 239.99 all in.
Only 50gms. Almost exactly the same weight as my EarPods & case.
Currently the most popular solid state external hard drive.
I use it as a Time Machine backup for my Mac. AND for additional storage of videos I want to bring with me traveling.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 