Port Hardy, Cape Scott Provincial Park and Port McNeill

On Tuesday, I made my way to Cape Scott Provincial Park, specifically to San Josef Bay. I didn't know it was a gravel road that led there and it was quite unpleasant to drive with all the potholes. According to the GPS, it would take 1.5 hours from my accommodation, but it actually took me over 2 hours to get there. One path led through the rainforest of Cape Scott Provincial Park to San Josef Bay. Since it was low tide, the sandy beach on the edge of the forest appeared very wide, but it wasn't as spectacular as the pictures promised in the travel guide. And it definitely wasn't so nice that I could recommend anyone to make the trip there. On the way back, I stopped at Ronning's Garden. Bernt Ronning, a Norwegian immigrant who emigrated to Vancouver Island in 1910, planted trees and shrubs from around the world in his garden. But since I was exhausted from the long drive and still had to drive the bumpy road back, I didn't feel like touring the entire garden. As I continued driving, I saw an animal running along the road. At first, I thought it was a dog, and as I wondered where its owner was, it occurred to me that it could probably be a small black bear. I couldn't get closer as the bear disappeared into the bushes and there was no sign of it anymore.

On Wednesday, I left my accommodation in Port Hardy heading to Port McNeill. I took a walk along the Quatse River. There were some salmon in the river that would occasionally jump out of the water. The salmon were food for bears, which I didn't see, and bald eagles, one of which flew along the river and landed on the fir tree directly on the other side of the river. On the way, I also made a detour to Port Alice. There wasn't much to see there, and since the weather wasn't very good, I didn't feel like going for a hike, so I went to my accommodation in Port McNeill.

On Thursday, I went to Ledge Point Beach, which offered a good view of Port McNeill. Thanks to the forest, it was windless on the beach. I made myself comfortable on a rock, enjoyed the sun, and let my thoughts wander.

On Friday, I went to Cluxewe Beach. This beach was not sheltered by trees, it was too cold to just sit around. I went for a long walk and watched the waves.

On Saturday, I had a slightly longer drive ahead of me. I left the northern part of the island, and my next destination was Parksville.