Someone must have set their alarm the night before. Matt ventured back into the woods to wake me up early in the morning so we could break camp and paddle back to Toquart Bay. Due to the mice running around the campsite the night before, poor Kook had slept on top of two of the kayaks. He was remarkably upbeat the entire time despite the lack of sleep.
The tide was way out so we had a long way to carry our kayaks to the water. Having consumed nearly all of our alcohol, water and food, our kayaks were considerably lighter at this point. The water was very still on our return trip. As we approached Toquart Bay, we ran across a deer that was swimming way out in the channel. He must have been hungry and in search of food on a new island. He swan frantically and confusedly in circles as we approached.
Like the previous day, the temperature rose considerably and conditions were sweltering by the time we were back on the highway. The fact that I hadn't taken a proper shower since Thursday morning wasn't helping. But we were all in the same boat. We raced back to Nanaimo to get on the earliest possible ferry with a brief stop in Port Alberni to return my kayak and eat lunch at Batstar.
We were just in time to enjoy a little ice cream before embarking on the 3:30 PM ferry to Tsawwassen. The hull of the ship was stuffy and humid due to the unusually high temperatures. We sought shelter from the sun on the open top deck of the ferry. I said good-bye to Ethan and Kook prior to getting off the ferry. Their funny dialogues made the trip very entertaining.
Matt and Dawn drove me to Conrad. As luck would have it, he was still there! I was bummed to say goodbye to Matt and Dawn. Conrad started right up after I spent a few minutes repacking and organizing. From Tsawwassen, I headed east towards Highway 1, one of the highways which would eventually lead me to Alaska. I set my sights on Hope, BC, for the sole reason that it was represented by a larger-sized dot on my map and I guessed that it would have a good selection of accommodations. I intended to spend a day cleaning up, doing my laundry (including washing my now ripe sleeping bag), and catching up on 10 days worth of journal entries. As always, I wasn't looking forward to that part, but I always loved the feeling of completing a journal entry and organizing my pictures. I identified the wonderful, inexpensive Holiday Motel and RV resort and relished my shower. The motel was extremely clean and the bed was flat and firm. The proprietors had planted flowers everywhere.
As seems to be my habit in hotels when I'm by myself, I stayed up late watching TV (a rerun of the Swiss/Ukraine World Cup match, followed by the utterly horrible American Kickboxer). I have vowed to keep my cable TV service disconnected when I return to Minnesota.
The tide was way out so we had a long way to carry our kayaks to the water. Having consumed nearly all of our alcohol, water and food, our kayaks were considerably lighter at this point. The water was very still on our return trip. As we approached Toquart Bay, we ran across a deer that was swimming way out in the channel. He must have been hungry and in search of food on a new island. He swan frantically and confusedly in circles as we approached.
Like the previous day, the temperature rose considerably and conditions were sweltering by the time we were back on the highway. The fact that I hadn't taken a proper shower since Thursday morning wasn't helping. But we were all in the same boat. We raced back to Nanaimo to get on the earliest possible ferry with a brief stop in Port Alberni to return my kayak and eat lunch at Batstar.
We were just in time to enjoy a little ice cream before embarking on the 3:30 PM ferry to Tsawwassen. The hull of the ship was stuffy and humid due to the unusually high temperatures. We sought shelter from the sun on the open top deck of the ferry. I said good-bye to Ethan and Kook prior to getting off the ferry. Their funny dialogues made the trip very entertaining.
Matt and Dawn drove me to Conrad. As luck would have it, he was still there! I was bummed to say goodbye to Matt and Dawn. Conrad started right up after I spent a few minutes repacking and organizing. From Tsawwassen, I headed east towards Highway 1, one of the highways which would eventually lead me to Alaska. I set my sights on Hope, BC, for the sole reason that it was represented by a larger-sized dot on my map and I guessed that it would have a good selection of accommodations. I intended to spend a day cleaning up, doing my laundry (including washing my now ripe sleeping bag), and catching up on 10 days worth of journal entries. As always, I wasn't looking forward to that part, but I always loved the feeling of completing a journal entry and organizing my pictures. I identified the wonderful, inexpensive Holiday Motel and RV resort and relished my shower. The motel was extremely clean and the bed was flat and firm. The proprietors had planted flowers everywhere.As seems to be my habit in hotels when I'm by myself, I stayed up late watching TV (a rerun of the Swiss/Ukraine World Cup match, followed by the utterly horrible American Kickboxer). I have vowed to keep my cable TV service disconnected when I return to Minnesota.
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