Day five is ferry ride from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. So a little short of curbside classics but lots of nice scenery.
The map of the route.
We had to get up early to catch the ferry. Early as in around 4:45am. We were required to be there two hours before departure at 7am or they would give away our pre-paid tickets. We dutifully got up early and rode down to the terminal which was fortunately not far away. We then proceeded to wait in a large line. The ferry folk did not seem very organized and the pre line-up took ages. Annoyingly we easily could have shown up at 7am and it would not have made the slightest difference. We got put in line behind this group of friendly bike riders. They all had fancy Harleys and Honda Gold Wings. The majority of the group were from the US with a couple from Alberta. They were in disbelieve about how far I had come on my no frills bike.
This well worn Toyota Tercel was also in the line. I wager the ferry ticket probably cost about what the car was worth. As you can see from the wet pavement it had started to rain.
The motorbikes were loaded last and I was almost last among the bikes on.
On the boat we got these stabilizer blocks to hold our bikes upright.
As it turned out there was a bit of space left in the ferry deck so we probably could have got away without a reservation.
The ferry was huge with a couple of restaurants and multiple viewing decks. There were a few levels of seat booking options as well. Plenty of gray hair on this around. Many different languages were being spoken but it seemed particularly popular with Dutch tourists.
As we left the harbor it was so foggy there was not much to see unfortunately.
Since there current scenery was obscured and the ferry ride lasted seventeen hours we opted for a cabin to get a little nap.
The ferry itself was huge with three level of passenger accessible decks.
Slowly the clouds started to recede.
This lighthouse was built up and described as the most scenic point on the whole ferry ride. Not sure if its an inside joke …
Another lighthouse.
Portside Classic? Regardless the Annihilator is an interesting name for a boat.
Bella Bella, the one stop during the journey. Two cars drove off here and a few others came on.
Night came much earlier than up north. Given how long the cruise was it was amazing that neither of us was bored.
A little mail tug loaded on from Bella Bella.
This rather full and smelly garbage truck was also loaded right next to our bikes during the one stop. We had to sit next to it for almost an hour waiting to unload (we were almost last to unload).
It was something like 1:30am by the time we were off the boat. While the other motorcycle group had invited us to come to their hotel we passed and stopped at the first campground. The old guy running the place told the couple in front of us he had a site for them but they had to tuck over to the side as they were very busy and might have to share. We were initially worried we might have to move to the next campsite but were given a huge looking site from the map. Once we got there is was not huge and most of it was rather overgrown. As we put up our tents it started to rain a bit. Tomorrow would be set aside for exploring Vancouver Island.
The full trip log:
Road Trip: Part 1 – Preparation and Starting a 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 2 – Best Laid Plans on a 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 3 – Making up Time – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 4 – The Miles Pile On Up North – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 5 – Heading for the Coast – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 6 – A Coastal Ferry Cruise – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 7 – Vancouver Island and Rain – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 8 – Rain, Rain and More Rain – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 10 – Riding Nirvana – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 12 – Beer, Dune Buggy and a Ferry – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Road Trip: Part 13 – Finale – 4,500km Road Trip on a 250cc Motorbike
Very cool. I’m going to make that trip someday soon, now that I’m a BC resident. I’ll take my Nissan Frontier though!
Wow, that is one long ferry ride! It was interesting that you were among the very last on and among the very last off.
They load from the rear and unload from the front. And vice versa.
David, I did the shortened version of that trip on my KLR650 a few years back. Port Hardy to Bella Coola, via Bella Bella and Ocean Falls.
We didn’t get the stands for our bikes but we did get some heavy duty straps and chains for the crossing between Port Hardy and the mainland, which we definitely needed.
With only 12 passengers on the boat I chose to set my “camp” up between two rows of seats with a tarp over top. if I recall our trip was approx. 20 hours, with a 7 AM line up for a 9 AM departure, and got into Bella Coola as the sun came up.
Amazing trip for us. I have been following your series with interest, and a certain amount of jealousy.
Love the ferries. We did the Alaska ferry from Juneau to Haines back in ’88, and we were treated to the first sunny day in many weeks. Superb views, orcas, etc.. It wasn’t nearly as big as they seem to have gotten now.
Beautiful pictures, David.
That lead in shot for the post has a “Fjords of Norway” vibe to it.
Looking forward to the next installment. Vancouver Island is on my bucket list.
A real adventure – love a good road trip story.
Btw, on BC Ferries bicycles are first on, first off. Just saying.. 🙂
What an epic journey! Thanks to your articles over the years I have seen more images of Canada here than anywhere else. Thank you for sharing your trips and vehicular adventures with us David!
I’ve really enjoyed reading about this trip and seeing the pictures.
The hurry-up-and-wait aspect of morning ferries reminds of a trip a few years ago when we camped at Kelley’s Island (Lake Erie). Following our camping trip, we had to catch an early ferry off the island, and of course getting there too late meant waiting a long time for the next chance… so we woke up early. And of course, right next to us in the line was a garbage truck. That was a pretty long wait…
Very nice, seems like a fun adventure!!
Also really enjoying this adventure. The scenery is stunning, even the lighthouse!
I think the Dutch like long ferry trips. While I have taken the 7 hour crossing Harwich to Zenbrugge, Amersterdam to Newcastle(upon Tyne) is nearly 17 hours. Both run by Dutch companies.
Yeah, ocean, fog and rain. Why wouldn’t the Dutch stay home to enjoy that? (I am of Dutch extraction 🙂 )
Still enjoying this, it must have been nice to sleep in a bed during the crossing and I’m glad that the bikes didn’t get the Herbie Goes Bananas toss over the side of the ship!
“They were in disbelieve about how far I had come on my no frills bike.” We’ve all gotten a bit soft I suppose.
Wonderful photos! And I’d LOVE to take a 17 hour boat trip!
I was thinking that you were heading to Haida Gwaii.
That trip takes 7 hours and I was bored, as we’ve had a similar weather. A couple that I spoke to, said it was cheaper to live their RV on a main land and rent another one on the island that to pay for the crossing (I don’t recall exact figure, but I think it was well in excess of $1,000).
Haida Gwaii looks fantastic but not this time around.
The TU250 is on my short list of bikes. My legs are short and the tallest seat height I feel comfortable riding is 29-30″, so the new Gold Wings and bigger standards are out for me, as are virtually all sportbikes. I’m impressed that it stood up to the rigors of the trip…now you have the long journey home!
We are only about half done. The best is to come too.