Sooke - Port Renfrew

June 19
Peaceful night. We are heading to Port Renfrew, trading dirt track with paved road, quiet old rail track with car traffic. At least for the roughly 15 first kilometres, the road turns out to be much quieter beyond that. No much safe shoulder for cyclists, though, but the few cars are very respectful of our presence.
From a previous ride on that segment, I kept in mind a must-stop, and even if years went by, the reason to stop at Shirley Delicious is still in effect. Breakfast, treats, lunch, or just a homemade ice cream, that stop is even more a must than it is in a climb coming from Sooke. The perfect excuse to put a foot on the ground and our butts on a bench to enjoy a moment in a typical West Coast atmosphere.
The road keeps unraveling climbs and downhills with always shady sections more than welcomed when the sun is out. Few sporadic openings to enjoy views on the Pacific. Then Jordan River marks the perfect second great opportunity to stop for a lunch on one of the picnic tables nearby the campsite on the edge of the gravel beach. Some surfers are waiting patiently for the good wave. The spot is magic with 180-degree views on the Olympic Peninsula that designs the USA border. It looks so close, yet so far…philosophically.

So caught by the place that I forgot to stop my watch, just like I did earlier at Shirley Delicious. It will give the day a final time and average pace that it will be easy to beat next time.
Beyond Jordan River, the traffic is almost inexistent aside from a few camper vans. It is too early in the season, but we may trust that later in the summer it won’t be as quiet. The climb out of Jordan river is probably the hardest of the day, or it felt tough because of the extended lunch in the invited spot.

A sign on the side of the road welcomes us to what used to be the end of a paved section. The welcome ends here as the little community of Port Renfrew is not what we could call a friendly one. It is the official trailhead for the Juan de Fucas trail. A 50km hike along the Pacific coast during which hikers are going from beach to beach by a narrow single-track trail, often muddy but in a great rainforest. Certain will call it the “little” West Coast Trail that requires 25 more kilometres to hike in the same strenuous environment from or to the very nice community of Bamfield, North of Port Renfrew.
Both hikes deserve their reputation of beauty and challenges.

A grocery does not need to be an unforgettable place. ; the Port Renfrew General Store is a place where you may find your needs, but then you must forget it. The staff does not need to be friendly, clients have no other choice if they need to food supply. Same for the Campground located on a magical location. A long beach recovered by driftwood where wind lovers are camping between logs after they have paid $58 for a spot and $1 for 5 minutes in a warm shower. The fee is mainly for the view and the location, not for any other services, cleaning is optional. If you’re counting on camping out of the wind, many camp spots are sheltered in the forest edging the beach. You won’t be alone; it’s better to make a reservation online in summer. If you are looking for more loneliness, enjoy a moment on the beautiful beach, take a shower for $1, and ride the next 5km to the recreation campsite of Fairy Lake.