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Horseshoebay To Creekside Campground (Sechelt)

9/9/2014

5 Comments

 
The ferry ride to Langdale was 40 minutes which is the start of the Sunshine Coast.  For the first few miles, a long uphill awaitted us ... four lanes with a wide shoulder.   Finally reached the peak after working hard and even walking the bikes sometimes.  Then coasted towards Gibsons Landing, a funky seaside village, with a relatively big marina.

We ventured into Gibsons Landing which required a very steep descent to the waterfront.  After exploring the small village for 30 minutes, we stopped at a pastry shop for croissants.  Pushing the bikes half a mile up 20 degree hill required some fuel.

As we were grunting up the steep hill, a local man told us about an alternative way to which bypassed most of the hill.  It was scenic route along quiet residential areas and finally dead-ended at a beach.  The alternate route is to follow Gower Point Rd. which will turn into the Ocean Beach Esplanade, eventually dead ending on Ocean Beach.

Now we had to push our bikes across half a mile of beach to get to steps that would take us back to the Lower Rd. and eventually to Highway 101. Crossing the pebble and sandy beach was like dragging heavily laden bikes through molasses.  After a good workout and rest stop, we found the steps.  We had to unload all the gear to be able to carry the bikes up some 40 steps and a gnarly steep trail.   A local couple who happened to be there helped to carry gear and Debbie's bike to the road.  The couple gave another tip for more scenic ride which avoided highway.

The steps and trail from Ocean Beach took us to Gulf Rd. and a brief climb to Lower Rd.  We rode on this road until it winds around and turns into Beach Ave.  Continued on Beach Ave., right on Henderson to a dead end.  To get to 101, a trail through Roberts Creek Provincial Park needed to be traversed.  The initial part of the trail was extremely steep which required muscling the bikes up one by one ... another workout. After a short ride through the park we arrived back on Highway 101.

After lunch at the Gumboot Garden Cafe, we pushed off to the Creekside Campground on the South side of the Sechelt area.
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The beach trek started here after descending the steps
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It was the most radical alternative route we took, but the scenery was nice
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Rest stop ... half way there
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Lunch at the Gumboot Garden Cafe
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A steep trail at the start of Roberts Creek Provincial Park to get back on Highway 101
5 Comments
Krink@me.com
9/10/2014 07:55:18 am

Are you f...ing kidding me??

Reply
Aly
9/11/2014 03:25:11 am

Cousin Krink, you read my mind!!! Wow, this ride doesn't sound very relaxing....hang in there guys.

Reply
Debbie allen
9/10/2014 11:00:58 am

At least there was no traffic on the beach. You guys have guts!
Hugs, stay safe and off beaches
Debbie

Reply
Gyongyi
9/10/2014 02:15:43 pm

Everyone's still smiling...that's good. Have a great rest-of-the-week trip! Looking forward to your posts.

Reply
Jane
9/11/2014 11:13:23 am

What persistence! What determination! Poppa Hy's admonitions are made manifest.
Now I see why you like these trips, Steve. Great treats without the guilt.

Sistah

Reply



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    Author

    The Trip Journal is Steve Szirom's account of his British Columbia Sunshine Coast bike tour. Posts will be made regularly depending on the availability of Wi-Fi.

    As a matter of definition when I mention "road shoulder" it means the following : no shoulder (0 feet), small shoulder (0-2 feet), moderate shoulder (2-4 feet), wide shoulder (greater than 4 feet)

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    The Sunshine Coast bike tour covered 426 miles with a total cumulative climb of 20,000 feet.  The detailed route is shown here.

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