I had already hiked a bit in the area exploring to find my new boondocking spot. There was so much more around here to explore. I was going to have no problem walking a new road everyday for the next few days. The weather was setting up for an unusually clear but chilly at night spell. Good thing I’d been able to fill my propane! The days made those cool nights worth it, lots of pretty pictures with the sun and the fog and blue sky to point my camera at.
My vision of boondocking in BC when I first contemplated the idea was to head up any logging road and camp somewhere up in the hills. Logging is everywhere in BC, I thought this would be easy. Turns out that it is more difficult than I thought, but certainly possible, if you look hard enough for it. After my re-supply I was planning on heading up my first logging road, to the dizzying height of 100 metres above sea level.
My spot in Rupert Inlet was really nice for being right on the water, with a great view out of my dining area windows. However, the area attracted a lot of visitors, some just stopping by to look at the scene, others coming to launch their boat, and one group of kids that came for some late night drinking.
Looking across the inlet
My new spot on Rupert Inlet had been recommended by one of the locals at the bike shop in Port McNeill. It turned out this was a site formerly maintained by the forestry company. Now, it is just a couple of outhouses, a gravel boat launch, and some level spots to park, with informal fire rings. But it is not abandoned due to lack of popularity, even in the winter people come here as I was to find out.
Beach view on Port Hardy airport grounds
Having had two days at Port Hardy RV Resort’s high prices, I wasn’t going to extend for my last day waiting for a wheel alignment. My walks had come up with some spots nearby I could boondock / stealth camp at for a night, but before I committed to one of those, I decided to drive back to Fort Rupert, where Port Hardy’s airport is located. The locals had suggested camping by the beach on airport grounds. It looked promising from a survey of the googles aerials, so off I went to check it out.
Airport camping, really.
Driving out of Fort Rupert had me a bit nervous. Would my RV handle the same after the steering repair? But I was only travelling five minutes down the highway to Port Hardy RV & Resort, then another five minutes into town for the alignment. I was reassured as I hit highway speed – the RV handled exactly the same as before, telling me that the wheels were at least close to true. I was hoping to quickly get my alignment done and be back out at Rupert Inlet where I had planned to go originally. Instead, I end up with a bit of an extended tour of Port Hardy, and some boondocking back near Fort Rupert, at the airport.
My tour of Fort Rupert was thrust upon me by some unscheduled off-roading as I explained in my previous post. I was ‘camping’ at the repair shop, with power. At least I was stuck in an area with things to see. My repair shop had beaches within walking distance, if the snow wasn’t too deep! I also had a little convenience store close by, plus the airport hotel down the way had a little liquor store. In terms of being stuck somewhere awaiting repairs, I could do way worse!
I had done my two weeks at Cluxewe Resort, and was feeling antsy to get out. But the weather had decided to throw a curveball of 10-30cm of snow forecast overnight, with me leaving the next day. I decided to make up my mind to go once I saw how much snow had fallen. It was not even 10cm where I was at, so I pack up, and head off to Rupert Inlet, for some camping where I had previously scouted out a spot. It was not to be.
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Cluxewe Resort was my home for two weeks as I hunkered down in some of the most brutal winter weather that Vancouver Island had seen in recent times. While it was snowy and cold, there were times the sun came out a bit. Being outside wasn’t that bad, even if there was no sun. So I managed to explore all around the campground and beyond where I could reasonably walk to.
The cold and snow at Cluxewe Resort arrived with a vengeance. I was inside my RV, heater under my feet, looking out through a crack in the blinds, trying to keep all the heat I could near me. The world had closed in, with only my little space of heat and light to huddle in while the wind howled and the snow flew outside. My RV felt like a last refuge beyond which all hope is lost. If you are looking for pretty scenery from around here, you can skip to the next post – this is all the trials and tribulations of surviving the cold in an RV.
