​Day 4 of the 2015 Bike 4 Bibles event was cold.  And rainy.  It was also short and scenic (as much as the fog allowed us to see, anyways!)  
    Special thanks to Bryson McEwen for his technical wizardry on the video "Rainy Campbell River."

Wednesday was a short day. But for the thirty or so bicyclists it was probably the toughest day of the entire trip because of the cold, rainy weather. It was also a rough day for me. (I'll expand that story later in this post.) Our workaholic roadies were up preparing breakfast before dawn, and then I provided the short inspirational message, about our collective experience the previous day going through Nanaimo. I told them about the high-speed car chase that happened in the same location and at the same time that the riders should have been passing me, but instead were scattered around the town. I said that this is a supernatural coincidence. (See the post "Duncan to Courtenay A".)  Then I left immediately to get to my flagging station and promptly missed the sign, which was literally out of the church driveway that pointed us in the right direction. Oops.

I quickly realized my mistake and knew where to go, but before I could turn around I passed a few of our cyclists going the same direction. They saw my vehicle pass, with it's distinctive rear 3 bicycle carrier, and figured they were going in the right direction. Unfortunately, they did not see me turn around, and I did not think to  flag them down and point them in the right direction. I got to my post, radioed Roger and Judith, who came out to talk to me, and then retrieved the wayward riders, by then several kilometers down the road.  
 
Roger has a big truck, so they all piled in, bikes in the back, and started again from my post a little out of Courtenay. These particular cyclists were very gracious to me later when I talked to them, and were also proud of the extra miles they had ridden, as well they should be. 

Our trusty supply truckers, Andrew and Patience, found a spot to provide a refuelling break at the halfway mark. Most of the cyclists stopped just long enough to grab some food and took off again.

The riders then rode up to Rippling Rock, about 10 km past Campbell River but Andrew and Patience went straight to the big Baptist Church in Campbell River.  

This day was also my toughest day because I got lost (yes, I will admit that!) not once, but twice!  I will explain the second time in the next installment of this series about the Canadian Bible Society's Bike for Bibles 
"Vancouver Island & the Sunshine Coast" ride.

This is the third segment of Day 3 of the Bike 4 Bibles Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast bicycle tour that I photographed in August 2015.  In this section we arrive at the town of Courtenay, on the Island's east coast... 

I have divided this day into three segments to allow for many photographs of the narrative. But for the cyclists it could probably be divided in two: a chaotic morning ride, and a calm afternoon ride into the town of Courtenay. The last few kilometers of the day provided some excellent opportunities for me to take good shots of the riders with a blue sky and a blue Pacific Ocean in the background. Everyone was tired but eager to arrive into town because it was the last long day in the saddle for them, so to speak.  

The weather was excellent. Dinner by the Courtenay United Church Women (UCW) was wonderful and deeply  appreciated. Also, the camaraderie among the entire group, about thirty cyclists and a dozen or so road crew, was very strong.

I mentioned earlier in this post about the strong camaraderie among the entire group. It became even more special during the evening service led by Ralph, with communion. One of the riders was dealing with a difficult time prior to the B4B event, and we were able to support that person in prayer this evening. It had also been a long, difficult day but everyone got through it intact. The service became a conduit for the Holy Spirit of God to enhance an already unusually close-knit group. "Family" was one of the key themes this week, and this particular evening really emphasized that fact, unintentionally.  

Qualicom Beach is the eighth chapter ( of 17) of my travelogue about being the photographer (& a roadie) for the 2015 Canadian Bible Society's Bike 4 Bibles Vancouver Island & Sunshine Coast bicycle tour...
Special thanks to my cousin, Bryson McEwen, for assistance with my video, 'Down to Courtenay'. 
Also, when you see a gallery of photos (2 or 3 across, up to 3 rows deep), drag your cursor over each photograph: some may have captions. 

Qualicom Beach is a seaside town on the east side of Vancouver Island. It was a welcome lunch location after a rather chaotic morning. Shady trees, a sweet breeze, beautiful beaches, and good food and friends. Here, we were able to regroup and continue up the coastal highway to Courtenay.  
​Qualicom Beach faces east towards Lasqueti Island and the larger Texada Island, and while it is not sandy it is a wonderful, beautiful spot to get out of the bustling cities of the Island.

Patience Gifford is a God-send! She was always cheerful, warm, encouraging, smiling, not to mention the epitome of her name. Patience and her husband Ray run a Youth With A Mission Camp in Colorado, and have connections with the BC B4B group. Ray was a cyclist this year and is always quick with a laugh.  

At Qualicom Beach, there was a couple that came over to chat with a couple of our riders, and it turned out that he had been a rider and she a roadie some years ago with the B4B program, in either Alberta or British Columbia.  It is a small world sometimes!

Hannah Chiew provided our worship sessions every evening with some fabulous piano playing, and she loves to ride.   She also loves the company of other cyclists, which is why she is  always smiling and laughing, on or off the bike!

There is a long descent north of Qualicom Beach where we parked and I was able to take some good shots of the cyclists as they passed us.  (See below). 

    What a wonderful place!