We had a bit of a lay in this morning and got up just after 7. The rain had stopped and we went outside to find woody woodpecker  banging away on a metal sign?? Silly bird! For breakfast we got korrfee and mars bars at the gas station and off we went. Destination Port Hardy... this is at the top of the island and the the total end of civilisation along the road are various logging towns/ports/harbours so we planned some stops on the way. Beaver Cove was a must and not just due to the comedy value of it's name it's a logging port. We pulled over at the top of the hill to look down over the port, a lady got out of her car to talk to us. She was working, she told us there was a friendly bear that hung around the area and only the day before it had been sat right next to her car for a while (no sign today) her job was to radio to the guys working up the mountain every time a car went below so they would stop swinging the logs incase one was to roll down the hill and onto the road. We considered driving up and down the road for a while to wind them up but decided to move on instead. We moved on further to Telegraph Cove, this is a tourist place and I imagine it's busy in summer there are plenty of empty moorings for boats  and some quite posh new houses as well as a trailer park just inside the dark dark wood.
Next stop Hidden cove which we found quiet easily down a dirt road. Here we found a couple of fresh piles of Bear poop!! We stopped to look around the cove which had only 2 buildings the owner of one came out to chat, he tells us that throughout the summer black bears use his porch as a route down to the beach, they get close and he has learnt to know what type of mood they are in by the moaning noises they make and so knows if to get out of their way or just let them get on with it. Eagles were flying all over here and blue jays.
On the road back from the cove we pulled over to pee close to some Bear poop, we heard twigs breaking just in the bush but didn't see anything. I wasn't brave enough to walk in but I was hoping dad might so I could get a photo of him running back out with a bear on his ass. 
Next stop Port Hardy where a lovely lady told us to take a trail through the forest " it's really nice about 4KM long and decked with walk boards... You'll love it. There have been some Bears spotted along there as well" This sounded great so we drove down to the start of the trail, parked up and trotted away. The trail wasn't decked to start it was a very rough path surrounded with dead trees some looked like they could be dens for the bears, great!!! it was a wide open space so we could see them easily if they were there. As we moved on up hills and round corners the trail entered forest now ..... the trees are massive and very dense so it got a little dark but we carried on. I started to think a bit harder about our situation..... Here we are deep in the forest where Bears have been sighted recently .... What are we doing!! I'd have felt safer with a gun. We carried on further into the bush and came to a lake. If we were to see bears, now would be nice.... Across the other side of the lake and far away from us!! but nothing so far. We moved on and after what seemed like 10km we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. We left the forest at a small village on the oceans edge. Neither of us fancied the trail in reverse so we flagged a bloke down in his truck and asked for a taxi number. He couldn't help but when we told him where we had come from he rolled his eyes and said. "oh really" I felt he held back from calling us stupid tourists!! So for a taxi in came ... super iPhone and google. Taxi John picked us up after 10min and made us feel better by telling us stories about times he 1.Had to run from Bears and 2. The time he climbed a tree and tried fighting off a Bear with a stick!!
I think over time I will exaggerate this story to "The time me and dad were chased by Bears" haha. 
Taxi John told us where we might see Bears, so away we went (in the car) driving back down highway 19. After a couple of miles was saw 2 Bears grazing at the road side. Quick u-turn and there we were right next to them. Dad took pictures and video and I sat ready to drive away until a truck blasted us with his horn .. It seems pulling up on highways to film Bears isn't the done thing!  but we'd finally managed to see some up close.
We drove to Port Alice and back and saw a couple more on the way... Happy bunnies now so down to Port McNeil for some digs. Taking a ferry in the morning to some 1st nation islands here we will see TeePee's and Totem poles awesome!! 