Day 41 (June 11) - Port Angeles

We planned to spend a day in Port Angeles because we needed a place to call home to receive some packages. Kismat had a hole in his sleeping pad that couldn’t be fixed so we ordered a new one. A & K also ordered a new stove because the old one was burning everything they cooked. And most importantly, everyone was waiting for Aimee’s new tires.

We checked out the town and periodically went back to the campground to pick up the packages as they trickled in. Both the sleeping pad and the stove arrived as expected, but the tires never came. After some investigation, we discovered that the tires that we had overnighted hadn’t even shipped and would not arrive for another two days! The order was cancelled and the quest for tires was unfortunately back on.

Day 42 (June 12) - Port Angeles to Victoria, BC, 10 miles

We caught an early ferry into Victoria, British Columbia, officially crossing into Canada! We had to go through customs, which we didn’t think would be a big deal. A & K went through without a problem. M & N went up to the customs agent together and thought they were on their way out when Nick was pulled into an interrogation room. After an intense twenty minutes of questioning, Nick emerged and Mai-yan was called in. The agent was quite serious and questioned their intentions in Canada. Because Mai-yan is a Canadian citizen and Nick isn’t, they wanted to be sure that they were planning to return to the US and had a way to support themselves while in Canada. It took some convincing, but the customs agent was finally satisfied that they wouldn’t become hobos on the streets of Canada.

Victoria was a much bigger city than we expected. It was a big change from the small towns of Washington. There weren’t any options for camping in town, so we got a room at the Traveller’s Inn. The staff was exceptionally accommodating, especially for a group coming in with four bikes and lots of gear.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Victoria and were excited to stumble upon the REI of Canada, Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC). We were also still on the hunt for new tires for Aimee. There are lots of bike shops in Victoria and we finally found the tires in the first bike shop we walked into. Oh happy day!

Day 42 (June 13) - Victoria to Saanich, 25 miles

We wanted to spend a bit more time exploring Victoria, so we took a scenic ride through town and along the coast. The ride started at Mile 0 of the Trans-Canadian Highway, which crosses all of Canada and is a major part of our route. We rode through some wealthy neighborhoods and ended up north of Victoria in an RV campground by the water.

Day 43 (June 14) - Saanich to Nanaimo, 54 miles

Shortly after leaving the campground on our way to take a ferry, we met another cyclist who was nice enough to lead us to the harbor. The ferry ride took us from Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay, where we hopped on Hwy 1 toward Nanaimo. The route took us a bit inland and through wine country. We took some time to sample some local wine.

Day 44 (June 15) - Nanaimo

We had a lazy morning and decided the best thing to do was to keep being lazy for the rest of the day. We packed up a picnic and headed for the park. After feasting on olives, cheese, bread, crudités, pasta and potato salad, fruit and sipping wine, we peacefully napped in the shade. For dessert, we sampled the famous Nanaimo Bars.

We made our way back to camp, still full from our feast. In the early evening, we had given up on making dinner, but by 9pm we were hungry again. Because it was still light outside and we didn’t have to be anywhere early the next morning, we started cooking. We made corn on the cob, scalloped cheesy potatoes, and garlic green beans. It was a day of glorious gluttony.

Day 45 (June 16) - Nanaimo to Vancouver, 24 miles

Today we took a huge ferry into Horseshoe Bay, just north of Vancouver. This one was more like a cruise ship, with multiple levels and several car decks. The bike parking was located on the bottom deck along with the semi-trucks and tour buses. We felt slightly out of place next to these giant vehicles, the very same ones we try to avoid on the road.

We found an RV campground in North Vancouver, immediately next to Lions Gate Bridge, which leads to downtown Vancouver. We were excited to spend the next couple of days in the big city.

Days 46-48 (June 17-19) - Vancouver

We spent a couple of days in Vancouver, doing lots of sightseeing and eating. We found that it was a very bike-friendly and international town. There was lots of construction going on in preparation for the 2010 Olympics. We even got to have dinner with Bruno and his mom, who were visiting.

Some highlights of Vancouver:

• riding through Stanley park
• delicious Indian and Chinese food
• Granville Island Market
• lots of bike paths and streets with dedicated bike lanes

We thoroughly enjoyed the last few days. It felt like we were on vacation, not riding very much and wearing regular clothing. We are now getting ready for some serious climbing as we head towards Rockies. We hope that the weather and wind gods will be with us through this next challenging portion of our journey.

We also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all the comments on the blog! We really enjoy them and will try to start replying to them.

Day 32 (June 3) - Bay City to Seaside, 43 miles

We kept today’s ride short in anticipation of some big hills. Maybe we’re just getting stronger, but the hills weren’t nearly as tough as we thought they would be, and we finished the ride before noon. That gave us plenty of time to explore the town of Seaside and reflect on our first month of riding.

Some of our reflections:

• The one good thing about going north is that you start out climbing big hills in California, ride medium hills in Oregon, and cruise rolling hills in Washington.
• Headwinds are demoralizing and they suck.
• Logging trucks will run you over.
• Our bodies don’t hurt as much as we thought they would.
• We still don’t look like Lance Armstrong (yet).
• We definitely don’t have as much free time as we thought we would.
• The routine of cycling and camping is getting easier and more fun every day.

Day 33 (June 4) - Seaside to Astoria, 25 miles

After Mai-yan’s bike crash, we decided to shorten our day and stop in Astoria. While the bike was getting repaired, we took the opportunity to check out several eateries. For lunch we ate delicious pizza and salad at the Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe.

For dinner, we went to Fort George Brewery, where we feasted on fish and chips, an ahi tuna melt, chili and beer. We should mention that Kismat, ginger ale connoisseur, has been sampling local ginger ale along the coast. Though the food and beer was great, the flat ginger ale didn’t score any points. His favorite remains Dr. Tima Honey Ginger Ale.

With no camping options in Astoria, we “splurged” on a motel room. We all thought it would be a treat, but it turns out, we like our sleeping bags and tents. Being indoors was nice for a change.

Day 34 (June 5) - Astoria to Cathlamet, WA, 30 miles

Before leaving Astoria, we had to try on more local spot, Astoria Coffee House. The food was yummy and artfully presented, but served with an attitude.

We officially crossed into Washington on a little ferry to Puget Island. After riding on the busy highway all morning, the bucolic setting and quiet roads were a much appreciated change.

We were pleasantly surprised by Cathlamet, with its charming shops and friendly locals. We camped in the marina on a little strip of grass bordering the Columbia River.

Day 35 (June 6) - Cathlamet to Lewis and Clark State Park, 58 miles

We were all ready to hit the road by 6:15 when Aimee realized her tire was flat. This was the beginning of many more to come.

Since the beginning of our tour, the scenery has gradually changed. California has beautiful beaches along a rugged coast. Oregon started out similarly but became more forested as we went north. Now in Washington, we’ve moved away from the coast and are surrounded by fresh water and forests.

We’ve noticed a large number of loose dogs on the road since we’ve entered Washington. They’ve happily (and some unhappily) kept us company along the way.

Day 36 (June 7) - Lewis and Clark State Park to Elma, 60 miles

With another long day ahead, we started out early but once again, Aimee’s rear tire was flat. Nick, Mai-yan, and Bruno went on while Aimee and Kismat fixed the flat. About 100 feet down the road, Aimee realized her front tire was sadly deflated. Another patch and they were back on the road!

In the meantime, Nick and company were happily riding along when a german shepard leaped out of its yard and started chasing and barking at them. Mai-yan squirted it with her water bottle and, startled, it ran back home.

An hour later, Aimee and Kismat rode by and the chase was back on. Kismat managed to escape, but the dog was really worked up by the time Aimee came by. It stood in the middle of the road, barking and waiting. Aimee was ready with her water bottle and squirted it in the face when it chased her and nipped at her panniers. Startled again, the dog turned around to go home. Sadly, there was a car coming from the opposite direction and it hit the dog. With a loud thump it fell on it’s side and hit the ground momentarily. It then jumped up and ran home, so we think it was ok. A and K didn’t stay long, but they saw that the driver stopped to talk to the owner.

About five miles further down the road, Aimee got her third flat tire of the day. She started to pull over at the nearest turnout to fix the flat when yet another dog came out barking! The stop was quickly aborted to the next dog-free turnout. Another patch and we’re back on the road.

Finally, A and K made it to Elma where we camped that night. They thought they were done for the day when flat number 4 happened less than a mile from camp.

Day 37 (June 8 ) - Elma to Belfair State Park, 60 miles

Another long day, another early start, and yes, another flat for Aimee. By now a serious search for new tires was on.

After lots of cloudy and misty days, the sun finally came out. It was a beautiful ride along the shores of Mason Lake and Hood Canal.

Day 39 (June 9) - Belfair State Park to Kitsap Memorial State Park, 40 miles

A short day, a late start, and another flat for Aimee.

We stopped at a bike shop in Silverdale, where they claimed they had some tires coming in that day. We decided to hang out and wait for the shipment, anxious to remedy Aimee’s plague of flats. Four hours later and over-caffeinated from hanging out in Starbucks, we found out the tires never came in. We all felt a little deflated so went out for a nice dinner at Silver City Brewery (beer for us, bottomless house-made ginger ale for Kismat).

Day 40 (June 10) - Kitsap Memorial State Park to Port Angeles, 58 miles

Today was the day we had to say goodbye to Bruno. He rode on to Seattle to meet his mom.

It has been interesting to ride with Bruno. Some tidbits of life with Bruno:

• Bruno defies all known food hygeine laws. He eats several week old unrefrigerated mayo, uses the styrofoam that his raw chicken came in as a salad plate, and carries around a 2 pound block of cheddar for weeks. All of this with no known consequence.
• Bruno can skip breakfast and lunch and still kick our butts riding 60 miles.
• Every morning, Bruno would greet Kismat with a new French phrase, starting with “Bonjour, mon nom est Kismat et j’habite en Amerique. Je voudrais gagner beaucoup d’argent” (translated by Bruno, “Hello, my name is Kismat and I live in America. I want to win alot of money”).
• Bruno is perfectly content eating marshmallows for dinner.

We will miss him and his funny stories. If you meet him, you should ask him to tell you about the French musician girl in New Zealand.