25 March 2016, DES reporting.

Cozy now but didn’t get as far as we wanted to today.

We left home later than we’d planned, because of NMBL’s pressing need to repack (good results, though). The downside was that we hit that infamous Vancouver traffic and the dreaded border wait. Slow doesn’t even begin to describe the experience… note to self, self I said, don’t leave that late again! Get some shut-eye and get up bright and early. And no fiddling with packing.

All border crossings were listed as 70 to 80 minutes wait. We debated about whether we wanted to continue with the trip but just as we were reaching the last possible point to give up and turn around without leaving Canada, NMBL’s bike overheated, stalled, and wouldn’t start again. But it only had 4 pips of heat out of a possible six! Maybe her bike’s thermometer doesn’t work right. At that point it really didn’t matter. We go the bike off to the side and out of the lineup.

DES called BCAA and we dropped $115 CAD on a membership and roadside assistance. We were going to get a jump, because the overheated bike was acting for all the world like its battery was dead. Turns out all it needed was a wee nap and cool-down. We got the bike started again just before the BCAA tow truck showed up. The driver, a kind and colourful character, stuck around to make sure we were good to go. Hooray BCAA!

As it was now 3pm, getting to our destination on the Washington/Oregon border by early afternoon was impossible, so we set our sights on local and ended up in Birch Bay State Park.We nicked back into the border line (sorry fellow queue travelers) and got across the line. Off topic, I really like the Peace Arch crossing. It’s such a lovely area.

We got across the border, stopped in Blaine for a quick bite, and got back on the road south with Birch Bay in mind. When we arrived at our campsite, it was like a scene from a horror film : The Bugs. It almost seemed like no human could survive.  But then the bugs simply went away: we didn’t see them until we started the bikes to leave in the morning.  Maybe they just wanted a ride.

Once we got settled with our camp, hammocks up and kitchen out, it was time to eat again. We found out that we love the Biolite stove: we cooked dinner by burning sticks, and recharged our helmet communicators! It’s an amazing device and wonderfully handy. Basically, if you have small branches, you have fuel. Check out the pics in the gallery.

Which brings us to the end of the day. Time for bed!