Disaster!
I got my first flat tyre. Wouldn’t you know it, you travel thousands of miles through bear-infested wilderness where every discordant creak, groan and ping worries you into a nervous wreck that you might be pushing your bike for the next 59 miles before you finally get picked up by Bubba and the ‘crew’ looking to get ‘Biblical’ on someone’s ass! Instead, it was a tiny sliver of wire that managed to wrong-foot Billy the Bike (this is a name in progress!). A speedy patch and he was as right as ninepence. I think he liked the attention. This happened at pretty much the first large town I came to on Vancouver Island, Campbell River. If you’re ever in these parts, don’t enter Campbell River from the north; it’s a dump. From the south is a different story as you pass the sea on the right and well manicured lawns on the left. When they get a summer here, it’ll be lovely.
That was pretty much the tale of the day. The rest was cycling and rain. The weather is so bad here that it’s making the news! As a consequence I’m going way over budget on the accommodation front. I don’t mind the camping, but after 110km in the cold, cold rain the last thing you want to do is put up a soggy tent. No, a Best Western with hot showers and soft beds is what the cycling doctor prescribes. I shall make up the cost by only camping in the US. Promise. Hopefully Oregon and California is where all the sun is hiding. I suspect Washington will be as moist as British Columbia.
In general the bike and all the kit is performing well (I’ve probably jinxed it now), but I figure if you don’t even have to think about it then it must be doing it’s job pretty well. I’ve had to tighten up the chain (by rotating the eccentric bottom bracket – for all you technical fans out there), and the odd squirt of lube on the chain, but that’s about it. The blue brake pads seem to be hardly wearing down at all. Which, now I think about it is probably because I hardly ever touch the brakes. Not like you do when you’re commuting.
More tomorrow after another wet day in the saddle!
Love
Pete
Patagonia Pete 
cycling in the wet is the worst, well, that and camping, so cycling and camping in the rain, no ta! Don’t blame you for sleeping under a paid roof, what about the ‘warm showers’ link, has nothing there come to fruition?
You’ll be able to camp in California for sure, when we were there last year the weather was perfect, the vagrants seemed pretty chilled by the whole place anyway
You’re not missing out on the uk summer here, very average bordering on crap and not in a Bear insight to honk either
Hope the tyres hold up!