LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER 2016: THE FINAL DAY?

DAY 94

WEDNESDAY 6 JULY 2016

SECHELT (PORPOISE BAY PROVINCIAL PARK) - VANCOUVER

1040 - 2030

69.3 km (43.06 miles)
Av.Speed: 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Max. Speed: 69.7 km/h (43.3 mph)
Time On Bike: 4h 36m 07s

The generosity shown by a random local in Jimmy is the stuff of legend.

There is never a price to be placed on such acts of helpfulness.

As a result of Jimmy's actions, I was in a much better position when I awoke on Wednesday morning than I otherwise would have been.

And although I realised I still was not out of the fire, so to speak, it was likely that I could at least get myself back into town and take it from there.

I surely made the 4 kilometers back to Sechelt first thing, but it was obvious when the remaining bolt holding the draw arm together also snapped in half, that it may well have been over before it began.

At this point, I was contemplating the unthinkable of having to actually end my 3000+ km trip by taking the bus into Vancouver.

If there was a way out of this predicament however, I was equally committed to finding it.

Off The Edge Adventures was once again my go-to who once again referred me on to the local building supplies.

In the meanwhile, the OTEA mechanic had made the somewhat genius suggestion to employ the use of hose clamps to sure up the dodgy draw arm, regardless of whether or not I was able to bolt it back together.

With this sage insight, I attended Gibsons Building Supplies (GBS) and ran the problem by them.

Whilst I'm sure it was beyond a "regulation" building supplies issue, we cobbled together some new bolts and lock nuts as well as a slew of aforementioned hose clamps, which I applied liberally to the problem area.

$5.65 and about 45 minutes later, I was out of there and back on the road to Vancouver with my heart in my mouth and everything else crossed double.

I'VE EMPLOYED ALL SORTS OF THINGS TO MAKE REPAIRS ON THIS TRIP, INCLUDING CABLE TIES, STICKING PLASTER, PIECES OF TORN-UP ROAD MAP AND ON THIS OCCASION - NUTS, BOLTS AND HOSE CLAMPS!

SO, WILL HE ACTUALLY MAKE IT??

It's a bit of a shame I didn't see any more of Sechelt than the bicycle shop and the hardware store 'cause it otherwise looked to be a sweet little town.

Well I did also stay overnight in Porpoise Bay which is essentially all part of the Sechelt Inlet and extended my Sechelt experience ever so briefly late in the morning to the bank, library and supermarket.

SUNSET ON PORPOISE BAY

With all the additional drama, it was 1 pm before I eventually wheeled out of town.

The most exasperating part of having a breakdown at this point was that there was so little distance to cover to finish my trip - 60 km in total, which was to be broken by two 30 kilometer stints.

From Sechelt, the first 30 would get me to the Langdale Ferry terminal for a 35-minute crossing to Horseshoe Bay, from where the final 30 would take me into Vancouver and the now much anticipated finishing point of my tour.

The hilly grind to Langdale was completed by a 2-kilometer/200 foot pull up the side of a hill and a ripping 650 foot/70 km/h scream down the other.

So that was the reason for all the "Trucks Check Brakes" signs at the top....

I reached the vehicle gates at the bottom of the hill and within 5 seconds of me coming to a complete resting stop came a PA announcement that the "Queen of Surrey" was now fully boarded and about to set sail.

What ferry sets sail at 2.38 pm without me on board, I wondered?

The 2.40 ferry does apparently and with another 2 hours until the next departure, it seemed like an appropriate time to contemplate where I might have made up those 2 minutes at any given point during the morning.

After an extended barrage of audible obscenities directed at no-one in particular, I reluctantly accepted my fate and also took time to re-consider what time I might be arriving in Vancouver.

The trolley so far was holding its own, so this was at least one less thing to concern about.

I had told my next Warmshowers hosts via email about 6-8 pm as an ETA and it was now not going to be any earlier, for sure.

The 35-minute crossing, when it eventually happened, was a beauty.

It was probably the final vindication I needed to convince me that it had been worth taking the extra days to travel this way after the experience of Vancouver Island had left me with serious doubts.

I began wheeling out of Horseshoe Bay at 5.45 pm and I was reasonably confident that it could take anywhere up to 3 hours to get where I was going.

8.45 was surely close to as late as I would have wanted to arrive.

I immediately diverted from the chaos of Highway 1 and onto the more sedate and stunningly beautiful Marine Drive.

The weather once again was off the scale and the chosen route quickly revealed itself to be the one and only I would have wanted to take.

I surely could not have prescribed up anything better for the final run home.