Tea and hot tubs in Surrey!

After a long, hot and sticky ride I finally arrived in Surrey (about 13 miles from Vancouver). Nathan and Sandra had kindly offered to accommodate me for a couple of days. I was met at the door by Nathan`s Dad, John who greeted me with a cup of tea and sandwiches (and also, a few beers!) It felt like being back in England (apart from the weather of course). Later, when Nathan and Sandra had got back from work we all jumped in the hot tub (as you do) and I started to feel the stresses of the road slip away.


The next day, Sarah (Nathan`s business partner) also came over and we had a fantastic barbecue and I think I decimated their beer supply.



Nathan and Sarah run a company called “Body Mods”. Yes, that`s right, they`re in the business of body modification, and I don`t mean going to the gym! They sell “things” that you either stick on, or in your body. You get the idea! I was considering having a tattoo of a BMW 650 Dakar across my back and maybe a couple of piercings, but in the end I decided to book a massage instead. There`s only so much pain I can take. I had a brilliant time and was once again overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality I received, but after a couple of days of R+R, it was time to hit the road again. I was due to attend a big BMW rally in Redmond, Oregon two days later. On the way down I had arranged to stay overnight in Seattle, with Tim and Angela, the couple I had briefly met in Prince George.
The U.S. border was only a few miles from Surrey and as I approached I was mentally preparing myself for the 3rd degree. I`d hear about many U.S. and Canadian citizens getting a grilling and was warned not to get caught with anything controversial in my luggage, so I kept reminding myself “whatever you do, you must declare the bear spray. You must declare the bear spray”. I rolled up, the guard checked my passport, asked me about the trip I was on, wished me luck and waved me on! Easy! Of course, I completely forgot about the spray.
After a couple of hours of riding I needed a break and was looking for a good place to stop when I came across a sign for a town called Hope, so obviously had to stop for a coffee! When the owner saw the sign on my bike (Journey for Hope), he looked at me, looked at the sign and said, "congratulations, you`ve arrived!"


A town called Hope

I hit Seattle just in time for rush hour on the freeway which slowed me down a little but still got to Tim`s before he did – he was behind me in a car apparently! After unpacking and showering Tim drove us to a little Mexican restaurant and bought me dinner (more generosity!) and the following day we both set off for Redmond, Oregon. It was really nice to have a bit of company on the road for the first time in a month. Tim, knowing the roads so well took us on a scenic route via several volcanoes including the famous Mount St. Helens which erupted in 1980. The roads and scenery were spectacular, none of which I would have seen if it hadn`t have been for Tim.The route took longer than we thought so we ended up camping overnight when it was clear we wouldn`t be getting to Redmond that day.

The Redmond BMW Rally

Up very early the next day we rode a couple of hours and arrived in Redmond in the sweltering heat – 95 degrees! And it pretty much stayed that way for the next 3 days! The rally was huge. In the end, over 6,000 bikers arrived. I spent my time picking people`s brains and attending as many technical seminars as I could. In the meantime, I cleaned my air filter and chain. It was quite funny as people passing ,seeing the bike stripped of its panelling, kept asking what I was working on! (As if I knew what I was doing! ) Didn`t have the heart to tell them I was just poking around.I met the man who set up the web site for my type of bike (f650.com)commonly known as "The Chain Gang" (because our bikes have chains!)very charismatic and slightly eccentric. He was a cross between a preacher, teacher and mechanical wizard!His name is Steve Johnson aka "The Professor!"

I said goodbye and thanked Tim for all his help as he left early on Saturday morning to do a week`s worth of riding on the dirt!

I spent the rest of the time wandering around trying to learn as much as I could. I met some very interesting people who gave me good advice about entering Mexico. The consensus was – don`t hang around near the border towns (drugs, shootings, etc), avoid the big cities and whatever you do, get off the road before sunset.
Mmm, should be interesting.
I felt much better for having the three days off the bike, socialising, resting and having a few beers (well I was told to drink plenty of fluids). It was quite sad to see everyone packing up to leave on the final morning. I exchanged e mail and blog addresses and it seemed all too soon that it was time, yet again, to get back on the road. I`d spent the past couple of days wondering where to go. I could head east and take in a couple of National Parks or west and head for the coast. In the end, the weather decided for me. It had been so intensely hot, I decided to head for the cooler air of the coast and the famous Pacific Coast highway 101.