On the Road Again - Day 5 - 36 miles

I was woken early by the Fairport Convention or something similar being played loudly in the hippy cafe below my bedroom. That's my problem with hippies, they are a little too free at times. Having gone to bed in a bit of a defeated mood from the terrible weather and only doing 40 miles in 2 days. My mood brightened quickly on looking out of my bedroom window to see a family of deer grazing outside in something that looked a little like sunshine. I made breakfast in the hostel kitchen then sat in the cafe for a while to make use of their Internet. I checked the weather forecast for the week and it was looking much better than last time I checked. I was all fired up to ride again in the dry weather.

I hopped on the ferry back to Vancouver Island and began riding at a pretty good pace. With the clouds now lifting it was possible to see the incredible mountain range that runs like a backbone down the length of the island. After around 10 miles I stopped at a gas station to stock up on chocolate. I sat outside on a picnic bench and ate an apple picked freshly from the hostel garden. The friendly gas station dog came over to say hello. I began petting it but it soon became clear this was a dirty dog. It kept maneuvering itself in such a way that would leave me only its hind quarters to stroke. I could see the dog was enjoying it in an unsavoury way. Perhaps the dogs owner had become aware that his dog was soliciting cheap thrills from a stranger as he came out and called the dog away. The owner looked exactly how I imagine Billy Ray Cyrus would had he maintained the same hairstyle but without ever washing it since his big hit back in the Achy Breaky Heart days.

I rode for another 10 miles along some very long, straight roads lined with tall pine forest. The weather was fantastic – I was happy. Although not hungry I forced myself to stop for lunch in a delightful little town called Qualicum Beach I had a wonderfully calorific veggie quesadilla with fries and my first ever iced tea.

Back on the bike I passed some long beaches, overlooking the impressive mountains back on the mainland. Riding past scenes like this my instinct is to stop, take a walk around and enjoy the scenery but I'm like a coiled spring at the moment, having not spent enough time on the bike I just kept pedaling. An hour later I arrived in Parksville, my first city since Vancouver. It's quite a shock re-entering civililisation after so long in remote areas. I sped through and before long entered Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park where I would camp the night.

I was happy to see the fire-ban had been lifted following the recent rain so I bought some firewood. My cycling shoes could do with being toasted by the fire as they were still wet and starting to smell appallingly. I pitched up next to Ram and Tiffany, their 2 kids and thoroughly wholesome labrador. Ram, a charming Mexican man warned me their kids tend to cry in the night. I said, 'not to worry, so do I sometimes.'. He thought I was joking. After setting up the tent and taking a shower I walked down to the beach. I wasn't expecting anything special but was blown away. It was like no beach I've seen before. The beach itself was covered in dead trees which I assume had been washed ashore after been felled elsewhere. The view from the shore was breathtaking – a seemingly endless backdrop of mountains as if painted by a child.

On returning to camp I made dinner. A new creation tonight. As an experiment I'd bought a packet of dried noodles. They're not the kind of thing that would appeal to me back in the real world but at only a few grams per packet I was very interested in giving them a go. I spiced them up with a chopped pepper, veggie bacon bits and chilli flakes (these last 2 ingredients feature in every camp meal I've made so far). The meal was very good so I expect variations of it to be appearing on the menu for the next 3 months or so.

After dinner I dried my shoes by the fire and chatted with the neighbours. Some friends of Ram and Tiffany's who lived locally had dropped by. I took the opportunity to ask about the wild west of Vancouver Island which I plan to visit in a couple of days. I asked if there were any tours I could go on to see bears. 'Oh if you're staying for a few days you'll see bears, don't you worry.' I almost shivered with fear and excitement.

After the kids had been put to bed Ram and I chatted about Mexico. He was a little concerned about my safety if crossing the border in Tijuana. He's the second person to express concern to me about Tijuana since my trip began. Apparently the situation is unstable in Tijuana because the Mexican president is cracking down on the organised drug crime there. He described it as a war between the Mexican army and the drug lords. Maybe what they need down there is an inspirational guy to roll in on his bike and lead them Pied-Piper style on a cleansing bike ride through the desert. More seriously (to those that worry about me) I will be thoroughly researching the situation down there and looking at the safest place to cross the border.