Vancouver to Bellingham, Washington. Friday, April 26, 2024
It’s Blanche DuBois all over again.
Many times in this blog I have noted the kindness of strangers, always amazed that people you’ve never met are willing to bend over backwards for you. Today was no exception.
Chris Xie is the owner of the lovely B&B where I was staying, also a mathematician and businessman. Originally from China, he was educated at Heidelberg in Germany and NYU, worked for many years developing wind power, and has written a popular book about avoiding financial pitfalls. His wife is currently away, so he is managing the B&B, one of the highest rated in Vancouver, all by himself. In other words, a very busy man.
He offered to drive me to the FedEx office to get that missing crank. Per Noreen’s suggestion, we got there just as it opened and another kind man, Michael, spent 45 minutes rummaging through the hundreds of boxes in the back to find it for me. Chris patiently waited with me, taking phone calls, I wound up tying him up for well over an hour. What a guy. A genuine Trail Angel.
But I had my crank! I could finally hit the road. The rain and the headwind were not too bad, but it was challenging crossing the many forks of the Fraser river to get out of town. I was concerned that my route took me over some unpaved paths, but they were remarkably easy to navigate in the rain.
With all the delays, I wasn’t sure how far I could get today. A third kind soul, Tony Morris, had offered to be my Warm Showers host halfway through the route if I needed him. He had been very patient with my scheduling and rescheduling as the FedEx saga evolved. When it turned out I didn’t need him, he graciously gave me lots of advice about crossing the border.
The border. Hardly the fraught frontier we have with Mexico, but I was still apprehensive as I approached, we’ve been delayed for hours when crossing here in the past. Al Stewart’s On the Border was my soundtrack as I drew near, but I was ushered through without a hitch. I’d hoped to get a photo of the touching Peace Arch, but this was all I could get.
Ahh, back in the good old US of A. Like Agent Dale Cooper, I thought “some kind of trees you got here,” and couldn’t resist playing the whole soundtrack from Twin Peaks. The rain stopped, the clouds parted somewhat, but I didn’t get a chance to see Mount Baker, one of the awesome Cascades. Arrived in Bellingham by seven, in time for a lovely evening with my cousin in law Andy Wheeler, add his adorable dog Honey Bear. I was very sad to have missed my cousin Tilda.
Rain and headwinds predicted again for tomorrow. I shouldn’t be surprised, it rains all the time in the Pacific Northwest. But what they call rain is usually just drizzle, hopefully that will be true tomorrow.
Distance 60 miles, I guess I’ll start a new total. Time 8 hours with stops. Elevation gain 2,155 feet
©️ 2024 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 