July 19, 2016 Rest day in Port Coquitlam

Spent the morning catching up with the blog and responding to emails; doing laundry; and performing basic maintenance on the bike. 

I discovered that the sensor for my cateye odometer was missing - most likely got knocked off in the process of trying to lock the bike on the ferry, or when I took the front tire off to put the bike in the car at the ferry, or maybe somewhere in the garage. At this point, Carin was leaving to go to Ferdinand's, and since I been pretty productive I was able to go with her to take him hiking again at Minnekhada.

While Carin retrieved Ferd from his house, I searched the car high and low for my cateye sensor. No luck. 

On the road entering Minnekhada, we were treated to the sight of a mid-size black bear walking on the road toward us. His fur was gorgeous. When he saw us, he turned around and sauntered down the road, then eventually veered off into the weeds. What a thrill to see the bear!

We took the same path hiking as yesterday. Ferdinand seemed even more at home, and performed admirably. There were quite a few families and dogs hiking out there. Another beautiful day. A sign mentioned a toad migration, but we only saw one and he disappeared before I could get a picture.

When we returned Ferd home, he once again headed for his bed - worn out from his hike,  and anxious for us to leave so he could take a nap. However, I forced him to get up for one last picture with me. That is one darn cute little dog. Carin is going to take care of him while his Mom and Dad visit Portugal in August. The plan is to try and get Maximillian and Ferdinand to develop a friendship so they can stay together when Ferdinand' s family is out of town.

The next mission consisted of finding a bicycle store where I could get a replacement odometer for my bike. Then returned home to install the new odometer and get everything packed and ready to go for the morning. I plan on getting on the road early since I have a 65 mile ride ahead of me, some of which might involve some climbing. At least I should have fresh legs. The plan was briefly jeopardized when my iPad went on the blink. Since her office has a tech center that can fix iPads, Pam offered to take it in for a diagnostic test and repair if possible. Which meant a possible delay in my departure. However, Pam was able to figure out how to do a special reboot, and the problem was solved. I told her she gained big brownie points for that feat! While I could continue on using just my iPhone, having the iPad really does make everything easier. 

For dinner tonight, Pam fixed grilled ham and cheese samdwhiches, with freshly picked corn on the cob and a spinach salad. As you have figured out by now, these were not just any old grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. And the color combination made for just the right presentation. 

After dinner, Pam played her ukulele and sang for me. She got the ukulele for Christmas and has been teaching herself to play. I really liked her song selection and hummed along a little.... It was fun. Pam is a real Renaissance woman.

I reached another milestone tonight when Molly the cat came out of hiding and kept making little appearances in the wings, checking me out from afar. I am convinced she would come closer and stay in the same room with me if I only had a few more days....but, time to move on to the next phase of the journey. These new friends, like all the others new and old that I have stayed with on this journey, have thoroughly pampered me. I will leave tomorrow, once again feeling renewed in spirit and with a heart full of gratitude.