We finally departed the UK at 4pm (British Summer Time), three hours later than scheduled due to a ‘technical problem’ with the plane we were intended to fly on. As Mike has already mentioned, the change of plane also meant a change of departure gate – from terminal 5A we had to get the ‘transit’ train to terminal 5B. When we were finally boarding the steward checking Mike’s documents looked at his passport photo and couldn’t help but notice his obvious considerable weight loss since the passport photo was taken. Observing the loss of weight is understandable, but I wasn’t expecting his follow-up comment to Mike: “You were a bit of a chunky monkey weren’t you?!”‘ – how do you respond to that?

As I type this, (to be posted later), we’re just over three hours into an eight-hour flight. We should now arrive in Vancouver about 5pm local time. It will take a good hour to reassemble our bikes and arrange for our bike bags to be couriered to San Diego. After that we’ll cycle into Vancouver to our first Warm Showers host Matthew Cooke.

Don’t really like flying – it’s all a bit cramped and boring after a while. The other thing I don’t enjoy is how noisy it is. The constant roar makes it difficult to get any real shut eye – but one must try, a long ride tomorrow. Ta ta for now.

A bit later…

I’ve just watched a movie called ‘The Journey’ staring Martin Sheen. Not a particularly good film, (a bit of a thin and predictable story). The strange thing was that it was about an American dentist (Sheen) from Ventura, California whos son dies walking the Cameno – the pilgrim’s walk from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compestella in Spain. What’s strange about that you ask? Well we’ll be cycling through Ventura in a few weeks and my work colleague Ruth is walking the Cameno this autumn, starting on 9 September – spooky or what?! The film may have been a turkey, but Ventura and the Cameno both looked good. Let’s hope both of our journeys go smoothly and help recharge our batteries as both Ruth and I need that.