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Arriving into Prince Rupert, we were back to the reality of the bikes. Shopping around for a new front tyre had become a priority for me - vibrating down the road on an oddly worn front tyre had lost its appeal. And having become accustomed to the ‘proper bed’ lifestyle onboard the ferry, when we got drowned in the evening summer rain, we lost our hardcore status and opted for a hotel. The joys of bad TV were also included in the price. So with all this going on, and the fact that it is really a bloody long way, it took us three days to ride to Vancouver Island.

Whistler over run with mountain bikers!

We had wanted to stop in at Whistler but being a long weekend, the place was packed and out of our price league. So onto Gill and Collin’s place in Victoria. You probably don’t remember, but Gill and Collin were the couple we met backpacking around South America. We’d met them in Valpariso, Chile, just before Christmas. And although they wouldn’t be home for a few days, they’d left their keys at the neighbour and left some beer in the fridge for us. A godsend!

Piglet takes over the sofa at Collin and Gill's!

The bikes got a good wash and yet more maintenance. Then it was time to organise the rest of our lives. Mike managed to sort out shipping his bike to Europe and booked his flight to follow, relatively quickly. I, on the other hand, was at a bit more of a loss as to what to do with my bike. I tried to sell her, only to find out that she couldn’t be imported into Canada. The other option was to scrap her, which I just couldn’t bear. So, as you read, I am still in the process of stupidly trying to import her into Australia. Fingers crossed.

With the BMW delivered to the airport and wrapped in plastic, Mike flying out on Thursday and me with still no idea of when or what I was doing, the reality of the end of the adventure was starting to hit home. To take our minds off our impending separation, finally, after 9 months of saying ‘We really must do some trekking’, we picked a doozie. The Grouse Grind! 2 hours of a seriously uphill slog. The view of Vancouver from the top was worth it though and finally we got to see some grizzly bears, albeit in The Grizzly Bear Park.

The view from the top of Grouse Grind.

Finally I received an agreeable price for shipping the bike to Australia, an email to say that they might just let me import my bike into Australia (Apparently I was an unusual case, what’s new!) and I was able to book my flight to Australia.

The rojo beast at the warehouse, ready to be crated.

After a very tearful farewell at the airport, it was ‘hasta luego’ Mike. I loitered around the Departure Gate for a while (Well what did you expect after being together 24/7 for nearly 10 months!) but then it was time to head back to Dan and Maya’s place and pack up my own bike, ready for my last ride to the shipping warehouse. And to get a nap in before my 35 hour transit via San Francisco (The twelve hour stop-over made much better by catching up with Cat, a friend from London) and Auckland, home.