Day 3

We decided to take a much-needed rest day in Fort Langley, and looking back, it was one of the best decisions we made. The highlight was discovering Wendel's Bookstore and Cafe—a recommendation from Poesy that I still think of as a little sanctuary. I can still taste those fresh Belgian waffles with strawberries and cream, and that hot apple cider was exactly what the soul needed. It was the kind of place where everything was scratch-made, and for a few hours, we all felt like we could just live there forever.

Later, the whole group headed to White Rock. Shayne stayed back to troubleshoot a "groaning" noise coming from his bike, which at the time I saw as him perhaps feeling a bit like an introvert among a crowd he didn't know as well. For me, though, strolling along the edge of the ocean with friends felt like a return to university days. It was a perfect, special kind of day. When the 'Seattle boys' had to head back south at the end of the night, I felt a deep gratitude for having seen everyone together like that—a rare and beautiful moment to start this journey.

We are abruptly woken by a branch falling on Wendy's tent. Fortunately there is no damage and it is time to wake up anyway. We have taken today off to let Blue and Wendy visit with their friends before they go home. My bike is groaning. It is the kind of noise that the crank would make if there is too much weight being put on it. So today I spent some time trying to troubleshoot the problem. Meanwhile, I have reinflated my tires and raised my seat a whole inch.

I feel I have been quiet and kind of withdrawn from the others. I think this is primarily because I am facing British Columbia as a challenge and I am taking it seriously. The wet weather affects my mood; I am always happier when it is sunny. And finally, I do not know Blue and Wendy's friends very well so I tend to stay quiet when around them, being the introvert that I am. Wendy seems to get a little too anxious over small things, whereas Blue and I tend to take it as it rolls. I find Blue tends to inflate things to a larger proportion than they actually are, which I am interpreting as pessimism. And pessimism tends to make me argumentative, so I am trying my best to keep quiet.

I am spending the entire morning at a fantastic cafe called Wendel's in Fort Langley. Fort Langley is a quaint, small town that seems to receive its fair share of tourism. While Blue, Wendy, and company have gone to a nearby beach, I do some reading by the river at our campsite. I head to Langley City to get my bike looked over, but they are too busy to look at it. On my way back it begins to rain quite heavily, but I manage to wait out the worst of it in a bus shelter. After eating, I meet up with the group at Wendel's where we discuss our route. Having seen the Trans Canada Trail sign in town, we may finally get to follow the trail tomorrow.