The bike has been running like a bag of spanners since I got it back. Basically the links in the rear chain had started to seize and rust, which isn't surprising because I ran out of chain lube in Siberia and was making do with whatever I could find in russian petrol stations along the way. So after noisily rolling down to Portland from Seattle I looked on Google and found a great garage in Beaverton. At short notice they replaced my tyres, rear chain and sprockets and gave it a service and now it runs like a dream. (They also pointed out that I had blown my low beam headlight - which might explain why rolling into Khabarovsk at night was a bit tricky). Super service.
It is pretty cold here (6-7c) but there has been a "bomb cyclone" hitting Southern Oregon which should clear by tomorrow. (Main interstate was closed by a blizzard). So tomorrow (thanksgiving) I will head to the coast to get highway 1 and aim to get to California in the next couple of days or so.
Hopefully once I get into California the weather will improve and I can start to camp in the state forests. While I have been in Portland waiting for the cyclone to clear I purchased a tent at an REI store. (The last tent I gave to the hotel receptionist in Vladivostok because I was sick of it - tunnel tent being too small and a pain to get in and out of). I wasn't sure what the rules are for wild camping and so I looked on Youtube while I was waiting in the UK for the bike to make it to Canada and there is a lady who motoblogs as "As the magpie flies" who does a fair bit of camping - anyway she was the lady who sold me the tent!!
I was very grateful to see these guys were open.
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