8/8/09- 3 hours, 20 min on the bike- Bellingham, WA to Deception Pass State Park, WA
We enjoyed some awesome sleep in Larrabee thanks to the shower and the surroundings. Got up around 9:30, ate some oatmeal, and got on the road around 11. The route took us out for some really nice rural riding. We rode by farms and fields of fragrant sweet peas. We went through nice little towns and stopped at a homemade bread shop for delicious multigrain bread and directions. We came to the huge Deception Pass Bridge- it was beautiful but we had to walk the bikes down a really narrow sidewalk that was packed w/people so we had to stop every few steps to let them squeeze by. We didn't take this pic, but here's the bridge so you can get the idea:
After the bridge we went up and down some serious hills- the downhills were so steep our eyes would tear up as we flew down. On the way to the state park we took an alternate bike route that took us around a highway that had lots of construction on it. It was scenic and pleasant most of the way until we got to a huge hill through a residential section. After a few feet we had to get off the bikes and push. An elderly couple sat on the porch of their house midway up the hill and chuckled- "Everything was great until this hill, eh!" they called. We smiled grimly. "Well it only gets worse from here! MUAHAHAHHA!" We were hoping they were exaggerating but as we rounded a corner we realized they were right on the money. We had to take breaks every few feet to get up the steep incline.
We finally got into Deception Pass State Park and got a hiker/biker site. We passed by a gray-haired and bearded solo tourer who had set up camp at one of the sites. Arik recognized him as a guy we'd given directions to the day before. As we walked past he called out to us and asked where we were headed. We told him and he invited us back for wine later that evening. We set up camp and another solo biker rolled in and chatted with us. The wild-eyed, quickly topless dude gave us some tips and told us what we had to look forward to in Oregon- 4 dollar campsites and a coast that would likely be the highlight of our trip.
We had pb&js with blackberry jam on our multigrain bread, a nice hot shower, and chili for dinner. Then we headed over for wine with our new pal Rudy. He is a retired Vancouver schoolteacher with a really peaceful, wise aura about him. He told us about some of his past adventures- including camping on a small bit of land in the middle of some water without realizing that the water level rose through the night- he and his friend were stranded and just had to watch the water rise closer and closer to their tent door. Miraculously it stopped right before it got into the tent. He bemoaned what passes for camping for a lot of people- at Deception Pass we saw one family with 2 full size electronic dart boards. He uses the sun to tell directions and doesn't own a cellphone. When we asked where he stayed the night before he said he'd found a little spot on the side of the road and said it was empowering to try to live outside of the system and to realize how much we humans are really capable of doing for ourselves. It reminded him of a time when he was younger. He and a friend were road tripping in their car and found a spot on the side of the road to sleep. They were woken up in the morning by a horrible loud screeching and jumped out of the car to see a big train roaring past. They'd set up for the night just feet from the tracks. Overall it was a really nice evening spent with a really interesting guy.
It started to sprinkle as the sun went down so we turned in for an early night.
8/9/09- 4.5 hours on the bike- Deception Pass State Park, WA to Port Townsend, WA
Had some oatmeal then got moving. Rolled though pretty, rural terrain with huge clouds that looked like mountains and low clouds that looked like the sea. We went by a field filled with portly sheep all bent over eating- they reminded us of Guido. Rode onto Whidbey Island- a pretty popular tourist spot. Climbed up some big hills just as the sun came out. The sun was glorious! We forgot how much we missed it. Rode down a beautiful street called Madrona Way- trees on our right and Crescent Harbor on our left. We stopped in Coupeville to make a pb&j (yup we're eatin' a lot of these). While we were eating, an older gent in an orange reflective vest came pedaling up. His name was Ken and he gave us some tips for the upcoming Oregon and California coasts. Apparently we have the 7 devils to look forward to: 7 killer hills in Oregon that'll have us begging for mercy by the end. Hooray! He also said we should make sure we get wraparound eye protection because woodchip trucks spray woodchips and sawdust all over the road. He also told us a better way to get to the Port Townsend ferry and helped us avoid the hills our route would've taken us over. His alternate route also had the added benefit of taking us by some blackberry bushes. It's blackberry season in Washington and they were supa plump and ripe and sweet!
We got to the Port Townsend ferry station an hour early so we plopped down inside on a bench to wait. Not longer after, a teary eyed older woman sat down and started muttering to herself. We thought she was just a crazy old lady but as we started to talk to her we realized she was actually just having a really hard time with her mom's death in April. We had a nice long chat with Carollee. She is a really proud mama and managed to mention a number of times that her son is a cardiologist in Dallas. Soon two preteen boys sat down next to us and joined in on the conversation. They were impressed with our ride ("That's awesome!") and were just really cute sweet kiddos. One offered me a sour gummy worm (which I gladly accepted!) and his pal said "dude give her some more!" And he did! When one of the boys said his aunt and uncle were from Dallas, Carollee chimed in, "you know who else lives in Dallas? My son! He's a heart doctor!" When the ferry arrived we left the office just as Carollee's 80 year old dad came in. We heard him greet her, saying, "So do all the people know about your son who's a doctor?" :)
We rode onto the ferry and chatted with one of the preteen's dads. He was really supportive and interested in our ride. Arik and I headed up top and found a seat in the sun. We thought it would get too hot but with the cool breeze off the water we actually ended up pretty cold and had to huddle together. Halfway through, Carollee and her dad came and sat with us and chatted. Her dad reflected on the aging process, saying he was happy he hadn't crossed over the line into having to rely on someone else to take care of him.
On the ferryAfter 30 minutes on the ferry, we got to Port Townsend and bid farewell to the boys. We headed straight to Old Port Townsend State Park. It was a tiny speck on our map so our expectations weren't too high, but it ended up being the sweetest park yet in terms of our campsite. The hiker/biker sites were set back under tall trees that swayed and creaked in the breeze. We were the only ones there (it was a Sunday night) so we had the whole spot to ourselves. We had ramen and curry for dinner, took a hot shower (I had to wait for a teenage couple and two 8 year olds to get done before I could take mine...good times), then turned in for the night.
Our sweet spot in the treesThe solitude that was so awesome and calming during the daytime was a little scary at night. Arik woke up with a start in the middle of the night and turned on our lantern, sure he had heard someone unzip our tent fly and put something down. I didn't hear anything but shortly afterward we did see what looked like a flashlight shining toward us. Just a lil weird. He had a lot of trouble sleeping but finally nodded off.
We're chillin' with Kelly for one more day- more updates to come!
Until then, be well,
Arik and Mia
http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/ariknmiabike
