Morys Musing

Thursday June 7 2018. The B&B here in Friday Harbor is just fantastic. Comfortable, cozy rooms with character. I missed Louise and Tinus last night for dinner so my mission was to get up early and meet them at the ferry terminal to say goodbye. From yesterday, I knew they were leaving on the 8 AM Ferry and I was departing at 11:05 AM. I found them enjoying coffee at the Salty Fox Cafe on the waterfront and we had a nice chat. Such wonderful and engaging people. I appreciated their openness, humour and active lifestyles. We said our goodbyes and asked another patron to take some photos of us. Tinus asked the woman taking the photograph to focus on him because “he was the pretty one”. Joker!!

I went back to the B&B and enjoyed a great breakfast (the best included breakfast thus far with ingredients picked from their garden that morning- I watched them) and then did a few errands like getting my bike gearing corrected (I could not shift into my smallest chain ring up front) at a close by local bike shop who did it for free before heading down to catch the Ferry to Anacortes. I will return to these beautiful islands one day.

This time coming off the Ferry there was no rain! I was now navigating with good old waterproof and foldable paper maps purchased through the US based Cycling Adventure Association. Great maps with all sorts of useful information. A big advantage is they do not run out of power like my downloaded iPhone maps and App I used from Macs Adventures for the San Juan Islands! I do think my oh so old and out of date iPhone 6 Plus is not holding charge like it used to. Sigh….technology. I took the Tommy Thompson Pathway out of Anacortes which avoided a busy stretch of highway. I had to cross a causeway that had a unique potential hazard for cyclists- broken seashells which could cause a flat! I survived unscathed. There was an ugly road section under construction I had to get through. The riding was on a major road with a wide shoulder though. The difference with Island riding was the noise and amount of traffic.

I got up to Pass Lake and then proceeded through Deception Pass State Park. This was my favourite stretch. I had to cross the suspension bridge by foot on the pedestrian walkway which was very narrow. My panniers had to be forced through in a couple of sections. I did not get a photo on the bridge as it was best to move through quickly. It was also safer than riding on the bridge as the traffic was heavy and there was no shoulder.

I got into highway riding mode made easier by the drone of the cars for the next 10 miles until I got to Oak Bay Harbor. I decided to go into town for a bit to eat which was much further than I expected. After eating at a local coffee shop, I had to double back to my turn off point off Highway 20 West which put me on a quieter road with a nice shoulder. Nice. What I didn’t know was this beachside road had numerous steep climbs with grades up to 17%! It took longer to complete than I thought and it was getting late!

I finally got into Coupeville and after a bit of confusion with the cycling map directions here I made it to Fort Casey State Park my campground for the night. It is literally located right beside the Ferry Terminal to Port Townsend. Perfect! It is a basic campground and I am surrounded by 5th wheels and campers. Just one night! There is one group with the Top 40 radio blaring music no one wants to hear. Electric power, the convenience of a trailer and alcohol are not a good mix. The rest of the trailers are quiet and respectful though.

I setup my little tent and made some tea and walked on the adjacent shoreline for some photos. I got a few photos of the 9 PM Ferry coming in a stone’s throw away.

Tomorrow it is off to Port Townsend via said Ferry at either 7:15 AM or 8:45 AM. Which will it be? I feel pretty good considering I have cycled about 270 km! Great, that annoying trailer just turned off their music at 10 PM as per campground rules. Sleep will come shortly. Until tomorrow.