Morys Musing

Monday June 18 2018. It’s time to get back to Canada.

I had a great sleep and a very easy morning but had to be up early as the only Westbound Ferry sailing back to Sidney left at 8:30 AM arriving 11:15 AM. Perfect. That would give me an afternoon of leisure and lunch in Sidney before cycling the short route back to Pat and Richard’s place. They had graciously allowed me to stay there even though they were both away. Thanks!

I was originally scheduled to stay one more day and overnight camp at Washington City Park but Pat and Richard’s place seemed more appealing than another night at a campground.

After a quick breakfast at the hotel I had a very pleasant ride to the Ferry. The sailing was smooth and I had a nice chat with a teacher and his new bride from California. They were on their honeymoon and traveling up to BC then Banff, Alberta. I gave them a few ideas for the Banff portion of their trip.

I arrived about 30 minutes late in Sidney. I had a nice lunch there dockside and then cycled back uneventfully to Pat and Richard’s place.

After unpacking, washing the bike and doing some laundry I went out for a short hike to Horth Hill. The weather was spectacular today.

I then stopped in Sidney and picked up some groceries for dinner. I decided a BBQ would be prefect tonight. It was nice to get back to some from scratch cooking! After dinner I walked down to Cole’s Bay Park for some photography (bad light) and a light hike. A nice Pinot Gris and Port for soaking in the hot tub tonight ended the day. Life is good.

I will head off to Pender Island soon to spend a few days with my friend Catherine. I’m looking forward to it. I will sign off for now.

A few final thoughts about my trip experiences while cycle touring the San Juan Islands and Olympic Peninsula:

-for most cyclists, the San Juan Islands provides the best cycle touring experience

-Washington State is very bike friendly

-the vast majority of drivers are very respectful of road cyclists

-the State is not always the best with respect to road signage

-almost everyone in this State drives a Subaru Outback- really!

-generally the State campgrounds are good, but, I believe the Canadian campgrounds are better in terms of arrangement/state of maintenance

-people are very friendly and kind

-the roads are generally in good condition, but, there are a fair number of pebbled road surfaces

-on the road, especially the Olympic Peninsula, more local cafes and less pubs/fast food outlets please!

-the seafood is fantastic

-RV Parks rock for amenities

-whatever you do, stay active and open to new experiences- life is just better that way!

Cheers!