While I was at Port Townsend I tried to contact Bob Bryant, the publisher of Recumbent Cyclist News (RCN) that I subscribe to. Unfortunately the number I found with a google search was his fax number. I was lucky to bump into Chet Rideout, a guy whose stories I have enjoyed reading in RCN over the years.
The ferry trip was 30 minutes and I just had enough time to have lunch before arriving on Whidbey Island.
On Whidbey Island the local deer don't seem to be afraid of bicyclists!
I've been riding past beautiful trees with red bark and large leaves. I found out these are called Pacific Madrone trees.
The ride through Deception Pass was spectacular and finding a Bald Eagle was the highlight. During my trip up to Port Townsend I was going back and forth about whether I should have taken a shuttle van or bus up to Anacortes. I now have no regrets about deciding to ride up to Anacortes!
Getting close to Anacortes I rode past some sort of refinery. Probably oil.I arrived in Anacortes around 9pm. I was so hungry I ordered a small 12" mushroom pizza just for me! As I was eating the pizza I watched a Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles baseball match. I still don't understand all the rules and I've been living in the US for 11 years!
After the pizza was demolished, I rode to Washington Park near the San Juan ferry terminal. I put up my tent, paid for the tent site at the vending machine, and had my first shower in a few days!
August 10th
I awoke to some young Christian children having a religious lesson near my tent at 7am. Luckily the lesson didn't last long and I was able to go back to sleep until 10am. It rained during the night and I spent some time drying the tent and eating breakfast.
I departed at 1:30pm to the ferry terminal for the traditional dipping of the bike tires in the Pacific Ocean. The beach next to the ferry terminal was too steep to negotiate with the panniers attached. So off they came and I carried the bike to the shore.
The Northern Tier ride has begun! I had a nice time riding along 2 bike paths and along the Skagit River.
After it got dark I found a nice forest to park my tent for the night (guerilla style.)August 11th
I awoke to the delightful view of trees towering above me.
I ran out of water the previous evening after dark. As I was riding along I was looking for a nice stream to try out my new Katadyn Hiker water filter. It worked like a charm. The water was sweet!
Over the past few days the wind gods have been very kind to me and given me gentle westerly tail winds.
I crossed over the Skagit River before entering Concrete. You'll never guess how this town got it's name!
Between Concrete and Rockport I had a nice view of a snowy Northern Cascade peak.I arrived in Rockport at 3:45pm and I found free wifi at the local pub. I've been transferring photos of the trip into the laptop, installing Google Picasa, and creating this blog. It is time consuming!
What an interesting coincidence. I bump into 2 kiwis (I'm one too!) in the pub. It really is a small world! Some cyclists came into the pub. They are part of a group of 80 cyclists crossing the country from east to west. Their destination is Seattle.
Over the next few days I'll be going over some passes in the Northern Cascades. I hope to post some photos in the next few days.
Cheers!
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