Thar she blows

I will come back when time permits to fill in the gap of several days here but this picture gives a preview the story

418 Cessna Avenue

Why can't cycling be classy?
It's Friday evening and I'm currently taking tiffin at the Madrona Bar and Grill, a swell harborside joint in Roche Harbor, San Juan, where there are assorted yachts and yacht owners in attendance. Mind you, it could be tres ordinaire for all I know: my acquaintance with proper yacht clubs is pretty limited! (But the man in front me looks quite like Richard Gere.)

On San Juan

Thurs 8th-Fri 9th  saw me ferry into and cycle round San Juan island (with a silent J) in search of the elusive Orcas. Although I was unsuccessful in this, I did see some more eagles (white tails and heads) and what looked very like a camel...

This is Lime Kiln Lighthouse on whale-watch road, looking towards Vancouver Island over the Haro Straits. In a few weeks' time, according to local legend, this stretch of water will be positively heaving with giant marine mammals. And with US Coastguard vessels checking that the incoming whales have never been members of the communist party etc. Note substantial amounts of blue sky.

Tell me that's not a camel.

Can't hear the wood for the trees

Day off. Walked up a mountain. Saw an eagle. Got hungry. Read a book. 

Constitution Mountain National Park is a very big wood with a lot of trees, few paths, fewer signs and absolutely no organic coffee shops. As a result very few americans go there. I had plenty of time to ponder the meaning of liff and resurrect that old chestnut: if a tree falls in the forest but there's no-one there to witness it, how do we know it makes a noise?

Surrounded by fallen trees and knee-deep moss, I rather concluded that a falling tree would emit lots of energy waves but that, with no ears or microphones present to translate these waves into sound, it might indeed be a silent event.

It was that sort of walk!

Peanut butter toast Tuesday

Tuesday morning bright and very early sees me grumpily breaking camp in order to jump on the ferry as it passes on its way to Orcas Island, the largest of the SJ group in order to find health, wealth and happiness, or at least somewhere dry to lay my head for tonight. Orcas is more humpback than killer in topography but still has a largish mountain in its centre that I hope to ascend tomorrow when the long-promised sun appears. Until then I have followed Luke's advice and booked myself into the Doe Bay Resort. Check it out on the web. Smart eh?

That's what I call a welcome

Well, let's be generous and put it down to the time of year that it hasn't really got going yet. They're probably waiting for Thomas Jefferson Day or Peanut Butter Toast Tuesday or whatever bizarre festival they have (I've just been told it's a three-day weekend next weekend and that the schools break up around the end of May). So it feels a bit like the old Pink Palace again in that I'm virtually the only guest and they don't really know what to do with me. Ah well, there are worse fates that being ignored. 

In the meantime, here's some snaps:

Thanks Norm

I had some flack about my tent-erecting skills so this is just to show that I'm improving!

The view from my campsite on Lopez Island, mit ferry vergoing.

Monday 5th May, Lopez Island

Monday 5th May

On board yet another rather faceless/characterless ferry en route to Lopez Island, the first stop. As we set sail from Anacortes it is towards a mist-covered scene with the dark bases of, as yet, unnamed islands more or less covering the horizon but no peaks to be seen. There are odd patches of blue sky here and there so maybe we will sail into some sun. No wind: the water is very calm. Bumped into a seal at the jetty yesterday and saw a lot of shearwater/shag-type birds today so there's plenty of wildlife out there! 

As we head out into the islands/As the boat threads its way through a veritable splodge of bits of uninhabited rock, I have  good feeling about the SJs. We're on a car ferry so, duh!, obviously there'll be cars but, rather like Kintyre, once they've sped past you, you know it'll be another two hours until the next lot arrive. 

The americans have a very simple approach to road names. None of our A356 or B492 via Oban for them. All their roads have names. In small communities these tend to be 'High Road' or 'Avenue 0' but occasionally they come up with something more interesting.

(Later that same day)

In Italy, it is almost impossible to travel more than 100 m without encountering a pizzeria of some kind: they're just essential to life. In this neck of the proverbials, the same goes for wholefood cafés. Every single truckstop, tourist corner or community venue has at least one organic pitstop. This tiny hamlet, the Lopez of Lopez Island, has at least four, along with a chiropractor, potter, bike and kayak shop and the usual reminaing stuff. 

My camp site on Lopez: another State Park, another glorious view.

To none of which, I should hasten to add, am I in any way averse. But it poses a severe threat to one's teeth since each has its own range of temptations. For lunch I stopped to pick up a sandwich in a tiny roadside store near Agate Beach at the foot of the island. they had an amazing selection of to-die-for sandwiches, cookies, energy bars, drinks and so on.. I went for the biggest, sweetest, richest bit (spelt S L A B) of date slice that I have every had in a lifetime's dating. Fab (spelt F L A B)

70km from Port Townsend up Whidby Island to Anacortes

At times this seemed rather more like what I was looking for, cycling by the water, away from too many cars. At other times, I was pounding along boring tree-lined roads with too many damned great flat bed trucks, only carrying a fishing rod or a lawn mower in their multi litre engines!

The one in front was about 8 feet wide. Monstrous in every way!

Anyway, the day started quite well at about 6.00am which wasn't bad considering I had hit the sack nearer 8.00pm the previous night. Amazingly it didn't rain heavily (though the forecast this evening talked of record rainfall in parts of the region) and my plan B (to retire into the jakes) was not required. My little tent was damp and I had to move very carefully not to touch the sides/roof. I packed everything up and headed off to Port Townsend where, amazingly the Better Life Through Coffee cafe was open by 7.00am and serving a great variety of customers from fishermen, to bar room philosophers, to a teckel owning local...all sorts. A real community feeling (and good apple pie).

Oh I know the feeling...

Got the ferry at 9.30 in grey and windy conditions and started up Whidby Island half an hour later. Highlights were the Deception Bridge and the seafood café a few miles down the road from there, where I had an excellent salmon burger and local beer. I needed some fortifying since, in addition to the weather, I still hadn't got through to airbnb so nothing booked for Anacortes. 

Deception Bridge. Somehow Captain Vancouver failed to spot the river and was thus deceived into thinking Whidby Island was not an island. Geddit?

I knew there was another campsite in another National Park at the very end of the island but it was pretty uninviting and didn't have a nice reassuring Ranger on hand. In desperation at the thought of another wet night and cursing my lack of preparation, I headed back up the hill to town and stopped off at a store to ask if they knew of a place to stay. Yes, they recommended the San Juan motel, from where I'm currently writing. (Good choice Jony - it's chucking it down outside at 9.15pm!!)

My room marked with an X. Or is that something left behind by previous occupier. Let's not judge by appearances now....

Unprepossessing it is but it's clean, dry, has wifi and is only about $65. I've done my washing, dried off my stuff and, despite it being Sunday evening, have been out to a fab seafood cafe where I stuffed away yet more fish and yet more local beer!

I am looking forward to a good night's sleep (bike in the room!) and have sent off a couple of airbnb requests for Lopez Island so fingers crossed that the weather is not as bad as they have forecast.