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.
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