String of Friends

The day of departure approacheth. I'm riding the green line. I've already done the orange.  I am finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Unlike all my previous trips I have no anxiety. Just excitement. All my jitters are excited anticipation. Maybe that'll hit later. I dunno.  The trip starts just east of the magical 98th meridian (yellow line above). Roughly 80% of the US population lives east of this line. Interestingly, the ecological divide between the West and East was at the 100th meridian based on annual precipitation, but thanks to climate change it's been moving east and is now also the 98th meridian. Will that mean people will find life increasingly hard in the new west? I dunno. What is clear is that I'll be headed into more densely populated areas. And flatter areas. Some friends wonder what's the point. If you can have the Rockies, why bike the Loess Hills? Well, why not? I love the West, but I love the small towns, rivers, and lush landscapes ...

(Rainy ride back) Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/332416944?privacy_code=Myyrgomguig434xOjhHAHYsmQTpPrHQC Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vPv4ZgWPx36 I awoke pleasantly surprised the rain which was threatening since 1am had held off. Around 6:30 my fly was still dry. I had partially packed in anticipation of making a quick exit. I was on the road by 7:15. By 8:00 I was at Crabby Coffee on First Street in Coupeville. Kelly, one of the parents from last night, had recommended it. I was warned not to sit in the seats the four old guys use, but there were no old guys and the woman running the place told me to sit anywhere. The coffee was OK. The location was great. Soon it was time to go. (Crabby coffee) The ride out took me down the eastern side of the island. Hidalgo and I had driven this way just a couple of weeks before so there wasn't a big thrill of discovery. It started to drizzle steadily. That and being on a bike made the journey feel diffe...

(Fort Ebey bluff) Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/332057342?privacy_code=sJ50snpXR98T4blaX2HwjDY35512VLe8 Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/v36AVEg21Gq I woke with plenty of time to catch the 9:50 ferry back back to Anacortes. I wanted to check out Isabella's Espresso in the village. When I arrived a group of eight senior cyclists were seated outside in two benches with a coffee table between. More cyclists! Lopez seems like the place for biking in the San Juans. It certainly seemed the most welcoming and they all were pretty welcoming.  (Misty road to Isabella's) Inside there was a line and the barrista (Isabella?) worked to get her machine primed for the day. I struggled with being patient despite cyclists having chill as a goal. I had plenty of time. Eventually, I got my decaf latte and cauliflower cafe. The eight cyclists had left. I sat and read and fiddled with stuff. At 9:15 it was time to go.  A short four miles later and I was at the...

(Typical Lopez scenery) Maps:  Part 1, San Juan,  https://ridewithgps.com/trips/331340302?privacy_code=BgtHOVr7VP9Am1rnZN8to9VozlcSCbV1 Part 2, Lopez, https://ridewithgps.com/trips/331547115?privacy_code=TWgcLgzpLhk8uoeccx4I4TFcwDTWfYkE Animated maps: Part 1, San Juan,  https://www.relive.com/view/vMv8L88eWPv Part 2, Lopez, https://www.relive.com/view/vNOPDm1VeYO If yesterday was about deviating from the plan, today was about sticking to it. The plan was to ride the southern half of the island in time to catch the 11:20 ferry to Lopez. The afternoon would have me riding to Spencer Spit State Park then riding a loop around the island.  The morning was foggy. Mist clung to my tent fly. Foghorns boomed off in the unseen distance. A few people were stirring but not my new friends. Despite the water covering surfaces it wasn't actually raining. I was able to break camp and make breakfast easily. The wet fly got strapped to my rear rack. Note to self: don't lea...

(Flower boxes in the ferry ramp at Shaw) Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/331017558?privacy_code=REZXRoYoSrMc1MDcnmxxrw3jFKW2qJSW Animated Map: https://www.relive.com/view/vMv8L88eWPv Day 5 started with me waking up before Rowan. I shouldn't have worried about making noise because the ferries had been blowing their foghorns for hours. Still, I gathered breakfast supplies and my chair as quietly as I could then headed to the beach. Along the way I availed myself of the decorated pit toilets. So thoughtful!  (Nautical themed pit toilet) The weather was, as you may have guessed from the foghorn talk, foggy. The fog gave my breakfast on the beach a mystery than instant oatmeal normally doesn't provide. I had time for a leisurely meal and some staring at the water. I broke camp unhurriedly. Rowan was up but not super chatty. He was taking a later ferry so we said our goodbyes at camp.  (Breakfast on the foggy beach) I zoomed over to the ferry d...

(Peaceful UW Biological Preserve on Shaw) Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/330694202?privacy_code=a4vJkm47G5J5JlBVrx5NC43579XWcAGr Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vevY74n4ZJ6 It took me until 11:00 to leave Harvey's. By the time I got laundry in and visited Olga Rising, got back to the laundry, packed, and closed up the trailer the day was half gone. Well, not half the day. Far from it, but that's the way it feels when the wanderlust hits. The thing is that it just doesn't suit Island hopping. You don't need to go fast to reach your destination. All other miles a just riding for riding's sake.  (Olga Art Co-op) When I did leave it was in the opposite direction from the ferry without my gear. I wanted to put the "purple-I-have-ridden-this" line on Ride With GPS. Pure vanity. I wanted to leave Harvey's for the ferry at 1:30 with an hour for lunch in Eastsound. I rode 45 minutes down to Olga and came back. It was nice a...