String of Friends

The Hitchcock House Static Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/407635639?privacy_code=A7YRU8tSvcZiruRCXv0aFGADNnvZeS8L Animated Map: https://www.relive.com/view/vr63zdKr48O My first night on the road was peaceful, but not quiet. The night was full of insect noises and a screech owl. I welcomed the company. So much life and none of it directed at my food or tent. Despite a time zone change that should have had me sleeping in, I woke up at 5:15. I decided not to fight it. The plus was seeing the sunrise. I ate and broke camp by 6:30. The walk back was much easier than the walk in. Lumbering back I jumped when I heard Neil Young looking for a heart of gold followed by a jogger. People get up early! I dithered a bit and at 7:51am I was moving. The morning was exceptional. Some humidity makes the air feel soft. That’s what it was like. Soon I was on gravel roads heading to the town of Underwood. I was thinking a second breakfast of pancakes. I assumed Underwood was a ...

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/407370553?privacy_code=xhtSzkbPSwezXPPHbVA0AE6EK9OzHLi7 Animated map:  https://www.relive.com/view/vAOZVx7eLoO SOFAUS Day 1 I am sitting in the departure area at gate D25 at SeaTac … er SEA. The Brian-Eno-eque tones of the robotic wheelchairs echo off the terrazzo flooring. Eno invented ambient music with the aptly titled Music for Airports. It's great. Look it up. I am happy to be here. My driver's license, it turns out, expired 8 days ago. Amazingly, that was OK with TSA because they have a grave period. My decision to ride through a section of Canada looks like genius now because I have my passport with me and will be able to come home after the grace period of the driver's license expires. I am sitting on the 737 watching Seattle’s low gray sky. For Omaha they load you on a bus and drive you to the plane. It rained on me and my fellow passengers as we queued between the bus and plane ramp. The fat, infreq...

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...