Post Treatment Tour D2 Bay View SP to Eastsound

(Coming into Orcas)



I  woke up almost ten hours after I went to sleep. It was the best sleep I've had in ages. The weather was cloudy, but less gloomy than the previous day. I took a quick trip down to the beach where the water was like glass. I enjoyed the quiet on Padilla Bay. Well, OK I could hear Highway 20 and I could see the oil refineries across the bay, but it was peaceful damn it!

(View from the beach)

It was so peaceful I left camp at 9:30 which is almost unheard of for me. Today was going to be an easy low mileage day so no rush. I retraced  my path along the nature trail. At the end I met two bike campers. They'd stayed at Bay View too, but stayed in a regular camp spot. They were coming from Bellingham and headed to Lopez. I was quicker than they were and didn't see the again, I hope they are having a good night. 

I made quick time to Anacortes. The bike/walking trestle that was closed when Harvey and I rode this way in 2022 was open. While it was nice, so many birds use it to crack shells that I worried about getting a flat. Thankfully, I made it. 

(Mussel shell trestle)

My instant oatmeal breakfast wasn't quite enough. Brunch sounded ideal. I found Dad's Diner on the old business strip. Potatoes, bacon, and eggs hit the spot. By noon I was ready to roll. I noticed that molluck goo from the trestle had found its way into my jockey wheels. Yuck! 

I decided to ride Guemes Island. The ferry left at 1:00 so I tooled around town. The high point, literally was Cap Sante Park, a rocky promontory on the north side of town. Needed a picture of myself standing proudly atop this high point, I asked a woman surveying the town with binoculars if she could snap my photo. She told me she had lost some friends and was lonely. She said she is 75. I am going to hate it when I start losing my friends. I hope she figures out a way to be less lonely. I should have mentioned Warmshowers. Anacortes must get a fair amount of bike tourists.

(Atop Cap Sante)

Guemes Island was a delight. The traffic was practically non-existent. I made it around in under and hour and a half, in time for the 2:30 ferry. For a small island it had a lot of different aspects. The west side was full of expensive homes. The east sic facing Anacortes and its ship industry was more modest. There were even a few small farms. The general store is cool. It serves food and hosts music. The locals need something on island. 

(Guemes)

I was glad I caught the 2:30 ferry because I would not have made the 3:40 to Orcas if I had caught the next one. As it was, I had a leisurely time to the San Juan Ferry Terminal. At the terminal I met Tristan. He was riding a kid's mountain bike with a trashed bottom bracket. He said he lives in Friday Harbor and works at Orcas Landing. This time he was riding from Bellingham! With a laptop in his hand! I hope he can get a better bike.

(Tristan's bike)

The ride to Harvey's place went smoothly. Orcas is as pretty as usual. I saw a couple other bike tourers and two locals tooling around. Not being a total weirdo is nice. 

(Pretty Orcas)

Eastbound is as quaint as ever. Hippies were dancing in the parking lot next to Ladybug Pizza where I got slices. Well healed retirees strolled. Kids gobbled up slices at the pizza place. I rolled into Harvey's at 6:30. After numerous fails and messages to Harvey, I got his trailer operational around 7:30. Now it is 10:30 and I am going to bed.

(Arrival)

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