Post Treatment Tour D8 Fort Every to Home

(Rainy ride back)



I was pleasantly surprised the rain which was threatening since 1am had held off. When I woke 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 different. I ground out the miles to Langley. I passed a house with a phone booth with a flying pig inside and pondered the meaning.
(Pigs with Wings Phone Booth)

I discovery Freeland is pretty built out which explains why the big grocery is there. I took an unnecessary turn onto Highway 20 before getting back on track. I headed up the little peninsula that separates Beverly Beach from Langley. I knew there'd be hills, but there were hills! Shortly after I turned onto E Goss Lake Road I saw one of the saddest and most darkly funny things of the trip: a squirrel had be run over, squished, and then, the ultimate indignity, painted over with a white line by the road crew. I took a picture, but deleted it. It was exploiting the poor animal.
(Rainy roads)

Several Hills later I was in Langley. I went first to Salty Sea Coffee. As with Crabby Coffee, there was no latte art. Standards are declining. The warm drink was beautiful to my cold, wrinkled hands. The rubber gloves had gotten my hands wet from the inside. The folks working at Salty Sea told me I could get a deli sandwich to go a the market. Before I wandered over, I took a selfie with the Orca cutout where I took Hisako's picture a couple of weeks before.
(Orca selfie)

I got a sandwich, chips, and a banana and ate in the little park across the street. Langley tourists are seasoned city dwellers. No one asked about my loaded bike. I eavesdropped. It was like I was invisible. The park has a famous statue of a boy and his dog. The dog's head is shiny from people rubbing it, but so is the boy's butt. Go figure.
(Pretty, carless shortcut to Clinton)

As I was about to leave, I saw three cyclists go by with gear. Outside of town I caught up with them as they decided which way to go. They had biked to Fort Worden for the night and were now returning to Seattle. We went the same way. Despite their faster pace uphill I kept up with these younger guys. Points! They stopped to remove layers. Still cold and damp, I kept going. Langley is only 5.5 miles from Clinton. Soon I was there. Just in time for the ferry. I hoped the trio would make it. They hadn't arrived when I boarded.
(I Made the Ferry Smile)

Underway, I saw them on the other side of the boat. Phew! It's a short ride to Mukilteo. Back on the mainland, the grind began. I started up the Speedway climb with the trio. They got ahead of me. I passed them at a bus stop. They weren't bothering with the no pretty part. I ground on. Soon a bus with three bikes on the rack passed me on the way to the Lynnwood transit center. 

I kept pedalling. Mukilteo, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Shoreline, Seattle. They blurred. It rained on and off. I was just going to make it home in time for a quick shower, eat, and zoom with Kisho. I hit a milestone when I rejoined the Interurban. Familiar places drifted by. I was home by 5:30.
(The unremarkable rejoining with the Interurban)

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