Post Treatment Tour D1 Home to Bay View State Park


(Padilla Bay Nature Trail)



Leaving from home under your own power makes up in gratification what it misses in novelty. I was happy Gavin could accompany me to Everett. I had planned to try a new road part of the way, but decided the Interurban was the better choice even if more familiar. We could ride side by side and chat the entire way.

We ended the ride together at Choux Choux Bakery on Grand. Gavin, despite not spending a lot (unlike me) on coffee and baked goods, got two pastries. After about half and hour, I got antsy to be on the road knowing I still had fifty miles to cover. As a parting gift he gave me his hummus sandwich for my lunch since he was taking the bus back. Thanks Gavin. As a bonus, it was made with his home baked bread! It was delicious.

After that it was off into the unknown (for a couple of miles). I rode Grand which includes a beautiful park overlooking Puget Sound and stately homes as well as some less stately homes before the views start. Soon it was over the bridge where three years ago, Harvey and I rode out on the way to Orcas. As I approached the bridge, I failed to notice a broken upturned bottle neck. I rolled right over it. I thought I heard air. I stopped as soon as it was safe. My rear tire had a 1/4" slice, but there was no air escaping nor sealant on the outside. Was that from the bottle? The tire seemed a bit low. I added air and hoped it would hold. 

(The 529 Trestle Bridge)

The trestle bridge on 529 has wood planks as decking. They thumped, thumped, thumped under my wheels as traffic roared by just on the other side of the barrier. The air in the tire held. Phew! I hate changing tires. 

On the Marysville side, I got a pleasant surprise. Brand new bike infarstructure had been added making the connection to the roads on this side much safer. Thanks WSDOT!

Marine View Drive through the Tulalip Reservation is a misnomer. There's no marine view. It's a busy road, especially the southern end, but there's bike lane then a decent shoulder. It would be a nice ride through the forest except for the cars. A bright spot was an amazing carving on a native dancer in what I think is a raven mask.

(Tulalip Dancer)

Eventually, I made it through the reservation. North of it, the coast is dotted with private beach communities of which Warm Beach is the biggest. There's even a senior community. We could live there. (Um, no). 

After Warm Beach, the Skagit Delta starts. Here the farms begin. The road narrowed. I lost my shoulders. Luckily the traffic thinned too. I was in Stanwood by 1:00. I stopped for a lunch break at a very pink cupcake shop on the tiny main drag. It has shops and restaurants but has not given in to gentrification. I don't know how they do that. The woman who ran the place was very nice and let me eat Gavin's sandwich outside. She said most of the time people just sit there without asking or buying anything. 

(Lunch in  Stanwood)

I used the Pioneer Highway to head north. I remembered it as kind of scary from my trip with Harvey. It was busy, but the shoulders were generous and I felt safe. 40 minutes later and I was in Conway. Now I was really in the Skagit country. I found a great biking road and avoided the busy Fir Island Road. Except for the uncomfortable bridge over the North Fork of the Skagit, I had pleasant rambling through the farm fields. Many people are growing dahlias. I wonder if they are growing them to sell the bulbs. Many fields were fallow and unworked. Is this because they are letting the soil rest or have the farms been abandoned?

(Dahlias)

(Quiet roads)

I had another short break in La Conner then it was the final push. The trip north was quick and pleasant. On the north side of Highway 20 is a gravel path along a levee in Padilla Bay. It was the perfect way to end the long ride. I said "Hi" to the groups of walkers strolling. I made it to Bay View by 4:45 with plenty of time to set up camp and eat before our weekly Zoom call with Kisho.

(Camp at Bay View)

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