Saturday June 13, 2015, 213 miles (343 km) – Total so far: 8,262 miles (13,296 km)

Four days 214 miles Our first day was spent on a gentle ride from the Peace Arch south of the Canadian border through Bellingham Bay then to a beautiful state park at Bay View, WA. Andee and her brother Greg were there ahead of time and had the camp all set up and barbeque ready for burgers. They did a great job catering to us as we set up our tents for the night after a long first day.

The next day we had another great ride across the Deception Pass Bridge crossing into Whidbey Island. Our lunch spot found us devouring local clams and mussels. The afternoon ride continued along a bike route thanks to a new friend, Pat. He led us to the small cool town of Coupeville where he bought us our mid-afternoon beer. What a nice guy who also led us to our spot for the night in Langley.

Our hosts for the night were Bob and Sue. Andee knows Sue from high school days in Anaheim, CA. We were warmly welcomed into their beautiful home which is surrounded by tall trees. What a nice spot with a water view and surrounded by nature. An excellent chicken barbeque was enjoyed by all especially since we spent the day negotiating steep hills.

The next day we cycled off of Whidbey Island by ferry to Port Townsend on the Northern Peninsula then found a rail trail to Sequin Bay where we had another beautiful bayside campsite. This camping is a lot of fun with Andee setting up camp each night. Unfortunately her brother Greg had to return to Seattle. We really do miss Greg as he was a lot of fun and helpful. Andee is on her own during the day while we ride. She visits small shops, lighthouses, and libraries and does all the shopping for dinner and breakfasts. It is like we are on a supported tour although we still carry all of our stuff on the bikes. People wonder why we are loaded down with our panniers when a ride is available. We prefer carrying our load. Jocelyn’s friend Nicole has become quite the touring cyclist. Before this trip she had never cycled more than 30 miles in Florida. Now with the many hills we are averaging over 50 miles per day and Nicole is keeping up with Jocelyn while I tag along sometimes way behind.

After Sequin Bay we rode to Port Angeles on the Strait of Juan De Fuca where we enjoyed a portside lunch before our climb into the Olympic Mountains and Olympic National Park. What a grand ride among the trees past several lakes and our destination of Lake Crescent for the night. I feel like there is more oxygen in the air here and the smells are amazing.

The following day we continued riding west through the Olympic Forest to Kalaloch Campground on the Pacific Coast. We were back on the beach and loving the huge trees right on the coastline. Once again Andee scored a beautiful campsite where we marveled to the crashing surf all night. Each night we also have a camp fire something that would not happen this time of the year in Florida. It is a bit cool in the mornings but that just helps us get started strong.

Saturday morning found us up earlier than all the other campers – maybe because it was so cold on the coast. Andee made us an excellent spaghetti noodle Pho (Vietnamese soup) that fueled us to get on the road. We had a long day at 69 miles of hills and once again Andee scored us an excellent campground on the banks of the Hoquiam River. She also barbequed chicken and steak for dinner. And we had our first shower in four days! Now maybe we won’t be so spread apart while riding!