The trip has officially begun. It started with an early morning and a tough goodbye in Cody. A snowy drive brought me to Garniner where I picked up Matt and Eric, continued on to Missoula and eventually ended up in Port Angeles, WA. We came prepared for rain, but were greeted with a clear sunrise on the ferry to Victoria BC. We had an ambitious day planned with another ferry to catch, so we couldn't linger long. The ride along the Lochside Path was one of the highlights of the trip so far: beautiful town views, country paths and seaside lanes. Victoria is definitely on the list of places to return. It was dark by the time we made it to our hosts house. What a treat to be welcomed into a home, offered a bed, food and shower. The generosity and openness of strangers and family we've met in the first 4 days has been incredible.
Day two brought us through the US border, a delicious brew at Chuckanut Brewery and to our welcoming second cousin's house in Bellingham. The riding wasn't as memorable, but weather held out for a second day without rain and wind.
Day three started with an awesome cruise through mossy forests along Chuckanut Drive beofre dropping onto the flats. Sadly the weather came back with a vengeance on with high winds (not bad by Livingston, MT standards, but still pretty rough when on a bike). There was a point where we were on flat ground, in our lowest gear, and moving 4 mph. We powered through eventually turning west, which put the winds at our back, and blew into Anacortes, WA. Another amazing host with spaghetti, stories of travels around the world, and a beautiful roof over our heads.
The weather improved slightly on day four with less extreme winds and a little rain. Highlights include crossing the Deception Pass Bridge, smooth blacktop near Coupeville, WA and a saison with another second cousin at the Pourhouse. Tomorrow we head back to Port Angeles where we hope to find some fishible water. Fingers crossed.
