Several days behind schedule due to being incredibly social for the last few days.
I left for Seattle via a ferry from Anacortes at 6 am. By the time I was off the ferry and on the bike in earnest it was maybe about 8 am. This leg of the trip was going to be long so I wanted to get as early a start as possible. The ride started out on a bike route through some industrial areas and then disappeared at a rather long and high bridge with freeway traffic speeding along. Confused I biked to a nearby casino and asked for directions and bought a map. Turns out there is a protected bike lane on the freeway bridge. No big deal. From the bridge you could see a turnstile railway bridge over the river. Pretty cool. After the bridge the bike path ended again, and picked up on the other side of the highway. Thanks Washington DOT. So after playing a game of Frogger across 6 lanes of +55 mph traffic I was on my way. The scenery turned into a much more pleasant country road with a decent shoulder and nice views.
I left for Seattle via a ferry from Anacortes at 6 am. By the time I was off the ferry and on the bike in earnest it was maybe about 8 am. This leg of the trip was going to be long so I wanted to get as early a start as possible. The ride started out on a bike route through some industrial areas and then disappeared at a rather long and high bridge with freeway traffic speeding along. Confused I biked to a nearby casino and asked for directions and bought a map. Turns out there is a protected bike lane on the freeway bridge. No big deal. From the bridge you could see a turnstile railway bridge over the river. Pretty cool. After the bridge the bike path ended again, and picked up on the other side of the highway. Thanks Washington DOT. So after playing a game of Frogger across 6 lanes of +55 mph traffic I was on my way. The scenery turned into a much more pleasant country road with a decent shoulder and nice views.
This trip was to be primarily on bike paths which I was excited about. The first path was the Centennial Trail which picked up off of highway 9. I blew past a sign for the trail with a small, unused single track trail running into the forest. I took one look and kept riding the highway, not liking the idea of bouncing along with road tires and laden with gear. Turns out it was a wise choice because the actual trailhead was a few miles down the way. The bike path was nice and wide and I had the pleasure of seeing the occasional horse. I had bought some apples from the local store on Lopez and I decided to eat an apple while I rode. Not paying attention to what I was eating, I looked down when I realized it tasted funny, and saw that most of the core was rotten. This would be the start of a streak of food mishaps which lasted a week and at this point is still going on.
From the Centennial Trail I got onto the Sammamish Trail and after that the Burke-Gilden on into Seattle. I logged over 100 miles in 10 hours and it was exhausting. My knees were bothering me, but what was really giving me some trouble was my saddle. My sit bones were screaming at me, and I literally was screaming even with a chammois. The last 4 hours of the ride all I could think of was buying a new saddle when I got to Seattle. I arrived in Seattle at around 8 pm. A full 12 hours on the road and 10 hrs in the saddle. Hopefully this doesn't happen again.
Once I got to Seattle I was put up by the lovely Jessie and Nick and ALL their pets.
Once I got to Seattle I was put up by the lovely Jessie and Nick and ALL their pets.
That is Wilbur helping himself to kibble, Winston helping himself to my body heat, and Schmoo looking adorable. True fact, Schmoo was on the kill list at the shelter. Lookit that face?! How could you euthanize that face?! Anyhow, I have no photos of Jessie and Nick, which honestly doesn't surprise me but that doesn't mean that they aren't awesome. I spent quite a bit of time in Seattle hanging with Jessie, my friend Jamylyn and catching up with other friends, most notably my good friend Tarrah who I haven't seen in years. I also did a little bit of exploring since I hadn't really checked out this area. I headed to Pike Market which was terrifyingly filled with tourists, looked at nasty gum walls, art, and then decommissioned industrial equipment.
In my sleep deprived state i forgot to mention that I also hung out with friends Jill and Leon from Tacoma and went for a lovely stroll in Deception Park. I actually can't remember what its called right now. Too tired. Deception Point? Anywho, I was really impressed with Jill and Leon's house in Tacoma. So much space! They have a 2 car garage which they converted into a workshop and knife fight court! Knifefights are a version of 1 on 1 bike polo. Oh and chickens. Leon had also converted this pop up shed in the back yard into a sauna and cold bath. Very cool.
At Gas Works Park I went to find the spot that my brother fell into the Puget Sound at years ago. He and I were on a skate tour with some friends and while consuming adult beverages on the grass my brother misjudged the distance and ended up falling into the water. This is before he knew how to swim really, and a friend had to jump in and pull him out. I walked around trying to remember where exactly we were and came across this sign. It explains so much. Just kidding. Love you bro.
The next stop on the trip was Portland. I have a lot of friends and people I consider family here so I was looking into packing as much time into the few days here as possible. The first day in town I spent with my good friend Steve who I met in Monterey and we became friends because he was the only person that came into the cafe where I worked and would read. After hours of catching up and reconnecting I went to bed excited to catch up with other friends. And then I got an emotional bomb dropped on me and I ended up not leaving the house where I was staying for a whole day. I had a death in the family recently and my Dad was having a hard time with some news that we just became privy to and I really just wanted to be home hanging out with him and my brother. Instead I did computer work and watched horror films and made plans to surround myself with the awesome people I love in Portland.
Queue the mass amounts of pictures of me with children. The two girls are Tieler and Ainsley and they are the daughters of my good friends Scott and Emily. Emily is one of my closest friends I love the to of them and their girls very dearly. When they moved to Portland I actually contemplated moving as well to be able to stay in touch easier. This is also where my gluttony began. Portland has by far the best food options for conscientious eaters out of the major cities I've visited. Granted I wasn't looking too hard in Vancouver because I wasn't eating out as much, but still... A small list of food items consumed in Portland include cheesecake, chicken fried steak and gravy, apple pie, Mexican food, Thai food, pastries, and Chinese. And yet, I still felt ravenously hungry most of the time.
Queue the mass amounts of pictures of me with children. The two girls are Tieler and Ainsley and they are the daughters of my good friends Scott and Emily. Emily is one of my closest friends I love the to of them and their girls very dearly. When they moved to Portland I actually contemplated moving as well to be able to stay in touch easier. This is also where my gluttony began. Portland has by far the best food options for conscientious eaters out of the major cities I've visited. Granted I wasn't looking too hard in Vancouver because I wasn't eating out as much, but still... A small list of food items consumed in Portland include cheesecake, chicken fried steak and gravy, apple pie, Mexican food, Thai food, pastries, and Chinese. And yet, I still felt ravenously hungry most of the time.
The little nugget is my friend Jennifer and Kenneth's baby boy Everett. He's a little ham for the camera, loves Taylor Swift (starts dancing), and has an easy smile. Cute kid for sure.
Today I head South to Pacific City to stay with an old friend from college Mary and her husband. I haven't seen them for quite some time so it will be nice to catch up. The weather isn't looking too friendly, but I suppose that is what I get for taking my time and hanging out with friends. I will have to say though that it was worth it. Its been really nice meeting folks and catching up with old friends. I really love Portland and can definitely see myself moving back here in the future.
I'll close with a picture of my newly rediscovered and awesome extended family. That is Mark, me, Anne, and Zach in the living room of their house on Lopez. Mark and Zach actually did the remodel for the house themselves.
Today I head South to Pacific City to stay with an old friend from college Mary and her husband. I haven't seen them for quite some time so it will be nice to catch up. The weather isn't looking too friendly, but I suppose that is what I get for taking my time and hanging out with friends. I will have to say though that it was worth it. Its been really nice meeting folks and catching up with old friends. I really love Portland and can definitely see myself moving back here in the future.
I'll close with a picture of my newly rediscovered and awesome extended family. That is Mark, me, Anne, and Zach in the living room of their house on Lopez. Mark and Zach actually did the remodel for the house themselves.