Wes Malinchock

Today felt like a day one all over again. Thanks to our generous hosts, we all woke up in beds to oatmeal and coffee this morning before riding a long downhill to the bike path. We got to ride along the Pacific Coast for a few miles in the morning before the trail eventually plunged into the woods where we had some short, steep climbs and bridges over some beautiful streams.

The trail has actually been extended since the maps we use were drawn, and we got to stay off the main road for longer than I expected which was nice because it put us out of the logging trucks' way. These bike trails have been amazing for us, because they don’t tend to be very steep and allow us to not worry about traffic. I'm sure we will miss them in the coming days that take us on busier roads.

Really are gonna miss these bike trails…

When the cycling trail eventually ended we only had to ride the main road for a little bit before turning on to highway 20, the road we will ride for the next few days through the cascades and to the Idaho border. Today we rode it to Port Townsend over some bigger and steeper hills than we saw yesterday. As I was starting to get sick of the climbing we caught another bike trail that took us on an easy descent into town.

In Port Townsend we caught a ferry off the peninsula and onto Whidbey Island. When we got off the ferry it was only 4 miles into the small town of Coupeville. In town we went to the town hall to ask about staying in a town park for the night, but were told that there was no camping allowed in town parks in any towns here on the island. Instead, the person we met there offered to let us camp in their yard just outside of town!

I was part of a group of twelve boy scouts in 2013 that rode from Maryland to Oregon, and being part of a three person group this time around has been a very different experience. We are much more agile than a larger group and we can move from place to place more efficiently. So far I have been shocked by how easy it is for us to stop for a quick lunch and get rolling again. Even though it is only day two and I am suspicious that we may be getting lucky, it seems like people are more willing to host us at their houses. However, it may just be that we are a group of three young adults, not the twelve rowdy sixteen year olds I rode with in 2013. Finding places to stay was one of my bigger worries for this trip, but so far we have been blessed with generous hosts and great spots to crash. I can only hope that this continues to be the norm, I was not such a happy camper after my second day the last time I did this.