Into the Wind & Wind at your back

Wind in your face vs wind at your back

Biking has given me the opportunity to think about life's lessons. As we pedal along against the wind, it is easy to feel frustrated. It is tough and seems to be more effort than it's worth. Why am I out here? Life's often undesirable times, like biking in adverse conditions can teach us tenacity and perseverance. Faith is my go to in times like these. We know that life will have its challenges, stresses, hurt feelings, and  unpleasant moments. Biking into the wind reminds me of those times. Luckily, we can remind ourselves that they won't last forever. We know we just have to stick it out and we'll come through. Sometimes, when it doesn't seem like it can get any worse, it does. In biking, that could be a rough highway or a bike issue. Life can throw a second curve ball as well.

Aah, but then we come to the turning point. When we make that slight deviation in our direction and we find that "it's all better now". It's the most splendid feeling. I made it through the tough. All of a sudden, biking is super fun again! In life, the change usually doesn't come so quickly as turning a corner, but still, when you realize you made it, and things are on the upswing, it's a relief beyond words. Often, we think, well that wasn't so bad after all. It's that thought process that can help you hang in there the next time, for we know there will be next time.

Biking and life. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. That quote is on a mug that a friend gave me. True words. There is a lot to keep in balance in life, including faith, family, marriage, work, friends, obligations, exercise, self, and more. We just do our best and keep pedaling.

Washington Trip 2018

This trip marked the beginning of traveling as empty nesters. It was our first trip with no kids. I loved that we were both “in the moment” on this trip, neither Ron nor I had to juggle work issues, so we were focused on the daily agenda each day, where to bike, hike, and explore. This was a trip for the books. We both agree that it exceeded our expectations in every day. What an adventure it was….

We started out a little rocky Friday, with some flight delays in Sioux Falls, after having delivered one last group of busses that morning. As it turned out we finally arrived at SeaTac Airport about 1:30. By the time we were settled in our nearby hotel, it was two o’clock and we had reservations for a shuttle bus to Anacortes at six. So we didn’t get too comfy in the room, we “dozed” fully clothed on the bed. It all turned out fine, as we arrived at the ferry terminal in time for the 8:30 departure, and were on San Juan by 10am. Our hotel, Orcas Inn, let us check in way early. We were on foot and made our way several blocks toting luggage. We explored a Farmer’s Market, I tried my first grilled oysters, and worked our way back to the motel for a nap by noon. Refreshed and ready to explore later in the afternoon, we found a church nearby, St. Francis, and visited with a fellow from Seattle who flew over for the day who was also milling around a little museum area by the church. We had some great fish and chips and a cold beer overlooking the harbor. It was a beautiful night, and it was fun to sit and watch the boat activity.

Sunday I woke up for my first run on the island and had a nice 3 miler. We packed up and walked to our bike shop, Crystal Seas Kayaking where we met up with Ike and Emily our guides. The other two couples in our group were kayaking, so it was just Ron and I with Ike. We took a nice 18 mile ride around the island and made several stops including Egg Lake and the San Juan Vineyard winery. Jackson Beach was our lunch stop, and also gave us our first real view of the ocean. Ike laid out a great lunch of fresh bread, cheese, fruit, with a tablecloth, glass plates and real silverware which would be the daily routine. We finished up mid afternoon and arrived at Tucker House Inn, which would be home for four nights. This quaint B & B was perfect. Our room had a Jacuzzi and each day we found fresh cookies on the table. For supper we met our fellow bikers, Jim and Leslie from Vermont and Rob and Megan from Colorado. All happened to be bikers and runners, so we had several conversations about upcoming events. Each person made a point to visit with one another and by the end of the week, we felt connected. Ike and Emily, our twenty-somethings guides were also a couple, and they were well versed on island nature, ecosystems, culture, and history. They always had little tidbits of info about the islands. We ate at Backdoor Kitchen, and I had my second grilled oysters. Truth be told, Ron has been right all along, they really are a treat. We each ordered off the menu and dessert was always encouraged.

           

Monday we woke to our first breakfast which was an egg corn cake, but the best was their homemade granola with fruit and yogurt. Day two biking and logged 25 miles, and had more interesting stops, and every time we got off the bikes Ike & Emily brought out the snacks, dried mangoes, granola bites, and almonds. One of them rode with us and the other drove the van, so anytime someone wanted a lift up a hill, it was slick to put the bike on the rack and easily transport to the top. American Camp is a historic military post which was occupied in the 1800’s during which time Britain and the US were determining who would claim the islands. We know how that turned out. There were great vistas to look out over the water. False Bay was another beautiful beach.  Our lunch was salmon, greens and salad with fresh baked bread. We had our first bikes over the head photo opp. When we were done biking, Ike gave us a bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers to tide us over until supper. We could shower, relax a bit at Tucker House. Tonight’s meal was at Coho Restaurant, which featured some great beef, octopus and wonderful sorbet dessert.

Tuesday’s ride was 30 miles and we hit some of San Juan’s highlights, an alpaca farm, lavender farm, Lime Kiln State Park and Lighthouse, Roache Harbor, and the best of all Wescott Bay Oysters, where they “grew and harvested fresh oysters. There was an outdoor eating area and was the perfect atmosphere. This marked my third oyster encounter, though this was the first raw experience. Rob was insisting that since Ron was a good sport about coming on this whole bike tour when it’s really more my thing, I was on the hook to at least try oysters, definitely Ron’s thing. I took Ron’s advice and swallowed it whole which was which was basically was like a big gulp of salt water. I don’t need to do that again. We  had a super day. It seems like as we come around each new bend, there is more to see and be in awe over. We go from ocean views to shaded forests with huge Douglas Firs. Roache Harbor is a very high end elite spot on the island, and it was fun to walk around among the wealth. We had a great lunch in a sculpture park near Roach Harbor. Ike made his famous Greek Salad with pasta, veggies, and wonderful sweet potatoe crackers. We four runners opted for a Brick Workout and Rob led Leslie, Megan & I on a 4 mile run after our ride. It felt great to squeeze in a run also. We sat on the Tucker House deck and enjoyed a snack. Supper was Friday Harbor House and it was another special dining experience. I had a beef dinner with brussel sprouts.

Day four we had a day off the bikes and spent the morning in Snug Cove on a sea kayakaing adventure. Luckily the waters were calm as Ron & I were admittedly a bit nervous at the remote chance of tipping. Ike reassured us of the “Hail Mary” rope which was in place to help us out of the kayak skirting which basically snaps you into the kayak. All was fine and we watched a few eagles and had a great smooth ride. We ate a lunch of pitas and salad with some great lemon cookies back at the tour shop on their back patio. The afternoon was spent on a whale watching boat which was a success. We saw the resident Orca pods and had many view of them. Sea lions perched on their favorite rock was a fun site also. We were on our own tonight for supper and we sat outside at the Crab House. It was a fun atmosphere again. This was our last night on San Juan, it was time to ferry to Orcas Island.

Thursday we boarded the ferry and rode on Orcas Island. We stopped at the best pottery shop I’ve ever seen. There was a tree lined road leading to this shop which must have been exactly what Hansel & Gretel experienced. There were several little cabins loaded with colorful pottery. A tree house any child would have loved, and lots of gift items. Though highly tempted, we didn’t make any purchases. The Moran State Park boasts Mt Constitution, the highest peak on the islands. We had a major climb of 2000 feet over several miles. It was about a 45 minutes ride. This definitely earned us a bike over the head shot. Leslie & I chose to coast down which required a lot of braking. Felt like a kid and no spills.Our accommodations was at the Turtleback Inn. There was a clawfoot bathtub which I felt was too good to pass up. Wonderful to soak away the climbing muscles. We had the best meal ever at Chef’s Tasting at Inn at Ship Bay. We had a seven course meal with little servings of the most well presented food ever. Just enough to give you a taste, then wait a bit for the next course. A find dining experience & it again ending with dessert to relish. IN the morning we took a short hike up a nature area, and then on the Lopez to ride that island.

Friday ferry to Anacortes, where we bid farewell to our new biking friends. We hat to hoof it up a long hill to our hotel. We had time to chill a bit before  Tina & Chris Schoeppe picked us up for an evening. We ate at fish place and had a great visit. We toured the town just a bit and took a walk along the bridge Deception Pass. We walked down to the water and enjoyed a perfect sunset. We stopped for a beverage and more time to visit. Was so wonderful to spend a bit of time with Chris & Tina.

On Saturday morning,  Joyce picked us up and chauffered us  to Wenatchee. So much chatter & smiling! So great to be in her stomping grounds. When she mentioned she was going to stop at the “coop”, we both thought she meant to fuel up her vehicle – nope Coop is the natural whole goods food stop. Chuckle. Nice drive across the mountains and into Cashmere. We got settled in at Flowery Divide Rd, and Bob arrived home soon after. We took a little walk down the “canal” which is the local waterway for fruit orchards.

Sunday we went to Mass just down the road, had a great breakfast at home, and made a plan for a short hike. Joyce &  Bob can both identify so many wildflowers and trees. We had a great pizza supper and enjoyed a beverage. We taught Bob about Bud Light Lime, tomato juice & pickles. Reluctant at first, but didn’t take long to make a believer out of him! Joyce will stick to wine. We made the plan for Monday, which would be a mighty hike to Colchuck Lake, one of Joyce’s favs. We took our cold pizza for our lunch at the peak. It was strenuous at times, but the view at the top was magnificent! We came back & she & I both went to the local pool to swim laps to work out the kinks. We ate a great meal and visited on the back patio.

Tuesday we began a road trip to Twisp & Winthrop, WA, both country western towns. We ate on a deck of a fun little restaurant in Winthrop. She has a friend who loaned us her house for a few nights. It was a great place to take a walk / run. On the 4^th of July, Twisp had a local bike festival, with a live band. There were all sorts of cool bike exhibits and crafts. It was relaxing just to sit and soak it all in. We also had a scenic ride to mt peak. Again, views were a feast!  On Thursday, we  drove home and stopped at river to cool off. Bob was all in, but the rest of us did the wading thing. Friday, Bob arranged for a  tour of cherry processing plant,  Blue Bird, which was very interesting. Lots of automation, but still many hands on the job also. We had lunch at their favorite Mexican local diner. So much great food everywhere and all the time.

Saturday we had a nice long boat ride to Lake Chelan, which took us to Stehekin, a town only accessible by water. We had a nice hike and watched the various back packers come in for restocking. What a feat to maneuver the Pacific Coast Trail. The ride was very pleasant. Bob cooked Sockeye Salmon with our fab spinach salad for our last meal together. I was most pleasantly surprised at the deliciousness of the salmon.

Sunday, we made it Mass again. Joyce arranged for us to take a shuttle into Seattle.  There were some traffic delays, but we had a night to stay before our early morning flight out. Our flights back home were delayed, but we did make it by about 9. What a wonderful time we had. Blessed we are to have the opportunity to travel.  We made it all safe and sound. Great adventure with so many different parts to enjoy. Where to next?