Islands

Day 3: Anacortes WA to Lopez Island WA. Woke up to fog (and the Blaus). Our route seems meant to be broken with the San Juan islands quietly breathing in and out a short ferry ride away. We abandoned our southern route and hopped the boat. Camped on Spencer Spit, near to a mother-daughter biking duo and a dozen teenagers who'd kayaked in. They were so tired that they were falling asleep under the stars an hour before there were any stars.

Lopez Island, WA

Food

Day Two: Birch Bay WA to Anacortes WA. Unclear whether this is a bicycling trip or a gourmet food tour. Slept under the stars at our friend Karl Blau's house. Earlier we ate his family's oysters at Adrift. Before that, bread-type things from Breadfarm in Bow. Breakfast by La Vie en Rose (owner is a biker and adventurist who dished out camping tips for the san juans along with his delicious food) in Bellingham. Sign of the day: Future Home of the Fairhaven Center for Self-Reliance: Please Donate. Cascades poked up, snow-covered in the distance, as reminders of colder times. Our bike route incorporated 3 long local off-road trails. Someone hi-five the anacortes city council for the Tommy Thompson trail.

Nearing Anacortes

Fidalgo Bay

Chuckanut Ridge Drive

Under Limit

Day One: Vancouver Chinatown to Birch Bay WA. Our embarking day was full of urban map-reading, bicycle adjustments, the procuring of a steel flask (difficult because it's no longer drinking season in Canada), navigation of complicated but pleasant city bikepaths, and frequent water breaks to get outta the blazing 95 degree weather. So the sun was already dipping as we crossed the border back into the USA. There was such light traffic at the immigration turnstiles that we just pedaled right up to them. A nice mustached patrolman sent us towards a more appropriate separate building with a desk and a bike rack. Just over the border, a grand peace arch monument celebrates the century that there was no US-Canada border - 1814 to 1914. Past that, helicopters swooped about and idle cranes marked the construction site of what apparently is a new and improved border fortress. It's a new age at the 49th parallel. If I were a bolder photographer I would have asked to take a portrait of the beautifully dressed Indian family that sat at a picnic table in peace park and served, for us, as the first faces of America. They sat in silence but issued warm waves as we passed. Blaine WA supplied our dinner ingredients. Micki at the Birch Bay Horizon camp hostel supplied our bed. The kids at the camp supplied our morning wakeup call. Tomorrow, I'll put on gloves. My hands are my only sore spot and plus, it'll give me something to do while ilana is putting on hers.

Untitled

Heat Wave

We've been told that it's been this hot in Vancouver three times in the last 100 years. Last night it seemed that at least half of all vancouverites ky were in English bay up to their chests in cool salt water. There are plenty of freaks in this town and the heat seems to be stirring them, and everyone else, right up into a summer frenzy. Best frontier breakfast with homemade toast: Cambie general store & bakery. Friendliest bicycle shop on broadway in vancouver: Bike Doctor. We begin pedaling south.

Communist Canada

Beautiful British Columbia

British Columbians are wonderful so long as you don't meet them after night falls. We arrived safe and sound after a two hour flight along the waning sunset. (Note: Do take flights along the west coast at sunset.) A minivan cab took us to our little hotel in what we'll call a colorful neighborhood. We did fine til the night manager asked us to switch to a third room - this at midnight with our bike boxes etc. It turned into a bit of an adventure with threats of cop calling, feet in doorways etc but ended anticlimatically with Todd and I getting a great night's sleep in room number two. The sun rose with a fierceness this morning and we got to work building our bikes back up. Main adventure here involved the bike man in Danville having put the wrong axel into our bike box. This allowed me a great chance to pedal through morning Vancouver though, looking for a bike shop that would exchange axels. It's now early afternoon and we're finally getting to our morning coffee and an exploration of the city - which by the way seems to have a lot of strung out, scantily clad womenfolk. Signing off for now.

Reconstructionism

somewhere high over 101

SFO

Sunday night

Leaving for Vancouver tomorrow. Our trip has a name and an acronym and we haven't started yet. Should I be excited or intimidated? Our practice ride with gear was just fine, and my bike took the 50 pound bonus like a champ. See you in Canada, dear blog.

Hello. With a bit of luck, this blog will share little tidbits from The Epic Bike Trip. I've never blogged before and Todd is on the plane on his way out here so I can't tell you if he has. But heck, we may figure it out. I'll throw a photo up now as a test (nothing to do with TEBT).