Village Clinic Ride: Days 1-4 “Good Cyclists Embrace Pain”
Day 1: Blaine Wa. to Anacortes Wa.
We set out on the edge of the US-Canadian border in the town of Blaine, Washington. Reports of rain and a headwind had us slightly concerned, but those concerns turned out to be misplaced (at first). The sky was overcast and the temperatures were a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit, perfect for cycling. We navigated on backroads that weaved through industrial areas and rural landscapes with minimal traffic. It was a beautiful start to our journey down the coast.
This is what I carry while biking. The Life Seasons supplement “Relieve-R” helps reduce the soreness in my body during and after riding my bike all day.
The rains started around noon. We put our rain gear on and, luckily, soon we found a series of gravel cycling trails that were sheltered by heavy tree cover. The landscape was lush with greenery, and we weaved through forest trails that were sheltered from the rain and the wind. It was great, exactly what you picture when thinking about riding in coastal Washington state.
But eventually the forest trails came to an end and we ended up navigating open farm country. The views were beautiful, but the winds were not. We faced a headwind for twenty miles, and along with driving rain and fatigue, the ride became progressively harder and harder. But cycling involves pain, and like good cyclists, we embraced it. Overall, it was a tough day, but also a really satisfying journey.
Day 2: San Juan Island
Considering the difficulty of day 1, we wanted an easier second day. So we caught the hour-long ferry to San Juan Island. The Pacific coast cycling guides emphasize the virtues of San Juan Island, and for good reason: the island is beautiful and eclectic. From various historical markers to a vibrant downtown area to an amazing sculpture garden, San Juan Island lived up to expectations. It was gorgeous. It was a sunny day full of lush scenery, with snow-capped mountains in the distance.
We kept the mileage to a minimum, doing only around half of the loop around the island. There was simply too much cool stuff for us to ride all day, so we enjoyed the scenery and the weather. It was a fantastic day, full of lovely scenes and good conversations. We came back to Anacortes near dark, totally satisfied with our side trip. It was great to slow things down and enjoy the second day of our trip down the coast. .
Day 4: Port Townsend to Belfair
Rain was in the forecast, and the forecast did not disappoint. We slogged 60 miles through heavy rain, driving rain, drizzling rain, and all possible combinations of rain in between. Our willpower was tested at times, and it was admittedly hard to appreciate the lush forests around us when getting thoroughly soaked. But we kept pedaling on got the reward of a patch of blue sky and around 5 minutes of sunlight around lunch time. We thought the storm was breaking, but it turned out to be just a short break in the storm before round two, which featured even more pelting rain.
The other challenge of the day was flat tires. We had three (one in the middle of a busy mile-long bridge), and they cost us quite a bit of momentum. We stopped at an REI in Silverdale and found some better tires (we hope).
The hard times help you appreciate the good things in life, and this was no exception. The simple act of walking into a grocery store (where they have this amazing thing called a roof) was a relief. And after pedaling all day, the hot food we ate was more savory (shout out to the Mexican restaurant Los Agaves in Belfair, WA, which was particularly good!) When we decided to cycle the northwest in May, we signed up for rain. It’s part of experience, and we tried to embrace it. We also came up with a slogan for our time here: “Soaked and Stoked!”