Catch Ya Later, Canada!

Day 7: McDonald Campground to Anacortes to Oak Harbor, WA

Today's Distance: 22 miles

Total Distance: 247 miles

This morning I woke up and broke down camp and took off towards Sidney, BC in order to catch the once-per-day ferry to Anacortes.  Sidney is a nice little seaside town, that felt very much like a big retirement community.  Lots of gramps and grams up early getting stuff done.  While looking for the ferry terminal, I rode by one lady who acted like I ran over her big toe the way she was startled.  I was literally 5 feet away from her and not even moving fast.  Made it to the ferry with plenty of time to spare because it was running about 40 minutes behind schedule. The officer at customs was from Chula Vista, small world!  I had my first ever Nanaimo bar at breakfast along with a coffee. It was recommended by a friend to try but this was my first chance and my last opportunity to actually try one while in Canada.  Dessert for breakfast...why not?!  Super delicious, I wish I had more while I was here.

Finally saw some other cyclists that had more gear than me...way more actually.  Front and back panniers, handlebar bags, and other random bags all over the place...looked like they were riding one big bag.  I can't even imagine going up a hill with all that.  I overheard one guy explaining that he's riding down to SD, then flying down to Ushuaia, Argentina (southernmost city in the world), and then riding up to Peru over the next 2 years. Crazy!  On the ferry ride over to Anacortes I got to see some beautiful, foggy views of the San Juan Islands.  The ferry ride actually took a lot longer than I was expecting, so I chatted with some of the crew and answered questions about where I was headed.  Some people look amazed when I say, "I'm riding back home to San Diego", but others just look confused like, "Why would you go and do something like that?"  Either way, I'm starting to like interacting with people more again.  I've felt so introverted the past year, it's nice to actually want to connect with new people.  Yay for progress. I did start to feel really anxious once I realized how long this ferry ride was taking though. I start my days with a destination in mind but I don't really think through how long it's going to take me to get there. I start to realize there's no way I'm gonna make it to Port Townsend tonight, so I researched my other options until slowly the anxiety goes away.  It also helped that there was a chocolate lab puppy on board that I went to pet a few different times.

Sidney, BC

San Juan Islands

I was greeted by the mayor on my arrival in Anacortes...just kidding, I was greeted by really steep hills. Despite the long, steep hills, it was a beautiful ride through Skagit county with the water to my right. I started running through all the good things about today to keep my mind positive: nice roads, no ibuprofen, knee feels good...  The real highlight of the day was Deception Pass. Beautiful sight to see and I nerded out by learning all about the history of the bridge, how it got its name, etc.

Marine Wye are you so steep Dr. 

Because the ferry took so long, I only had about 2hrs of light so tonight's stop was in Oak Harbor.  On the way there I had to duck out of the way of low flying jets at Ault Field.  And I noticed that I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with going downhill.  I'm no speed demon, but I'll even hit a tuck every once in awhile to keep the wind from slowing me down.  No campsite so I had to motel it tonight.  Laid on the good ol' lagao charm and ended up getting a full on apartment for the same price of a single room.  I didn't really need a full size fridge or a 2nd room, but it was nice to be able to watch the Thursday Night Football game in a living room and to finally actually was my clothes properly!

A giant Doug!

What did I learn today?

•Sometimes circumstances out of your control change your plans.  Take a deep breath, choose new plans, and enjoy the ride.