Friday, July 31, 2015

Day 1: ¡Adelante!

 
Today's Route: Bellingham to Fort Ebey state park 
Distance:  61.8 miles
Wildlife sightings:  deer, bald eagles, Canadian geese  
Finally got to start pedaling today.  After passing out immediately upon hitting the pillow last night, I was up early and on the road by 6.  Got a chance to see downtown Bellingham without any traffic - nice town.  And they were (apparently) happy to see me:  
 
The ride along Chuckanut drive was quiet and scenic with occasional views out to Bellingham Bay:  
 
While taking break right before riding on the Padilla Bay Trail, I met a nice couple who lived nearby and told me all about the area.  Including the location of a large rookery (?) of Blue Heron.  He said he has counted as many as 200!
 
Next, was a busy section of HWY 20 that made it hard to enjoy the scenery. I did manage to get a photo going over Fidalgo Bay:  
 
After crossing Deception Pass, I met my first touring cyclists on the trip.  They were from Toronto and had started riding in Vancouver -  heading down the coast with an ultimate goal of San Francisco.
The rest of the day I had a great view of the Strait of San Juan De Fuca including this lunch stop:  
A bit of an uphill grind to get my campsite for the night (fort Ebey State Park), but the views are outstanding!
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10 comments:

  1. PMJuly 31, 2015 at 3:51 PM

    Congrats dude! Must feel good to have day one behind you! Sounds like things went pretty well after you left Marge at Union Station!
    ¡Adelante!
    Hey just FYI, the dates seems to be coming across wrong on your post. Todays post shows a date of 7/25. Not sure if that's a tired cyclist issue or a website issue!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PMJuly 31, 2015 at 3:52 PM

    And now the date is fine!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ron NortonJuly 31, 2015 at 5:55 PM

    Thanks man! Yeah, the iPhone Blogger app leaves plenty be desired.... I finally had to go to the web version to sort it out. Plus, I'm no tech wizard!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 31, 2015 at 6:38 PM

    So Cool ! We are jealous and sad that we can t even offer you a beer and a bed ! We found a place in Seattle so you ll have to come back. Enjoy every single minute of your trip
    Sandy and Loic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ron NortonAugust 1, 2015 at 5:57 PM

      Thanks guys! You picked a great area to live in

      Delete
  5. JeffJuly 31, 2015 at 7:04 PM

    Glad you had a successful first day! Enjoy the views from the campsite, looks like a beauty. Hope your rig is working well.

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    Replies
    1. Ron NortonAugust 1, 2015 at 5:59 PM

      Thanks Jeff! Rig is holding up well - been on a surprising amount of unpaved road and no parts have fallen off..... Yet

      Delete
  6. PhyllisAugust 1, 2015 at 10:59 AM

    Wow! The scenery looks amazing. It is so different from your usual desert views. Must be nice to ride in the cooler climate. Looking forward to hearing about your trip :)

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    Replies
    1. Ron NortonAugust 1, 2015 at 6:02 PM

      Thanks Phyllis! The green is a nice change :)

      Delete
  7. SarahAugust 2, 2015 at 9:23 PM

    How fun that your journey has* finally* begin. Have a great time! I'm looking forward to following along. :)

    ReplyDelete

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