Stardate 2016.740

The Deception Pass Classic
Day One's ride sped off to a good start. Our route took us to the port of Anacortes on Fidalgo Island. Then we rolled south toward Deception Pass and Whidbey Island for lunch. The return to Mount Vernon was a different, albeit scenic coastal route. I like riding on the coast. However, sometimes I feel like there's too much air. Maybe it's because I live at 5,700 feet, I don't know. (Yes, you can roll your eyes!) I seem to ride rather sluggishly at sea level.

The overcast skies released an occasional droplet of water and kept things on the cool side. Ambient coastal conditions also helped with Fahrenheit control. Below is one of Day One's morning views north while en-route to the port at Anacortes, Fidalgo Island.




Another morning view south while heading to Fidalgo Island and Anacortes.




I'm pretty sure this is the Swinomish Channel, which is the eastern separation of Fidalgo Island with the mainland.




It's time for breakfast! Thanks, volunteers and Swinomish Tribe.



The bike route crossed a portion of Fidalgo Bay. The bridge is about 0.5 mile long and not very high above the water. I'd like to see what it looks like at high tide. A volunteer was sweeping broken shells off the path to mitigate any potential tire punctures.




The eastern San Juan Islands come into view.



The only picture I took of Deception Pass during the ride. It was a madhouse of bikes and traffic. Vehicles were stopped by state troopers to allow large groupings of bikes to safely cross the narrow bridges. For context, the opening blog photo is of Deception Pass and was taken in 2014.




What's for lunch? How about roasted chicken, sticky rice and salad? Mmmm... Good stuff, Maynard!




There's something about being in a temperate rain forest. The wet season is right around the corner.



This is probably some sort of wood-products mill. I was too lazy to pedal over and see for myself. There's a very tall reason this area is a global logging center.




My final stop for Day One was again along the Swinomish Channel at the Swinomish Tribal Center.




Stay tuned. More Northwest to come.

Adios