by Liz
Day’s mileage : 51
Running total : 102
This morning the first half of my book was jettisoned along with the big box of out of date biscuits (delicious, now moved to a smaller tub) and three big bags we used on the journey over. We successfully made space in our panniers so now we can shop en route to our accommodation each day, because once we arrive we don’t feel in the least like going out to find food. We felt much better for the lighter loads.
We cycled through an astonishing variety of landscapes today. Fields of livestock and crops, forest, mountains, bays, lakes and lagoons, mud flats, hump-backed islands, small towns, rivers, the amazing Deception Pass Bridge, rural communities and the Swinomish Indian reservation. We passed old Dutch barns, a bald eagle, bright orange poppies, a big hairy caterpillar, a bright yellow bird like a canary and even some other cyclists – a rarity.
Since we arrived I’ve noticed many, many floppy-top pine trees – see photo. Tall and slim, I wonder what they are, if they’re a native variety, and why they evolved like that.
The highlight of the day was cycling all the way around Oak Harbour and Penn Cove, sapphire and literally sparkling in the late afternoon sun, miles of it all the way to Coupeville. The other best part of the day was finding our accommodation for the night is a beautiful cabin in the woods, incredibly peaceful, with a wood burner and bird life all around. It’s dusk now and we’re looking out at silhouettes of floppy-top pines against a darkening sky. A fabulous day without a doubt. And fresh peaches and ice cream still to come.
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