After a 3-year hiatus, John and I were eager to get back into overnight bike touring. We both have spent enough time in the saddle that we felt prepared for anything. Our first time out in 2014, we had big plans: a 2-nighter on the peninsula. The first stop in Port Townsend went well. Even though we were running late after some last minute packing and gear adjustments, we arrived at John’s parents generally on schedule. We had dinner and a warm bed while we obsessed over the radar and weather forecast.
The plan for day 2 was to head to Scenic Beach State Park, near Seabeck. We hadn’t ridden this route before, but the map indicated a few bail out options if the rain got too daunting. The route was hard! The rolling hills were tough enough on their own, but the headwind and cold rain took their toll. We stuck with it until the final bailout point near Silverdale. Believe it or not, it was so hard to stand on the corner of a rainy intersection deciding what to do. The weather was miserable, but we got so far. I felt like such a quitter, but camping was not going to be fun. We had to regroup in a Taco Time to figure out how exactly to get back to the Bremerton ferry terminal. Fast food and iPhones was not really what I had in mind for a bike camping trip, but thank goodness for both of those modern comforts.
While waiting for the ferry we ran into another bike touring pair on a tandem. Their weekend was full of misadventures, including a failed attempt to camp at the same park we planned to go to. I no longer felt like a failure, and was reminded that sometimes things just don’t work out. We got in over 100 miles, fully loaded, and that is still impressive!
Loaded bikes on the ferry
One of many gas station meals in the glamorous sport of bike touring
Sad wet bikes locked to some pipes outside of Taco Time
The rain subsided a bit for a photo at this park on Dyes Inlet
The weather was so gross not even cars were taking the ferry
Finally a smile with a Red Hook and promises of pizza when we got home
Reba On Tour 