Dad at Coleman Dock

On Tuesday, unbeknownst to me, my dad tried to rejoin me for the bike ride. He called my cell a few times, but I had it off to save batteries (and may not have heard the ring in my bag over the traffic noise of Highway 101 anyhow).

He made a pretty good guess about where I’d be, and so he parked his car at Discovery Bay and biked up to Port Angeles. We must have barely missed one another. I took a detour in Port Angeles to a Taco Bell; and again near Sequim at a country store. My dad detoured a couple times off Highway 101 to the paralleling and more pleasant Old Gardiner Road. We literally must have cycled right past each other.

I got to my damp camp at Sequim Bay State Park, set-up my tent, showered, started to prepare dinner, and opened my phone to a bevy of messages from dad. The last one has him at the Aircrest Motel in Port Angeles (the same dive I had stayed at two nights earlier) about four beers into the evening. Though I would love his company and the beer, I am not going to cycle 17 plus miles back up to Port Angeles that night. So we agree to meet in the morning.

We biked together the next morning to Discovery Bay. The road conditions were lame. Narrow shoulders, high speed traffic, dampness everywhere, too loud to talk. My legs were totally shot, so I struggled to keep up with my dad. I’m hoping though, that trying to keep up was a good thing and will help expand my legs for later in the journey. All the cafes and restaurants along the way were closed. So no breakfast.

But dad did buy me a mocha at an espresso stand, and picked up a jar of extra small oysters for himself (which will be a real treat for him as long as he remembers to take them out of the car as soon as he gets back to Mercer Island).

I didn’t even remember to get a photograph. So I’m posting this one from the Coleman Ferry Terminal in Seattle. It was a short ride together, but I appreciated dad’s effort and the company.

Originally uploaded by monkeychart

Sunday, August 9th (82.3 miles)

Mercer Island (my parents’ house)
Seattle
Winslow
Poulsbo
Gardiner
Sequim
Port Angeles (the Aircrest Motel)

Monday, August 10 (70.9 miles)

Port Angeles
Fairholm
Beaver (Tyee)
La Push (48 foot vessel “Beverly J” of Brookside, Oregon, captain Alan Jacobs)

Tuesday, August 11 (89.8 miles)

La Push
Beaver
Fairholm
Port Angeles
Sequim
Sequim Bay State Park (hiker/biker campsite)

Wednesday, August 12 (91.8 miles)

Sequim Bay State Park
Discovery Bay
Port Townsend
Coupeville
Oak Harbor
Edison
Bo
Bellingham (Maxx and Melissa’s)