Everyone got a good night’s sleep and we were ready for another day of cycling. We were particularly excited for today’s ride because there would be a bike path across Fidalgo Bay and then we would be meeting a family on Warmshowers and camping in their back yard!
When we got on the bikes (by around 11 again…) There was a very light, persistent rain. The bay was covered in low clouds, and we were glad to have the rain covers for the kids! Just as we were pulling out of the hiker/bicycle campsite a car pulled up and a man said “Hello Daisy Philtron!” It was Jude, the father of our host family for the night. He works right up the road and drove by to say hi since he knew from Daisy’s text we were there. With a warm welcome like that we knew we would have a great time in Anacortes!
The road was pretty flat, and there wasn’t too much to see with all the rain/fog, until we came up to the twin bridges. We were happy to find the separated bike lane next to the highway! At the top we stopped to take in the view.
At the bottom of the bridge we stopped at a gift shop and got a few bags of chips. We had been telling H that we would stop at a coffee shop, but they kept being the PNW drive-thru ones with no inside section to get out of the rain. The rain stopped and we got back on the road with a new coffee shop in mind: Moka Joe. This one had plenty of seating, drinks, and food to make it lunch-worthy. I had to eat two sandwiches since the kids didn’t like one of theirs. Got to fuel the body when it’s pushing all that weight! ;)
The bike path across the bay was amazing! The kids got on their own bikes and rode this section – actually they rode all the way into town, which is a few miles. We viewed the local wildlife, including various birds and seals. This is the largest nesting ground for great blue herons in North America. We were warned that the path could have lots of shells on it, and could give flat tires, but someone must of recently come out to clean it because it was perfect.
In town we found a much-needed playground. A and H climbed and slid, and then decided they needed to get wet at the splash pad. 65°F and cloudy, but kids don’t care! They had a blast and then we got them dried off and warmed up. It wasn’t too far to our destination. We rolled into the Apple family’s yard and received a warm welcome from Carrie. Our kids got a guided tour from their kids of the garden and various animals: hens, bunnies, and a cat! They were delighted. We had a great dinner, conversation, oh and showers, too! Thank you Carrie and Jude and family!!