Last weekend, Dave ventured on a scout biking trip to the San Juan Islands (located in the northern Puget Sound). With the forecast in their favor, they congregated at the church building at 6am, Thursday morning, to start their outdoor adventure.
At Anacortes, they boarded the ferry on their bikes. After a stop at Lopez, the ferry deposited them on Orcas Island. Despite starting with several smaller hills, they made good time to East Sound From there, they climbed steadily to Moran State Park where they set up camp and grabbed some food. After lunch, they hopped back in the saddle and embarked on an attempt to ride to the summit of Mt. Constitution. For those familiar with that bike race in France, this was our heroes' equivalent of the Alpe D'Huez. If you're not familiar, this is very, very BAD (see winding yellow line at left). Understand? Ok, moving on...After a treacherous descent from the airy heights, one of our travelers sustained an injury... road rash (laymen's term: he fell and scraped the heck out of his leg). The mere name sends shivers down one's spine, yes? That, or it just sounds gross. Back at camp, our saddle-sore compatriots were yearning for a hot meal. What they got was warm... and grey... and greasy... and only caused one person to have GI distress. Fortunately, there was plenty of cornbread (& it's all about the carbo-loading, anyway).
OK, the snoring must be addressed.
With three large men (not D) and one large boy, the cacophony of snarls, growls and other throaty sounds echoed through the wilderness. Undoubtedly, they scared off the wildlife. Unfortunately, they prevented anyone else in a 10-mile radius from any semblance of peaceful slumber.
As morning broke, Cinnamon Toast Crunch was the breakfast of our champions. Riding back to the ferry, they chose a different route. However, the slower group took a wrong turn; unbeknownst to them, they were heading in an opposite direction of their intended destination. Here is where Dave rode fast. With a top speed of 40 mph, he was able to catch up with the van and alert them of the lost boys' plight. The van sped off, picked up the boys and made it back to the ferry for the scheduled departure.
Next stop: Friday Harbor. At this point, our weary travelers were very weary and sore. Fortunately, the day proved to be rather uneventful. Passing through Roche Harbor, they snapped pictures of bald eagles, deer, fox and other animals in their natural habitat. Arriving at San Juan County Park, everyone promptly collapsed.
On Saturday morning, the cyclists rode to Cattle Point which is the most southern point of San Juan Island. At this location, the crew stopped to eat lunch and participate in the 1st Annual BP/HP Polar Bear Dip. For those wondering, the sound is typically around 40 degrees in the winter (and yes, it's still winter here). After the dip, everyone hopped back on their bikes, heading towards the ferry terminal. During the leisurely, one-hour trip, they enjoyed the ride (read: slept) on the ferry back to Anacortes.
And so it began...
Bracing to disembark the ferry on a very cold Thursday morning
(could the trusty forecast be wrong for our wandering travelers?)
Racing towards East Sound on Orcas Island
Making the summit of Mt. Constitution (aka Alpe D'Huez) - the highest point in the San Juan Islands
2 comments:
Looks like a fun trip! Thanks for the report. Oh, how I miss the beautiful water of the great NW. Someday we'll be back.
This is when I wish I was younger so I could do these kind of trips. What a wonderful adventure. How great it is to have these boy leaders (you know they are boys at heart) to give these young men such a wonderful experience. I'm glad they had a great time and thanks for sharing. I know we need to go there.
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