Day 1: Bellingham, WA to Port Townsend, WA

80 miles

Today was baptism by fire. Eighty miles (including bonus miles due to wrong turns) of constant hilly terrain through fog, mist and, finally, sunshine. While the hills did not approach the grade of those in Italy they were tough nonetheless, reported by those with GPS to be 14-18 %. We started and ended at sea level but had an elevation gain of 3000 +.

Despite the morning fog and mist, the terrain was quite beautiful--a rural road shaded by tall spruce, a gravel bike path beside the water, and gorgeous, well-tended farmland.

Along the bike path we encountered a group of local first responders practicing mud rescue.They reported a man the previous week was pulled out after he had sunk to chest level in the slough.

The most spectacular views of the ride were from the bridges crossing Deception Pass. The two bridge sections were completed in 1935 connecting Whitbey and Fidalgo Islands. The currents and tidal changes in the strait are significant.



Aerial photo from archive

At the 67 mile mark we had to catch a ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend. I thought I had the 3:30 ferry in striking distance when I made an unfortunate wrong turn. It became abundantly clear that the 3:30 would not happen and, when the steep, long hills continued, I began to wonder if I would make the 4:30. I arrived at the toll booth with plenty of time to pay my fare and to drop my wallet, credit cards, and cash on the pavement before collecting myself and walking calmly on board. Here I found several of my co-riders looking about as energetic/comatose as I felt.

Our accommodations tonight are on Officer's Row at Fort Worden State Park. Located on Admiralty Inlet, FortWorden was an active Army base from 1902-1953. The location was considered to be strategic to the defense of Puget Sound. More recently it was the setting of the film "An Officer and a Gentleman". A beautiful setting.



Point Wilson Lighthouse at Fort Worden