We woke up in in Seattle with full stomachs and a great night's sleep (thanks Kelley!) and set out for the Bremerton Ferry. Unfortunately we took our time getting out of home base this morning and despite flying down the waterfront trail as fast as we could, we missed the ferry by about 30 seconds. With an hour and 10 minutes to kill, we decided to pal around downtown Seattle and make the best of the free time with some sightseeing. We rode by Safeco Field (home of the Mariners), Qwest Field (home of the Seahawks), the Space Needle, the Seattle Art Museum, and Pike Place Market. It was a great hour of urban riding and sightseeing, and (this time) we caught our boat on time.
The ride on the Bremerton Ferry has been one of my favorite things in the world since I was a kid. The views from the boat, the cool wind on the bow, and the feeling of transportation are all a lot of fun. Knowing that we had a good 65 miles of backroads riding ahead of us along the Olympic Peninsula made it all the better.
We started our ride day with a quick stop for a coffee in Bremerton and double-checked our directions; then we were off. The riding along route 3 on the Olympic Peninsula was gorgeous, and we got some great views of the water along the way. We even rode past a chainsaw carving artist's shop that had all sorts of great work out on display.
Our riding took us to Shelton, WA, where we stopped in for a drink of water at the Olympic Deli. There, we were fortunate enough to meet Alice and Lyon, who are on their own tour from Seattle to San Francisco. They're riding for their own cause, raising money for Posada Esperanza - an immigrant women and children's support home in Austin, TX. They're great people, and they're riding for a great cause. You can follow them on their blog coastingnow.blogspot.com.
We left Alice and Lyon in Shelton and pressed on toward Olympia along some more great roads in great weather, arriving in Washington's capitol city around 5 o'clock. The ride took us right by the capitol building, which is perched above a lake and is quite the sight.
We met up with the Capital Cycling Club for a social ride, which was a lot of fun. Blaine and the rest of the riders were very supportive of what we're doing, and that means a lot to us. Of course, the ride was about 30 miles long, and that pushed our total to 100 miles for the second day in a row. We're earning it - that's for sure!
We left ride and went to refuel and warm up, stopping into a Borders bookstore for some warm coffee. There we met Elizabeth, who made us some great espresso drinks and was super supportive of what we're doing. If you're ever in Olympia, stop by and say hello - she's a rad chick.
Hopping back on our bikes, we rode up the street to find our new friend, Matt, who offered us a place to stay for the night. To our surprise, we arrived to a house full of bike enthusiasts, many of whom play on Han Polo and the Tusken Raiders, an Olympia-based bike polo team. They're good people, and we had a lot of fun spending the night talking bikes and playing music. I even went out for a bike ride (yes, another one) with them around midnight, which was a blast. They're playing in a bike polo tournament in Vancouver this weekend - best of luck to them.
What a great day.
Photos to come soon!
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