This was tacked on a bulletin board of the breakfasrpt room at the Super 8. A good omen for what turned out to be one of the best days to date.
Headed out on Hwy 101 at 7:40 am to get an early start, since I planned to ride 78 miles to Sequim. The first 52 miles to Quilcene consisted of a series of gently rolling hills interspersed with occasional slow long inclines/steep downhills. The Hood Canal ran alongside on the right, with forests of the Olympic National Forest running alongside on the left. Everything was green and lush, with those colorful wildflowers often bordering the road. There were several lovely little picturesque "towns" along the way. I cruised along soaking it all in.
As I approached Quilcene, I received a text sent from my good friend, Nancy, in Austin. She indicated that her sister and brother-in-law lived in Sequim, and had offered to put me up for the night and feed me. Apparently, when Nancy read in the blog that I was headed to Sequim, she called Becky and Lewis. Shortly after the text, I received a voice mail message from Lewis, inviting me to stay with them. I had no idea Nancy's sister lived in Sequim (sorry Nancy if you had told me), and was blown away by the timely coincidence. The other strange thing was that I had not booked a room in Sequim, just in case I got there and decided to push the final 20 miles to Port Angeles. I had no where to stay. I called Lewis and told him I would be there in 3-4 hours.
I stopped at the Quil Bean to fix a sandwich and got a berry smoothie, heavy on the blueberries. A young couple having a cup of coffee invited me to join them. I noted my favorite sunflowers nearby. A sign? James and Emma were visiting family in Quilcene, and were in the process of moving from Ft. Collins, Colorado, to North Dakota. Emma was an elementary school teacher specializing in the sciences, and James was an EMT. They had traveled quite a bit, and we shared some of our favorite adventures. What was especially noticeable about them was that they were so enthusiastic about everything they talked about - so alive. I thought how wonderful it was that they enjoy their lives now. They made me feel joyful just being around them. Since James was from around the area, I asked his opinion regarding the route to Sequim - Google lady had given me 2 options. Either through the forests (probably with inclines) or continue along Hwy 101 (probably more of the same I had ridden all morning). He recommended Hwy 101 because it was pretty. Not much to say about the alternative.
I finished lunch, still undecided regarding which route to take. My gut said the safe bet was to stay on Hwy 101, while my spirit of adventure urged the forest route. So...I turned off Hwy 101 down a one lane road and started a long climb into the forest. It was gorgeous. And quiet. And a hard climb, but I just kept pedaling. It helped that I had taken Advil at lunch for my creaky knees. About 4-5 miles into the ride, an SUV pulled over and a couple got out and told me that they were cyclists. Michael and Louisa asked if I knew where I was going. I told them that I thought so since Google lady had indicated this was a route to Sequim. And I was okay with the climbs. Then Louisa explained to me that a few miles up the road, it turned into a dirt road - all the rest of the way to Sequim. Well, Randy and I have been the victim of Google lady dirt road adventures in the past, and I knew I did not want to go through that again. So, I thanked Michael and Louisa for their help and decided to just bite the bullet and backtrack to Hwy 101. Bonus miles. Turns out that Michael and Louisa have some pretty extensive touring cycle experience. Michael checked out my bike and panniers, and told me he was jealous. I invited him to get his bike and join me. Then these new friends, who just happened to live on this beautiful road, offered me a place to stay for the night. Told them I was expected in Sequim, and thanked them. Angels kept popping up today.
The return to Hwy 101 was fairly painless, since it was all downhill. But still had another 30 miles or so to go. Not too terribly difficult to ride, except that by now I had already ridden almost 60 miles and my legs were pretty tired. When I reached Blyn, I got on the Olympic Discovery Trail, which meant the last 5-6 miles or so were off the main highway. A nice reprieve.
Pulled into Becky and Lewis' driveway a little after 5 pm. Their dogs, Tucker and Dee, saluted my arrival with energetic barking. When Becky came out to greet me, I was struck with the family resemblance to Nancy. Not to mention a certain way of speaking and mannerisms. Since Nancy is one of my most favorite people ever, I felt immediately drawn to Becky and very comfortable. She threw my filthy biking clothes in the wash, and handed me a glass of ice cold lemonade. We talked and got to know each other better. Felt like I had found yet another spiritual soulmate. Becky and Lewis moved to Sequim from Arkansas a little over a year ago. Becky is a psychiatric nurse and commuted to a job in Port Angeles until recently, when she opened her own practice in Sequim just down the road from their house. Lewis spent most of their first year in Sequim renovating their home, which had been an old farm house with a beautiful view of the mountains. He took the position as pastor of Olympic View Church of God in April. I also learned that Lewis has done some extensive bicycle touring in the past, as well as having hiked parts of the Pacific Crest Trail. Sequim is extremely bike friendly, and Becky and Lewis bike to work. They are extremely active and fit.
After I showered, Becky and I went by her office, then out for dinner and a brief tour of Sequim. Lewis was unable to join us as he was at a meeting.
Dinner was at this wonderful Chinese restaurant. I had chicken with all sorts of veggies. I was craving veggies and especially hungry after my 88 mile day. After dinner, we drove through farmland and by dairy farms to the bay protected by Protection Island, where we got out and walked a little ways down the beach. Then went by John Wayne Marina, where Becky is starting to get involved with a fledging rowing club. On the drive home, Becky pointed out the full blackberry bushes that blanketed the side of the road. Upon arrival home, I got to meet Lewis and we had cherry pie a la mode. Delicious. By this time, it was going on 10:00 pm, and I think we were all beat.
Today was extraordinary in many ways I could not have predicted, and I feel so blessed. Days like this are why I love bicycle touring. Tomorrow, Lewis is going to show me more of Sequim, then I plan to bike 20 miles to Port Angeles, where I will catch the ferry to Victoria and Vancouver Island on Friday.
