Get your (human) motors running...

...head out on the highway, Searching for adventure, In whatever comes your way... What a great day! Anacortes (named for an early settler, Anna Curtis) is a little sea-side town with a history of timber, fishing, but now the state ferry and oil refining are a bigger part of the economy. Reminds us of Seward. We wobbled out of the hotel parking lot, a bit overloaded but well-provisioned; we plan to eat our way to a reasonable load! Soon we were on a bike trail along a misty bay. Costumed riders headed toward a festival in town as we made our way toward the East. A sign warned of bicycle tire hazard from broken shells on the trail. From the looks of the shells and the crab parts I think gulls drop mollusks on the trail and eat the soft parts. After some navigating on back roads we turned onto the highway (Route 20 which we will follow or parallel for the next week or so. BTW, I grew up one block from Rt 20 in Massachusetts; we called it "Westfield Street") and the gentle mist turned to a downpour. We got a bit confused about how to navigate a BIG bridge but we able to consult with some local bikers (on carbon fiber road bikes). So where are you headed? one asked. "Maine". On those?!? We are riding our "Bike Fridays", which have 20-inch wheels and can fold up into a suitcase. They look odd but are good touring bikes. The rain continued on and off, the route left the highway to follow a gravel trail through a wildlife refuge. The Northwest is so green and the flowers, especially the rhododendrums, are so vibrant! We did about 30 miles today and it was pouring as we sloshed into Sedro-Wooley so we grabbed another hotel. Roughing it? Perhaps not. Having a blast? ABSOLUTELY!