Due to the COVID 19 virus, my son, Anders, and I have decided to spend time outdoors, close to home, on the Northern Tier bicycle route.
My parents, Carol and Don, were kind enough to drop us off at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, the beginning of the route. This wasn’t without event. Their truck had a brake issue that caused heat and a burning smell. This was present when we assembled our cycles in the parking area (I initially installed my bottle cage upside down). I had a brief wonder how this trip would go...
Preface: Anders just finished his bachelor’s degree at Western Washington University (Computer Science, Math) and has a window of time to ride. I’m, of course, on summer vacation from my school teaching job.
The day went relatively smoothly. We made our way from the terminal to Burlington, soaking up the sun and pleasant temperatures. We stopped for Mexican food, sent text messages and roughly planned to stay the night in an area that looked promising, on Google Maps, close to Sedro-Woolley High School.
Before leaving, we obtained groceries at Haggen and a cell phone battery charger at Target.
Outside Target, I noticed that one clip on Anders’ pannier had fallen off (the bag was hanging by the second clip). After a short time, we figured out how to reattach it - no problem.
In Sedro-Woolley, we found the camping spot to be inadequate, prompting us to leave town in search for a place to stealth camp. I know, from experience, that something always works out in these situations.
I noticed that our route ran parallel to the “Cascade Trail”. We decided to try it and, relatively quickly, found a mowed spot off to the side to pitch our tents.
Shortly after we began setting up, a man in a white pickup paused before moving on. Anders mentioned that he scratched his head when looking our direction.
Before entering my tent, I took my first bottle shower. This was cold, but worth it. I used about a liter and a half of water to wet down, soap up and wash off. I’m using a universal bottle top made for washing dogs. It feels like a shower head with pressure problems. I’m happy how it saves water compared to just dumping it on myself - more control, better coverage.
We cycled over thirty miles today. After texting Beth, I went to sleep at about 10:15 PM.
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