Overpacked and Ready to Roll

We rose at 6 am for our 7 am start and  we finally rolled out at 8:11 am. After weeks of packing and repacking our panniers, the decisions were made and we weighed in. Mary's bike and gear were just 50 lbs. Alice was quite close at 51 lbs. which represented a determined light weight approach because Alice has a steel frame which outweighs Mary's lighter weight bike.  Overloaded Leilani was the winner (?) of the battle of the bikes, tipping the scales at 65 lbs. to haul up and down the hills. What can I say? Big people require a big bike, big shoes and big clothes!

We biked 68 miles to Hoodsport on Hood Canal, enjoying blue skies, favorable temperatures in the 70s, stellar views, polite drivers and mostly good shoulders. We did not enjoy the more traficked sections of Hwy 101 which were noisy and even though the drivers were careful, it was sometimes a tight squeeze on the narrow, windy road. Because of this, we will probably go 20 extra miles tomorrow to enjoy a quieter route.

Imagine our surprise when Mark showed up, taking photos as we cruised down a hill 55 miles into our ride. Because the Hood Canal Bridge was closed for 5 hours, he was forced to detour onto our route. He found us on his Find My Friend app that I installed on his phone. At first we thought he was the paparazzi, but when we recognized him, we turned around to say Hi.

We enjoyed a power lunch of a small cup of soup with a giant hot pie, a la mode chaser in Brinnon at the Halfway House Cafe. Halfway to what we aren't sure, but we are definitely not halfway to Mexico. 

My good friend Greg who lives in Hoosport was kind enough to take us to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Union. We enjoyed his company, the drive and the fact that we could dine outside on the deck with no wind in September. Thanks Greg!