San Juan Islands Tour

We arrived home for four days before our trip to the San Juan Islands. Mel hosted a delightful adventure! We started our adventure by driving to Anacortes. The ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville departed on time, and arrived on schedule. Sylvia joined us on the ferry in her pickup. All our trikes were in both trucks. Also in our truck were four pies for the event:

We drove from Coupeville to Anacortes via Deception Pass. We had time to walk down some of the hiking paths. At the waterline, we watched many fishermen both in the water and in boats fishing for salmon. This is a beautiful area that I love walking around in.

Then it was on to Anacortes for the ferry to Friday Harbor. We unloaded the trikes, and delivered the pies and an extra battery for me into some of the vehicles that were driving onto the island. Sylvia and we left our pickups in the long term parking area. We were all supposed to take the 2:00 ferry, but it was canceled, and we didn’t finally sail until 5:30. It was a late night.

The next morning we all got the trikes setup to ride. After riding out to Roche Harbor, we stopped at Westcott Bay Shellfish Co. Mel arranged for an oyster tasting for the group, as he declared they would be a “life changing” experience. Paula tried them, and declared them delicious, but I wimped out.

The next day we were off to climb Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island. This is the highest point in the San Juans and has spectacular views. The climb is 2,409 feet in 4.7 miles for an average grade of 7.7%. Overall, we rode 38 miles and climbed 4700’ that day. We did it. Unfortunately, Leslie forgot the third battery, and ran out of battery on the return to the Orcas ferry terminal.

On the climb, we met two retired bicycle racers who were out for a ride. They were having a great time staging photos on a steep hairpin turn.

Back at the Orcas ferry terminal we had a nice dinner on the lawn overlooking the harbor at the Orcas Hotel Restaurant. While there, we heard that our ferry from Orcas to Friday Harbor was canceled. We met up with the two bike racers again, and found them to be freezing in their spandex waiting for the same ferry. They joined us in conversation, telling us of their exploits. We also determined that on the way down from Mt. Constitution I traveled at 47 mph downhill — 1.1 mph faster than one of the bike racers. Boy, that was tough for him to deal with.

The ferry system finally scrambled another ferry.  We loaded close to 11:00PM and got back to our guest house by 12:30AM. Another long day. 

Here are some photos from the day…

I loved this wind chime. It was about 20 ft in diameter.

Once we had completed the climb to the top, we all checked our brakes. Unfortunately, Paula discovered a leak in her hydraulic brakes at the summit and was safely transported down by the SAG support from Wildlife Cycles in Eastsound.

And one view from the top of Mt. Constitution.

And finally back on the ferry to Friday Harbor.

After another day of light riding around the island to the Cattle Point light station, the group enjoyed a final celebratory dinner at Friday Harbor House overlooking the harbor.

The next morning we got up early and queued up for an 8:00AM ferry. And as luck would have it, it was again canceled! We finally got underway back to Anacortes on the 11:00AM ferry. By now we were totally done with the ferry system, and drove overland from Anacortes and home to Sequim. Definitely the long way around, but at least there were no delays or cancellations. Whew!

Fort Stevens for Recumbent Retreat

 We arrived in Portland to see Paul & Bev. Paul did some trike work (again), and then we were all off to Fort Stevens for Recumbent Retreat with the gang from Portland. Check out the new t-shirt we got for Paul:

The retreat was fun! We enjoyed the scavenger hunt around the park, riding the Discovery Trail in Long Beach, and the Light Parade with all the trikes around the park one evening. Here are some photos:

We loved this 1941 pickup truck. Enlarge the photo for the details.

Onward through California and on to Oregon for Recumbent Retreat

We traveled from Fruita, Colorado to Richfield Utah to stay at Steve’s Steak House. This was another Harvest Host. With the temperatures rather warm, we enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner in their air conditioned dining room. A nice afternoon shower cooled things down enough for us to take short walks, before retiring for the night. 

We got an early start and headed towards Boulder City, NV. We had a reservation for a site at the Elks Lodge there and with full hookups, we could run our AC and survive the 100+ degree temperatures comfortably. Driving the rig through the Vegas metropolitan traffic was a study in patience and driving skill. Go Leslie! The Elks Lodge is right across the street from a DQ, so Leslie got an ice cream fix as a reward for a hard day behind the wheel.

After an afternoon and evening hunkered down in our rig with the AC blasting, we arose at dawn and were able to roll before the sun was beating down on us. We had planned on stopping in Bakersfield, but this was another Harvest Host (a golf course) and we weren’t sure we’d have services, so we called our friend Jo Ann in Visalia to see if we could overnight with her. It added about 90 miles to our day, but was well worth it to visit a friend and share a nice Mexican dinner. 

On Sunday, we rolled out of Visalia around 7am and into the coastal fog near San Luis Obispo. It was so delightful to be chilly again. Paula’s sister Barbara was gracious enough to host us at her home in Pismo Beach, CA, which gave us a place to unload the trailer and sleep after we dropped the trailer at Trailer Hitch RV in Nipomo, CA for for its appointment to get the slide-out fixed.

Monday morning we were off to Nipomo. The dealership was ready to received it, and after dropping the trailer, Paula & I looked at the used trailers on their lot. Nothing struck our fancy, so back to Barbara’s we went.

We had a lovely visit with Barbara. One of the places we went was the Gopher Glen Apple Farm that isn’t far from her home. They offer lovely apples varieties that can’t be found in grocery stores.

We also took a lovely walk at Morro Bay. It’s always pretty here…

Continuing our search for the the “perfect RV” for triking, we visited Sky River RV in Paso Robles, and we think we’ve found the closest match we’re likely to get… It’s a Coachmen Cross Trek 20XG, which is a 24’ motorhome on a Ford Transit AWD chassis. Both trikes fit inside a pass through cargo bay, and it’s got a large shower in a separate cubicle from the toilet. No “shoilets” here. Paula test drove it and found it easy to drive with excellent turning radius and a three camera system for seeing all around the vehicle.

We’ll exercise some patience however, based on the price tag. But it was wonderful to find a stock model that will hold the two trikes. The custom builds are even more expensive! Fingers crossed we can find a used one when we’re ready…

Paula’s other sister, Sally, came up to Pismo Beach to see us. It was great to see her also.Who knows, we might even get to do Spring Training with her in the spring in Arizona.

Sunday we left Pismo Beach for Fremont. We stayed at the Elks Lodge again, because it is so darn convenient. While staying there we got to see Diane and Steve, Judie, Sarah, and Chris & Trish. Not enough time to do a visit with everyone, but we’ll catch up with others next time around.

On Tuesday we took a bike ride with Steve, Diane, and their friend Vanessa. We did the Portola Loop from Fremont. By the time we were done, we’d covered 47 miles, at 14.3 mph. Steve and Vanessa definitely provided the push we needed. We typically average around 12 mph. A great ride, and Diane was awesome on her borrowed e-bike. There wasn’t a pace she couldn’t match. Way to go, Diane!!

Today we drove from Fremont to Grants Pass. We’re on our way to the Portland area to see Paul & Bev before heading out to Astoria for Recumbent Retreat. After Retreat, we head for Sequim for a few days before taking off again for the San Juan Islands Tour with Mel and Janet from Recumbent PDX. We’re definitely looking forward to this. More photos as they become available…

On the move towards California

We had a grand time visiting with Amy and Alex at their home outside of Denver. Of course Baxter, Amy’s young miniature dachshund was on hand. What a cutie:

We departed Amy’s yesterday morning, to travel to Fruita, Colorado to stay at the James M. Robb State Park. This is one of our favorite state parks — sites are large, level and paved — and each site has a covered picnic table and room before the next site begins. On a previous trip we triked right out of the campground onto a lovely trail system.

We chose this campground because we wanted to go see Out There Vans in Grand Junction. They are another van customizer that we wanted to evaluate. They do quality work, and felt they could fit our two trikes, but unfortunately if we decide on a van, we want a shower, and they don’t offer that. But it was great to see their work. One of the vans they were working on was for a person with a wheelchair. The van had a chair lift already, but they were installing the bed, kitchen, and cabinetry that was all accessible. Great to see.

We got a chance to walk around the center of Fruita this time. A couple different bike shops and cute shops with great iron art. check it out…

Tomorrow we cross back into California. We’ll have a quick visit with Jo Ann before traveling on to see Paula’s sister in Pismo Beach. Here’s hoping for cooler temperatures!

Fly-over States are HOT

We’re enduring the hot temperatures of the Midwest. Temperatures today hit a high of 97 degrees with 45% humidity. Neither of us are fans of this much heat and humidity. We’re staying at the Blue Springs Lake Campground in Lee’s Summit, Missouri with full hookups thankfully so the loud air conditioner has been getting a workout. It’s been so hot we haven’t been able to explore the bike trail that is right beside us. Darn!

Yesterday we had an appointment at Vandoit, to check out their vans. We’re not ready to make any decisions yet about our travel equipment, but we’ve grown a bit tired of towing a trailer. The van travel we’ve done in previous years has felt much more flexible and easy. Ah well, time will tell. To fit the two trikes in, they spec’d an extra long, extra tall Ford Transit with dualie rear wheels. It will definitely cut into the milage we had on the previous Transit, but again, it’s not time for a decision yet. Much more looking required.

Once we finished with our appointment, we asked our van guru where we should have lunch. He directed us to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. We arrived around 2:30 and had to wait in line for 45 minutes. But it was worth the wait. We split a meal of brisket and ribs with cole slaw and potato salad for sides. Yummy!! If you ever go through this area, this is the place to eat!

Before arriving in Lee’s Summit, we had another great Harvest Host experience, this time staying at the Legendary Mustang Sanctuary in Alhambra, Illinios. Our host gave us a wonderful tour of their farm, complete with the history of how the BLM and California Department of Forestry deal with their wild mustang populations. As expected, some horses were shy and had not been trained yet, others were ready for adoption, but all were curious about us. They also are a sanctuary for burros, and they were very friendly. They wanted to check us out and get as many pets as possible. The farm also included two old dogs, chickens and many barn cats. One of the cats thought it should live inside our trailer, and made its presence known by trying to come through the screen door around midnight. Thankfully he didn’t tear the screening, just dislodged it, and I was able to put it back.

Paula & I were able to get out for a 20 mile bike ride on the Nickel Plate Trail in Madison County just a short ride out the front gate of the sanctuary. Lots of farms with corn and soy beans. The trail was in the shade for most of it, and the surface was hardpack. A nice way to stretch our legs after being in the car so long. Along the way we stopped into New Douglas. We have friends with a dog named Douglas, so we thought they’d appreciate the photo below.

Tomorrow we leave Missouri and cross most of Kansas so we can arrive in Denver on Monday. Forecast for WaKeeney, KS is 102 tomorrow. Yeehaw! Wish us luck!