Thursday, July 12, 2012

we're not in Michigan anymore...

We finally began our much anticipated bike journey today! Before we start going on about biking we'll start where the last post left off....

we never actually went back to sleep on the train, which sucked but we were going through some really cool terrain so we decided to eat breakfast. Everyone on the train was pretty peeved at that point because it seemed like we had gotten nowhere in the night. We heard later on that there were some engine issues and we had to hook up to a big freight engine to pull us the rest of the way. We saw the freight engine later, which helped confirm that rumor. anyway eventually we made our way through Washington and got to Spokane where the back half of the train turned southwest for Portland and the front half (our half) headed northwest to Seattle. It was weird. Once we left those losers behind we chugged on through some basalt fields (we had the pleasure of an on board history/geography lesson from some park rangers that hang out on the train between Spokane and Seattle... I listened intently because I am a nerd) and then on to some of the most beautiful mountains we've ever laid eyes on.

The train wound along steep mountain passes and over breathtaking rivers. Our eyes were glued to the windows. We went through the Cascade Mts and saw the Columbia River. They were great. It felt like a real life version of Disney World's Thunder Mountain Railroad. Anyway once we got past that stuff we pretty much had one goal: get to Seattle and to our campsite before the sun sets.

The train pulled in to King Street station (like King's Cross Station in Harry Potter but much less cool) at 4pm. Before we got there we made a game plan so as soon as we stopped we got down to business. We went straight to baggage claim and set up shop. As soon as our bike boxes arrived Ethan got to work unloading them while I packed our stuff into our panniers. In a matter of 25 minutes we had put out handle bars and peddles back on the turned two very large duffles into four small panniers. We had just enough time to spare to get to the post office and send our train riding gear to Chelsea in Redondo Beach. It was a close call.

After that we headed straight to the pier to catch the 5:30 ferry to Bainbridge Island. We got up to the station and a very nice gentleman pointed out that we would need to go where the cars go. Easy enough right? Ummmm no. Not easy. All the bikers getting on the ferry knew what they were doing but we did not. The ferry that had just arrived was unloading so we sat and waited for our turn to get on. We figured we would leisurely stroll our bikes on and there would be some designated area for them with directions. Nope. Not at all. It was a mad dash to find the first place to tie up your bike which we didn't figure out until almost all of those places we're taken. We wheeled up to the second floor and found a spot against the rail we were unsure about leaving all our stuff there while we went up so we were grabbing important things when they let the cars on. Apparently we were on the way because a man trying to park yelled something very obscene at us as he went by. I became very flustered and instantly hated everyone person who calls Seattle home. With the exception of those Michiganders who I know that live here.

Moving on. It was a nice ferry ride and a super nice guy gave us directions to the state park we wanted to stay in. We grabbed a very quick piece of pizza and a coke at some random place, filled up our water bottles and headed out. We rode up HWY 305 across the island and then onto the other side. The campground was only a few more miles from there so we stopped at Albertson's grocery for some fruit as a snack and for breakfast. I'm not sure what time we got to the campsite but we were more than happy to have made it with plenty of sunlight to set up. We went down by the water to catch the amazing subset and get a panoramic view of the Olympus Mountains. They're incredible and we're going to be biking around them. :]

Currently we are nestled in our tent about to have a great night's sleep. We're very excited about sleeping.

Before we go... We noticed that there is like zero roadkill out here. Any ideas why??? Comment your answer!!!

Xoxoxo from Washington.

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