Another unplanned sequence of events led us here (Coupeville, Washington) this evening. Within the secure confines of our hostel accommodations, we had slept in until 9:00 AM this morning. We got ourselves ready, fed, and left out of there around 10:30 AM. 

We caught the ferry boat over to Bainbridge Island, where traffic was very light, and began riding. The first town we hit was Poulsbo, where we were able to procure some fresh fruit and vegetables at a local market. As we left there, a light rainy mist began and stayed with us for a while. My sweater was covered with tiny drops of water but I wasn't really very wet. It was a nice mist.

At Lofall, we took a 15-minute ferry ride over to South Point, which is on the Olympic Peninsula. The riding was on wonderfully scenic and peaceful country roads all the way to Chimacum. The light rainy mist continued but we got out of it at a local cafe that we decided to patronize because everyone who came out of the place raved about how good it was. A couple of always hungry cyclists could hardly refuse such recommendations. For $6.50 (US), I had a bowl of chowder, an oyster sandwich, French fries, cole slaw, 2 cups of hot chocolate, and a piece of homemade blackberry pie a la mode. An unbelievable deal even back then.

We had planned to camp a a local park but then became aware that it was the night of graduation for the local high school, which was very close by. So, we decided to go to Port Townsend to see what we could find. It turned out to be a fortuitous decision but one that was not fully appreciated until later on in the evening.

Getting to Port Townsend involved 10 miles of riding in the pouring rain. We stopped at a laundromat but then aborted that mission in order to catch another ferry that was leaving shortly for Whidbey Island. A local resident informed us that the town of Coupeville, on the island, was large enough to handle any needs or services we might have.

After 3 ferry rides today, we concluded that the boating system here in Washington is excellent. No muss or fuss getting on, traveling over the water, or getting off at the next destination... all of which are beautiful. Once off the boat, we rode 6 more rainy miles to Coupeville. At first, it seemed we had made the wrong decision. Whidbey Island seemed wide open, uninhabited, and it was really raining. However, as we got further along, the rain stopped, civilization began to appear, and we became aware that the beautifully scenic Whidbey Island was indeed a very special place. 

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Whidbey is the 2nd largest island in continental United States, with Long Island (NY State) being the largest. The people we met here were extremely friendly. We had a rather long conversation with a woman who was inquiring about our trip. She then directed us to a laundromat, where we needed to go, once again, to wash and dry all of our very wet belongings. 

There, we met Kim-S, who had come to Whidbey from the Bay Area of California. She and Paul seemed to hit it off well. They talked the whole time we were laundering our clothes. When we were done, Kim invited us to her place to get cleaned up. Since it was still raining, we gladly accepted.

Once we were clean and presentable, she invited us to go with her to a friends house, where a dinner party was happening. There, we were easily assimilated into conversation and dinner with 6 other young people, in our age group. We had a great time. Eventually, Paul, Kim, and I lapsed into a long philosophical conversation that lasted until 3:00 AM. when at least I finally fell asleep, warm and dry! Our streak of good fortune and of meeting really good people had continued for another day.