Day 7 LaConnor to Everett: The Kindness of Strangers

July 10, 2017

We got up early in the morning as we knew there was a significant hill for us to tackle on our way to the Centennial Trail. We had spoken with the folks at the Heron Inn when we checked in and told them we would not be able to stay for breakfast at 8:00. No problem they said, we will have a mason jar with yogurt and fresh fruit in the fridge for you in the morning.

A great way to start the day - Thanks, Heron Inn!

What a delicious way to start the day! Fresh blueberries, melon balls and cherries in delicious yogurt – we were in heaven!

We finished our refreshing breakfast and brought our bags down to load up and head out. It was a lovely, quiet morning and although there was still a little wind, it did not detract from the beautiful countryside that we passed through.

Could this be the tiny house of our dreams?

Everyone needs a little red wagon in their yard

Stopping for a quick break - some of these hills are intense!

Luckily for us, the loaded logging trucks were headed the other way

We managed to cycle up the hill (and it was a stinker!) with a couple of stops to drink and catch our breath, and then proceeded along a fairly narrow and busy back road that was winding with rolling hills. The drivers were pretty courteous and we really enjoyed this stretch of road.

The big red barn at the start of the Centennial Trail. Some very interesting history here and its nice to see that it is being preserved.

We got to the trailhead for the Centennial Trail and were stopped to have a snack when two riders coming from the other direction stopped to chat. It turns out that they, too, are doing STP (Seattle to Portland) this weekend, but they are signed up for the 1 day ride. That’s 206 miles in 1 day – yikes! I admire their stamina and drive to train for something that intense, but that is most definitely not how we roll. We are signed up to do the 2 day ride (thankfully, my wonderful sister-in-law, Leslie is taking our gear down so we can ride unencumbered for this portion). Wishing us well, they rode off to complete their 130 mile training ride! Wow! Talk about inspiring!

We finished our little snack and then rode off onto one of the most beautiful trails we have ridden on. All paved, with trees all around us, it was like riding through a parkland that went on for miles and miles. As an old rail line, the trail would gently rise in places, but there were no extreme hills to test us on this portion. It was a lovely lovely break that we thoroughly enjoyed!

The trail came out in Arlington and we stopped for a couple of lattes and muffins. Moving on again, Jim had some mechanical issues (a screw popped off of his front rack) and we were stopped to make repairs when another couple came by us. The fellow kept on, but his wife stopped to say hello. It turns out that this couple have cycled all over the world – you would never think of it to look at her, she is such a tiny thing! She wished us well and cycled on to catch up with her husband. Jim finished his repairs and we were back onto the trail.

Although I had written the directions down, we were enjoying the trail past Arlington so much that we (meaning me, the chief navigator) totally missed our turnoff to get over from Marysville to Everett where we were scheduled to stay with a Warm Showers host that night. We were stopped at the top of a long rise, having a little lunch, when a cyclist who had passed us earlier going the opposite direction stopped by to ask about our trip.

Making our lunch before our friend, Martin arrived

It turns out that Martin is also a world traveler and he shared some of his own adventures with us. He asked where we were headed, and when he heard our destination, informed us that we had overshot our exit from the trail by about a mile! Oh no! There were no exits coming up and we would have to go back down the way we had just come in order to get off. Martin, being the wonderful road angel that he is, offered to ride with us to get us to the set of 4 bridges we needed to cross to get into Everett. He also told us that no one rides on the left hand side over the bridges as there is no shoulder and no walkway on that side. Amazing that we made that navigational error only to be saved and given the correct way to get to where we were going. If we hadn’t stopped just there, who knows where we would have ended up?

Martin led us through what is known locally as the Marysville Flats, a very twisty and complex set of maneuvers that we most certainly would not have accomplished on our own. Thanks, so much, Martin, you are awesome!!!

After leaving Martin, we made our way over the bridges. We rode the first one and it was not too bad, but the next 3 just felt way too hairy for us to ride over so we walked.

Once on the other side, we took a breather before setting out to find our Warm Showers hosts. A small error in looking at the Google map led us down a steep hill to the waterfront, which we then had to ride back up again – oh well, we needed more practice with our Granny Gears (not!).

We rode up to the home of our hosts, Renee and Bill, and were welcomed in by this very friendly couple to their beautiful home on the ridge overlooking the marina in Everett. They provided us with a bed, showers and a delicious dinner that evening. One of the very special things we are finding as we begin our tour is meeting awesome people like these two and sharing our stories. Where in the world do you go travelling and meet total strangers who quickly become friends? I love cycle touring for that! Thank you, Bill and Renee, for a wonderful evening!

Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 174 km (108 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0