We are grateful to have Napa friends, Sandy and Mary, who lived most of their lives in Kitsap, WA and still have a house there. They have graciously offered to host us, and our riding buddies, Amber and Rich, for a couple of days at the beginning of our tour. From there we head north through Port Ludlow, then Sequim, and then Victoria Island via Ferry. We will spend 3 nights there enjoying the gardens and the sights, before heading to Tsawassen, BC. We will return to the US at Blaine, then ride to Bellingham, then to Anacortes. From there we take ferries first to San Juan Island and Friday Harbor, ride for 2 days, then to Orcas Island and then to Lopez Island. Another ferry will bring us to Port Townsend and we ride back through Port Ludlow on our way back to Mary and Sandy's house. 

The map above shows the general route but does not include the days spent in the San Juans. The riding days are fairly short, averaging about 27 miles per day. The terrain is rolling, especially on the islands. Like our Montana tour last year, we will have a vehicle along and will alternate driving.

For Amber, Rich and myself, this will be our first tour on e-bikes. Jim rode his Creo 2 on our Montana tour last summer. This summer we are all riding Creo 2 bikes.

People will tell you that you work just as hard on an e-bike but just go faster but that is not been my experience. During training I did a few sustained climbs and, in spite of using the assist somewhat sparingly, the climbs were both easier and faster. In fact, it felt a bit like cheating, if you are a purist. I am not a purist but the climbing experience is very different on an e-bike. Headwinds are another situation ameliorated by e-assist. This is valuable to those of us dealing with age-related maladies. I do think an e-bike is in every cyclist’s future if they plan to ride into their dotage. 

My training has been hit or miss due to a series of health concerns. Without the e-bike, I could be losing sleep worrying about the hills, or the winds, or the weight of my stuff. The e-bike reduces these worries, but I do ask myself if I will feel as satisfied with this tour when it is done. I guess time will tell. 

We depart on 5/26 to drive to WA, a 2-day trip for us. One day of prep and then we roll on 5/29. We finish on 6/17, having traveled 402 miles and climbed 22,219 feet. Amber and Rich will head home while Jim and I will visit with friends in Seattle for a few days before returning to Napa.