Day 18 - Anacortes to Port Townsend - Ferry Good Times: Cycling the Salish Sea

June 15, 2025

Day 18 - Anacortes to Port Townsend

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The day starts cool and sunny, a day for layering. Rich will drive again, as he’s not feeling well enough for riding. As we leave Anacortes around 10 AM, we climb up and up and then drop down a long, fast downhill grade. And so goes the day. We wind through side roads due south-ish. It’s a gorgeous ride through fields and forests, along ponds, lakes, and bays. I tell Gen that I feel in constant awe by the views.

Riding across the bridge at Deception Pass, we’re pleasantly surprised at the lack of traffic. The 3 of us ride across the narrow bridge, taking the lane, and there are no cars behind us. We can ride relatively slowly and enjoy the view.

Highway 20 is no picnic though, and I’m feeling greatly relieved when we finally turn off onto Ducken Rd. and then Monkey Hill. Though we stay to side roads as much as possible, we have to rejoin hwy 20 off and on until we exit onto Scenic Heights, which lives up to its name.

We skirt Penn Cove, and make our way to Coupeville, where we meet Rich at the ferry. We’re early enough to have lunch at Callen’s Restaurant, right across from the dock. It’s the only place nearby for food, and it’s hopping, with a 30-minute wait for seating. We wait, and we’re glad we did. The service and food are excellent. Genny and I both have their “adult” grilled cheese sandwich and roasted tomato bisque. Sometimes grilled cheese is just perfect.

A short ferry ride and a mile or so of riding brings us to our hotel, the Harborside Inn. We’re on the 3rd floor, in a spacious room, with a balcony facing the marina.

Tomorrow, we have a short ride of only 20 miles to Port Ludlow, so the plan is to dawdle in the morning and have a late breakfast before we set out.

A cute little market we passed early in the ride.

I can’t tell at first what kind of dealer this is. Axes? Knives? Is that Elvis on the sign? Turns out it’s guns.

Looking across Oak Harbor bay to Oak Harbor city.

The other side of Penn Cove. Shellfish farming.

Looking across the fields toward Coupeville.

A rare pic of me riding down the road. Not sure exactly where this is.

Looking out across the San Juan straits. Not sure if this is toward Vancouver Island or Port Angeles.

Gen, waiting with the bikes at the Coupeville ferry that will take us to Port Townsend.

Callen’s restaurant, right across from the ferry, does a brisk business.

Video of our ride today…

Unfortunately, my GoPro somehow went into Timelapse mode during part of the ride, including when we went over the Deception Pass bridge. I haven’t figured out why this happens sometimes, as I’m pretty careful about which buttons I press. So frustrating. I hope you enjoy the video anyway.

Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 370 miles (595 km)

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Scott AndersonWell, no wonder the bridge didn't seem so bad. At that speed we'd have been fine with it too.
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2 weeks ago

Amber StarfireTo Scott AndersonHa! Actually, we rode across quite leisurely. I’m sad that my GoPro was in the wrong mode. That happens more frequently than I like.
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2 weeks ago

Scott AndersonTo Amber StarfireYup. I knew that. It's happened a few times with our GoPro too. We use it as a good opportunity to use a hyperspeed Rodeigo y Gabriella sound track.
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2 weeks ago