August 5, 2005
Day 80: Parksville to Anacortes
I awoke to yet another flat tire. I found the leak, patched the tube, and pulled out the Mr. Tuffy. I finally got on the road about 8:00 rather than the 7:00 I had hoped for. Unfortunately, cyclists must use the shoulder of the 4-lane Island Highway which makes for a stressful ride; however, the extra adrelanine rush shortens the trip.
At Nanaimo I stopped for groceries and a new camera battery. I wanted to catch the 1:00 ferry to Salt Spring Island, so I hoofed it to Ladysmith with its Victorian downtown and on to Chemanius. Then I really knocked it into high gear to get to the ferry landing at Crofton making it in 20 minutes. Ended up with 10 minutes to spare. I climbed up to the top level of the ferry and had peanut butter cookies and a banana. The channel was filled with sailboats - their white sails silhouetted against the green hills and a perfect blue sky.
Salt Spring had way more traffic than I had expected and some pretty killer hills, too. The main town of Ganges was a zoo, but I managed to find a quiet spot on the pier for lunch before heading south to make my connection to Schwartz Bay. The climb out of town is just plain brutal. Crunching knees in your lowest granny gear. The downhill on the other side of the island is almost as steep, but the traffic does, at least, thin out a bit.
The ferry ride from Fulford Harbour was as pleasant as the first one - plus you could see snow-capped Mount Baker.
The traffic out of Schwartz Bay is insane, but at least there is a bike lane. I got off the highway as soon as I could and took back streets through Sidney to the Washington State Ferry terminal. I had to stand in line in the sun for a half hour to get a ticket. Then, my French birth became an issue again with immigration until I got fed up and said, "I was born on a military base overseas of American parents who were serving their country and was an American citizen from birth!!!" The guy just said, "Okay, you can go." I'm totally sick of this "heightened security" bullshit. Maybe the guy down in Abiquiu was right - we're heading for a fascist country.
Customs delayed the ferry for a half hour - - somebody probably had a BC apple on board. We we finally got started, all the aggravation dissipated. Mount Baker rose above the islands in the channel - glowing golden in the evening light. I tried one last time to reach my friend Jeff down in Portland. I'd been trying all week - and, sure enough, I was able to get him on my cell phone. He said he'd come up and meet me in Anacortes tomorrow and we could spend the weekend together. I watched the sun sink into the water from the aft deck.
After we docked, I got into the campground well past twilight. I had to beg a spot from Pat and Tim who generously shared their site with me.
Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 4,328 miles (6,965 km)
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