The Trip to the Trip

For a day where I biked so few miles, I am very tired.

It's usually this way, of course. Getting to the start of the ride is often more difficult than the ride itself ... or so it seems. It's probably because riding a bike is, of course, more fun than sitting in an airplane.

Friday started really early, with RandoGirl driving me to the airport for my 7:25 am flight (thanks, honey!). That flight to Chicago went fine, with a two-hour layover (I like that, however, ever since I've had shorter layovers that left me stranded at some airport overnight) followed by a longer flight to Seattle. After collecting my luggage -- two cardboard boxes with my panniers, tent, and so forth -- I caught a cab to Aaron's bike shop.

By this time, it was after 2:30 in Seattle, and the shop folks were at lunch. They had warned me that this would be the case, so I went to the place next door and get a Vietnamese sandwich. At first, I was reluctant to do this, having never eaten a Vietnamese sandwich before. But then I decided, "Hey! This is an adventure, right? Get outside of the comfort zone."

Soon after lunch, Aaron and his crew returned. They quickly got everything good on the bike, tweaking a few things here and there, and I had bags on the bike and was out the door just before 5 pm. I headed down to the Fauntleroy ferry across Puget Sound.

On the boat, I met a fellow who was biking home with his daughter. He was envious of my trip, and I got some tips on the route to Bremerton. I needed to pick up a fuel cell for my stove, and he recommended a sporting goods store on my route.

When the ferry docked, we all went our separate ways and I rode quickly to Port Orchard, stopping for my fuel on the way. The lady at the sporting goods store wasn't sure how late the foot ferry to Bremerton ran, so I was sweating it when I finally got to the dock. Fortunately, the ferry runs until 8:30 pm on weeknights, so I had plenty of time.

Twenty minutes later, the ferry came and I paid my two dollars. It was a very nice little ferry, with only three of use on board.

On the Bremerton side, I met a fellow who used to work at the Navy yard and he told me about some of the ships there. As I started off for my hotel, night was quickly approaching. I saw a pizza place advertising calzones, so I stopped and got a quick dinner to quiet my growling stomach. It was full dark by the time I left, but traffic was light and well-behaved on the last five miles to my hotel.

If you find yourself staying in Bremerton, I must recommend the Flagship Inn. The view out my back window is really nice, even though it is now dark out. The staff was really nice when I got here, and the price is excellent.

Tomorrow is the first "real" day of my tour, and I'm looking forward to getting out in the country. Sparkeltini feels good, although heavy ... as you might imagine. Right now, however, I'm exhausted and going to bed.