Ok, Day One was about hospitality and the formation of the Fellowship of teh Wheel with the fine Anglican Cyclists of Prayer in Vancouver. We got to a motel in Sidney on Vancouver Island after a lovely ferry ride and then a quick hard drenching. We were pleased and amazed that there was no problem at all with taking our bikes to our room.
We took a bus into Victoria realizing that we had to get on a buss back after only an hour is we were going to get a good night's sleep. We went to the Chinatown area, but ate in Vic's English Fish and Chips hous, owned and run by a very nice chinese couple.
Then we hopped on the bus to return. Amazingly there was a couple there who had been on the bus into town with us. So we got talking and lo and behold they too were touring cyclists. So was the driver! So we had a rowdy good time hearing about all their tribulations. They were a few years older than us, and had put in one 140 day once. We were humbled.
Then to bed so that we could get up in the morning and hit the road. Problem was there is only one ferry at 11:30 which would get to Anacortes at 3. This meant a short cycling day. And while the BC ferry had been sumptuous with places to eat, the Anacortes ferry had no food stuff at all. So we ate crackers and other less that auspicious things on the 3 hour ride.
When we arrived at Anacortes the Customs guy almost impounded Dave's turkey bacon (it had the color apparently of hard packed heroin) and then the lesson in frustration and humility as we had to deal with serious steep hills leading away from the ferry and throughout the community as we headed towards Oak Harbor.
We made it, but only by sheer determination. There had been no food on the ferry and none along the route. So we pulled into Oak Harbor after a driving rain wet, tired and well rumpled.
The lady at the motel was great, got us into a room and gave us a discount at the eatery next door. We had a great, if expensive dinner and then went to bed.
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