I hadn't planned on saying much about the night before the trip. It should have been an easy drive north, a test drive of our stove and spam in the field beyond the marina, and a solid sleep. Seeing as my dad and I have few plans beyond 'go east, eat when hungry, drink
before thirsty,' the day was unexpectedly great.
With giant burritos from Malena's in Ballard churning in our guts, we drove up Mount Erie (south of Anacortes) to see one of the prettiest views you can quickly get to north of Seattle (without a passport). I'll skip the sentimental stuff I have with this particular mount right now, but I couldn't help thinking about the 2500ish miles between here and the Lake Erie canal I get to cruise alongside in a few weeks.
After unloading the bikes at the marina, we sat down on some grass wondering if the 'will return at seven' sign at the marina office meant tonight or tomorrow. Either way, we were eyeing a great (and apparently free) patch of growth next to a late 1800s steam dredger.
Within 30 seconds of my dad throwing his arms behind his head on the grass, a fellow named Brad rolled up on his fixed-gear, visibly excited about seeing our Surlys, and their ridiculous panniers. It was quickly obvious that Brad loves cycling, whether it be touring,
cyclocross, or tris, and his probing questions initially come off as "do you have any idea what you're doing?" but I was quite wrong about Brad.
Hmmm, I fear this drawing on a tad so I'll just fast forward to me setting up my sleeping bag on the captain's bed on the bridge of a $2,000,000 yacht with a pleased stomach of mango ceviche, feta sweet potato fries and one of the finer IPAs this side of India. Iţ was a night of great conversation covering how john deere motors end up propelling ocean-worthy yachts, why a good book and energy bar is all we need to carry and perhaps why owning 17 bikes might complicate your marital status.
Brad's generosity and excitement for living, cycling, and getting conversation going with his sailing buddies and girlfriend to support FHSSA was an early jolt that we didn't see coming. The best part: it wasn't even his boat, he was just getting it prepped for it's next
voyage.
Oh also, since a few of you will ask, I couldn't find any nautical afghans, as I kept my snooping to a minimum...
_______________________
Picture Time:
With Mike & Allison at Mt. Erie Lookout, Anacortes
With Brad, and our home for the night behind us.
Sleep like a captain:
No comments:
Post a Comment