Port Townsend Tour
I was only home a day and still dealing with one of the worst head colds I’ve ever had. I only had time to do laundry and repack my suitcase before I had to take off for the Olympic Peninsula where I would be spending the weekend.
It was Thursday and I was catching a ferry in order to spend the next several nights in Port Townsend for Cascade’s new Port Townsend Tour. Hotels were too pricey, but I found a room at an AirBnB with a couple of hippy type folks. They had been building their house by themselves for the past decade. I had a comfortable room to myself as well as a private bathroom. I didn’t have access to the kitchen, though, so I had to eat my meals at a restaurant. I told the hosts that while they may hear me cough, it was from a head cold and the Covid test I took that morning was negative.
After getting settled in, I went in search of food. I went to my favorite Thai restaurant in Port Townsend. Then I called up Nathan to make arrangements for me to visit him and his wife, Cindy, sometime over the weekend. I also stopped at the grocery store and picked up some tissues and cough drops before heading back to the AirBnB.
When I got there, the hosts were in their hot tub…in the buff. I know this because the woman got out and wrapped a towel around her naked body before heading inside. As I was entering the home, I caught a glimpse of an old man’s naked butt getting out of the tub.
That night I was awake a lot due to coughing. I would use saline to rinse my nasal passages and suck on cough drops, sleep an hour or so, then wake up coughing again. This was repeated all night long.
I got up early before everyone else the next morning and headed to a café in the fisherman’s marina to have breakfast. I knew it was a winner because the local fishermen were lined up waiting to get in (they had just opened).
After breakfast I drove to the start point for day one of the bike tour. There I met up with my friends Theresa and Robin, who also ride ebikes. In fact, Robin had the same make a model as my bike, but in white instead of red.
Theresa couldn’t keep up with us, though, so Robin and I rode together without her. I finally found an ebike rider who matched my pace!
I admired Robin because she rode the Seattle to Portland (STP) a few months early. That event is 204 miles ridden over two days. She carried extra batteries and had her own support driver, which is what I plan to do in 2023.
I had ridden most of the day’s route before from my many trips to Port Townsend with my bike. It was a first for Robin.
After the ride, I grabbed some snacks for later and headed to at a cidery in Chimacum, a short drive away. I bought a pizza for dinner at the winery (they had an outdoor clay oven) and a flight of ciders to try. One was a habanero cider, which was interesting and had a bit of a kick when it hit the back of my tongue.
As it got dark, I drove back to the AirBnB. The host said she heard me coughing all night and asked if I wanted some throat coat tea. It helped a bit, but I ended up coughing a lot during the night (again). I had been ok during the bike ride, but as soon as I lay down, I start coughing.
The next morning, I again went to the same café for breakfast then on to the start location for the second tour day.
Again, I was mostly familiar with the route, but it did take me to Port Ludlow where I hadn’t been before. We had lunch there, catered by the resort (and only hotel).
After the ride, I went to the Old Consulate Inn in Port Townsend to visit with Nathan and Cindy, the owners. They used to live in Seattle but bought the B&B about 10 years ago, so I rarely see them anymore. The visit was brief because they were heading to a wedding.
At 5pm, I met up with others on the bike tour, including the person who helped organize it, at the winery where we had been starting our rides each day. They didn’t have food, so I had picked up something from the grocery store (sushi) and a drink from Starbucks (I wasn’t in the mood for wine). The Olympic Peninsula Trails Coalition was there to tell us plans for the gaps in the Olympic Discovery Trail. I ended up buying a bike jersey from them, though I really have too many already. Cascade also handed out tee shirts to everyone on the tour. These tees displayed the logo I had designed for the event.
When I got back to the AirBnB that evening, I was still coughing a lot and didn’t want to disturb the hosts and their other guests all night. I decided to pack up and skip day three of the bike tour and headed home.
