Part II - Ferries, Food and Fatigue.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"
...Robert Burns

Robbie hit the nail on the head as this is exactly what happened to us today. Firstly I did not rise as early as I had planned, secondly I was ailing and feeling very much under the weather and thirdly I simply felt additional time in bed would be the cure-all to my situation. In the end all that really happened was I got up much too ate and still felt lousy.

Lori made breakfast and a huge pot of tea so I crawled into the shower and then headed for the kitchen. Breakfast was great, but I was still hurting so despite the fact we packed the day before it took some time to get organized and eventually out the door sometime around noon.

We quickly booted over to the border, opting for the truck crossing and headed for the NEXUS lane which was jammed and not moving.To my left was the general riff-raff lane, open and moving with one vehicle in it. We quickly skipped over one lane just in time to see a crew shift change of border patrol personnel which took a lot of time. The driver of the van in front of me of me looked like he was heading to a Grateful Dead concert so the fresh, new officer decided this guy was worth spending some time with and he hassled and hassled the guy finally pointing him over to the secondary interrogation area and further delays. The officer waves me forward, I flash my NEXUS card at the sensor, pull up to the booth and expect to breeze through just like any other day. Yes? No. The guy decides he wants to chat motorcycles with me asking some of the most obtuse questions I've ever heard. I know that customs does not subscribe to idle chit chat and that the line of questioning had it's purpose or perhaps the guy was just power tripping on me either way it took forever to get through.

I opted for a backroad route through the farmlands to Fairhaven which I 'learned' from Kyle Adams, however; I never really mastered it but I gave it a another shot. Every time I try this route it looks different and today's attempt was no exception. Luckily I had my GPS so I was able to sort out what was what and soon we were in Bellingham gassing up Lori's bike. I was still feeling sick as we passed through Fairhaven and onto Hwy 11 know locally as the Chuckanut Drive, a meandering narrow road cut high into the cliffs above Bellingham Bay. A favotite of motorcyclists, this road twists and turns through the trees with ocean views along the way. After running the twisties the elevation drops and the road spits you out into open farmland. Within minutes you're veering off and trundling through the village of Edison, more farms and field and fast upon the junction of Hwy 20. Take a right and head off towards Anacortes another popular motorcycle destination. The annual Oyster Run lures rides in bikers from all over the Pacific North-West of the U.S. and Canada. Not being a crowd fan I forego this pilgrimage but I have friends that go every year and swear by it. The 'Run" was last week or the week before...I'm not sure.

Hwy 20 turns off and after crossing the big bridge at Deception Pass heads south to Whidby Island through the towns of Oak Harbor and Coupville. Fort Casey is another interesting visitor location just to the south-west of Coupville. The fort was once an artillery base and a front line defence post during WWII. The guns and turrets are still there and you are free to wander around. Back in the 1980s Fort Casey was a location site for the movie "An Officer and A Gentleman". Well worth taking the time to visit as it is a very good day-trip destination. We didn't take in the fort this trip as we'd been there many times before and were wanting to catch the Port Townsend ferry with departed from the ferry terminal about a mile away.



We roll up to the ticket booth where the fare for two bikes and two riders was a grand total of $9.80. What a deal. BC Ferries can't even come close to the Washington State Ferries rates. Granted the boats are older and lack all the terminal shops and the on-board services of BC Ferries but for a thirty-five minute ferry ride I don't want any frills.I got a good cup of coffee and I was happy. The crossing to Port Townsend was uneventful albeit foggy and in no time at all we were rolling off the boat and looking for a motel.

As luck would have it we found a nice motel less than a mile from the ferry terminal and we quickly checked in and unpacked the bikes. A woman at the ferry terminal had recommended a seafood restaurant which was within walking distance to our motel so off we go.

Now all day Lori had her taste-buds tuned up for salmon and thankfully they had such bill of fare on the menu. We both ordered the grilled salmon with vegetables and rice. oh and we started off with some of the meatiest clam chowder I've ever tasted! In fact they won an award this week for the "Best Chowder On The Olympic Peninsula" and let me tell you they came by it honestly. The salmon was grilled to perfection and the veggies included carrots, zucchini and broccoli. .Too full for deserts, although I was eyeing the large assortment of pies and pastries in the glass cabinet we took our bill and chatted on the walk back to the hotel. Recommendation.....If you're in Port Townsend WA and are hungry for seafood go to the Bayview Restaurant. Come off the ferry turn left and it's the first building on your left about a quarter mike from the ferry dock. Great food...Great friendly service!

We're back at the motel and planning tomorrow's activities. The lovely autumn weather is holding so tomorrow will be another great day on the road. So it's good night from Lori and I.