During the planning stage of this tour I was told that it was possible to catch the ferry straight into Seattle from Anacortes, but (as with most advice and recommendations received along the way) this turned out to be a pink elephant. Somebody else told me that you could catch the shuttle bus into Seattle, but the small print stated that a bike must be boxed, and so having no huge boxes to hand canceled that option.
Therefore last night was spent surfing the net figuring out a way of getting into Seattle without touching busy roads, and after much googling I decided that it would be best to catch the ferry into Sidney BC and cycle down to Victoria BC to board the fast ferry into the center of Seattle. So that is what happened.
The cruse into Sidney was one of the best I’d been on, it rated up there with the one I took from the Shetland Isles to Orkney Isles last year. The boat negotiated its way through the Juan Islands, a group of evergreen covered islands in between the Washington Coast and Vancouver Island, and docked in Sidney BC.
Sidney was far more relaxed than Anacortes, walking down the high street was a pleasant experience with people sitting outside coffee shops soaking up the sun. A few people asked me where I was going, it was kind of strange explaining that I was within the last couple of kelometers of completing this epic bike ride, and kind of sad too. I met a Scottish lady in a sports shop and we spend a good half hour talking about Scotland, the Isle of Arran, and the Highlands. She was actually the second Scot I met in the last week who had moved here, so it must remind them of the motherland – but not today as it was warm and sunny!
From Sidney I used the Lochside and Galloping Goose trail, a cycle trail which in places uses former railway lines and takes you from North Saanich to Victoria BC and up the Sooke River to end close to its source. But today I was only going to take it as far as Victoria, just over 30Km from Sidney.
The route was like a cyclist’s race track with people using it for training and commuting, for some crazy reason I kept attracting people who would overtake and then slow down, and then when you’d say “hi!” they’d totally ignore you or give that “freek of nature” look. Charming. Anyway, the view of the bay and docks were splendid, Vancover Island is definantly worth a visit and according to a chap I met a few days ago in Winthrup the northern part is even better.
In Victoria I stumbled upon a music event celebrating British Columbia’s 150 anniversary, what a way to end the trip, it was a shame Dave (who I lost yesterday) wasn’t here to see it, as there was a real party atmosphere going on.
Walking through the crowds I met Bruce an events organizer (I think that was what he said) and he inteviewed me on video (I think he’d need to add subtitles to it as the music was very loud!), who asked me all sorts of questions about the journey. It was funny seeing the reaction of the passers by as they must have wondered what was going on.
Afterwards I was recommended by a lady at a bus stop to have a bite to eat at the James Bay Tea Room, a small place within earshot of the music . On its walls hung more photos and portraits of the Royal Family than those found on Lady Di’s butler’s bedroom (I’m guessing). So I put on my best English accent and asked for a chicken pot pie, which made the waitress laugh as they don’t really get that many British tourists passing by – she actually thought I was taking the mickey at first, then realized that I was genuine!
At 6pm I caught the Victoria Clipper, the fast ferry into Seattle. I don’t remember much of that as I was fast asleep, but I do remember seeing Mt Baker in the distance and waking up to views of Seattle’s night lights shimmering away on the water.
Once I went through customs and reassembled the bike (everything had to be taken off) I hit the road in search of a place to stay. It was tricky as I really had no idea what to expect, so I asked around and after riding in totally the wrong direction and through huge crowds of baseball fans I found the Arctic Club, a brand new hotel in the heart of town and stayed here for the night.
Over the next couple of days I will post a few touristy photos of Seattle, so keep checking this blog as I will continue it till I board the plane!
Total distance cycled: 7516.10Km / 4670miles
