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Published: September 3rd 2014
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HOMEWARD BOUND Sitting here in La Conner at the Channel Lodge for our last night out, it is with mixed feelings that I write this, our penultimate blog. I can't quite believe the trip is almost at an end. Over two months of bliss, fun and adventure. My butt will never be the same again.
What a perfect, poetic final full day of riding to round out our travels, with a variety of environments and scenery stimulating us along the way. Starting with sunshine and blue skies shining on red apple orchards in Washington State just outside Okanogan, WA, to lush green firs and pines in the Cascade mountains, to recently burned out forest stands projecting pungent smells of fresh ash in the crisp air, to a nothing short of spectacular with drop-dead gorgeous scenery on route 20 traversing the North Cascades National Park, an outdoorsman's paradise. It was much cooler in the Cascades, and by the time we exited the pass, the rainclouds decided to have their way, forcing us to take another coffee stop to let the front pass through. Route 20 exits onto I-5 just north of Seattle, right at the Burlington factory outlets. How convenient!
WE spent much longer there than anticipated because of ridiculous rainfall there too. i wish I had taken a photo, but it was coming down so fast and hard, we would have been drowned just retrieving the camera from the topbag. The only thing keeping us going now was anticipation of getting to La Conner, where we chose to stay at the same lodge that we spent our first night out on last year's trip. Perfection. I love this lodge, and La Conner, we have many boating memories here too, and it's a good thing we have no room left on the bikes since La Conner is a shoppers delight, full of one of a kind boutiques offering unique apparel, housewares, you name it. Our room overlooks the channel, and the thunderclouds that seem to be following us around have cleared up and the sun is now shining on the water. It's beautiful.
Shortly after leaving Okanogan, we rode on the Cascade Scenic Byway and took a step into the past in Winthrop, WA. It's quite remarkable at times that Ian and I are so on the same page in life. We immediately conversed over the mikes that we
should stop for coffee at a little bakery on the edge of this very small, historic charming town, a place we had not visited before. There was an air of calm energy here too, as odd as that sounds, with fit, energetic people sipping on coffee, eating breakfast, some at outdoor patio cafes, some at tables littering the sidewalks. Several quiet bikes were scattered each side of the small three block town. We were able to chat with two young bikers from Point Grey, Vancouver who were riding Suzuki DL650 sport adventure bikes and taking gravel roads wherever they could, listening to them regale stories about their flat tire mishap and having to pag the other carrying the wheel to a tire shop 20 miles away, to camping at 7,000 feet and almost freezing. And we thought we were adventurous?? They have YOUTH on their side lol !
Last autumn, we took a short bike ride down through Washington State on Highway 97, straight into Wenatchee and Leavenworth, mostly because my Mum had always talked about her trip there many many years ago to see the lights in the Bavarian Village and we wanted to see it for ourselves.
They are quite commercial towns compared to Winthrop as well as Coeur D'Alene, which projected a vivid impression of vibrancy, hip and energy, its many lakeside restaurant patios crowded and buzzing with happy people. These are definitely two places we want to return to sooner rather than later. A winter road trip in the comforts of the car perhaps? All we need to do is say "We Should Do That" and it will happen....
We both also asked each other repeatedly "Why haven't we ever ridden or driven route 20 before now?" Last year when we started our trip to St. John's, we thought about taking this route, but it was one of several passes that were still closed due to snowfall.
Riding unplugged once again, I had much time to think about all the places we have been in the last two months, and the variety in the scenery, weather and people we have met along the way. Specifically, I kept thinking about what everyone's day might look like today as we ride our last full day: the Swamp People milling about their houseboat cottages feeding the alligators; the small Vicksburg neighbourhood families trying to stay cool
on their porches at the end of the day; the border patrol folk driving up and down and up and down; the Vegas mayhem with its tired-looking inhabitants; impatient drivers in Houston, Texas, desperate to get home at the end of the day. There are so many memories to sift through as we wind down our trip. While the scenery makes a massive impression, ultimately the joy comes from the people you meet along the way and hearing their story in life. And this is just America. It makes me want to explore more further afield, not necessarily on the bikes mind you! People have asked us during the last two months why we didn't go to certain places when we were so close, and the answer is simple: not on the bike! We deliberately avoided large cities, mostly because trying to navigate them using small GPSs negotiating madhouse traffic across several lanes while trying to stay together is too stressful. It certainly wasn't because we weren't interested in visiting them. So cities like Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Memphis, just to name a few, will be part of a road trip in the car someday. Just not this time.
To close out today's blog, with our final blog to come tomorrow, I want to acknowledge that it has been an incredible privilege to be able to take 8 weeks, two years in a row, to accomplish an adventure of this magnitude. I say to anyone out there that if you can seize the moment now while you are in good health to cross something off your own bucket list, life is too short to not dive in and just do it. And to my husband, an incredible partner, with whom I have shared this amazing time - thank you for making it easy, for being there through the cold and the heat, for booking all the hotels on your laptop (!), for picking some of the best spots to explore, for your sense of adventure, and for just being there for me no matter what. I love you.
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George
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Almost home
Been enjoying all of your daily reports. Glad you had the energy and dedication to write them up. Looking forward to seeing you back at Victoria. I'm sure your blogs on your daily commutes to work won't be nearly as interesting :)