Another day of riding. More miles, more sun, and more adventures. The day started off paralleling the coast line of Whidbey Islands and going by a few navy bases. Not too long after starting out I needed to ride Deception Pass. Deception pass is not any of the others that I had seen on this trip. It was not a mountain climb but a narrow bridge that one takes to get off Whidbey Island. I remember from years ago that it was pretty high up, narrow, and no shoulders. The closer that I got to Deception Pass the more nervous I got until I saw a sign that said maximum speed of 30 mph. Now I just needed someone behind me that would not try to pass and would be patient. I was lucky for that did happen. Or, maybe it was because I was taking up so much of the lane that no one could pass me. It was not as bad as it could have been. Immediately upon crossing I stopped to take some pictures and walk back to the midway point of the bridge.
Once that it was done, it was on to Anacortes and eventually Bellingham. I was planning to spend the night in Bellingham because it was too far to make it to the Canadian border in one day. North of Anacortes the head winds were strong, but refreshing. There was one last final climb to Bellingham. It took a while to make it up the hill because once I was away from the water and it was hot. But I did make it into Bellingham for an Arnold Palmer Lite, 1/2 lemonade and 1/2 tea from the first convenience store that I encountered. Little did I know it would be my last.
Today’s stats: total mileage 69.23 miles, average speed 11.7 mph, total elevation gain 3481 feet, elevation lost 3471 feet, maximum speed 45.5 mph.