Dwagenheim

I woke up after a nice comfortable sleep on the couch. Nicky and Jason were getting ready for work. I said goodbye to Nicky and then had some coffee with Jason before he took off. Laurel was up so we rode back over to the house. I fixed up some pancakes and eggs for Laurel and Jessica and then began fixing up my things for my departure from Bellingham. I put in the movie, “The Nightmare before Christmas” to watch as I packed my things. By noon I was ready to go. I tried getting in touch with Servas hosts in Anacortes and even Port Townsend but was unable to so I finally got in touch with a host in La Conner. Lauren was very nice and gave me directions to their place. I headed out and had a scenic ride along Bellingham Bay and Samish Bay on State Road 11, also known as Chuckanut Drive. I was able to see the San Juan and Orcas Islands through a thin mist in the air. After about 15 miles, I rode out of ups and downs and onto flat farmland. I got a more detailed map from a nice guy at a convenience store in a small town called Bow and then continued cycling through the farmland. I passed by the Samish River and saw many fisherman trying to land King and Silver Salmon that were now running up to spawn. There was a light sprinkle from above along with a slight headwind but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Eventually, I crossed a busy State Road 20 and was on my way towards La Conner in a heavier drizzle that required my rain jacket. I knew Lauren’s husband, Billie, wouldn’t be home until after 5pm so I went to the grocery store to kill some time. I picked up some marinara, breadcrumbs, and parmesan to make an eqqplant and squash parmesan with the leftover veggies I too from last night’s kabob fest. I met a nice guy named Monty outside the grocery and we talked a bit about salmon fishing on the Samish River and then I pedaled on towards Lauren and Billie’s house. I had to wait about 20 minutes before Billie and their daughter Hannah, and Sandra, a foreign exchange student from Columbia, arrived. Everyone was very welcoming and I felt very comfortable. I had a good conversation with Billie, Hannah and Sandra while I prepared dinner. I even practiced my Spanish with Sandra. The meal was a success and after dinner, I had a nice relaxing bath. Around 9pm, Lauren came home and we were able to meet in person. Lauren is a midwife and Billie is a 7th grade science teacher. We stayed up a bit longer talking and looking at some of my photos from observing in Alaska and other travels in Ecuador. It was pretty clear hat everyone was wiped out from a long day and they were soon off to bed. I stayed up a bit longer and used the internet before calling it a night. (32 miles)

Peace

Dave