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Next week we are squeezing in another short tour before the end of the season. Originally we were wanting to stay at a farmhouse bed and breakfast on Whidbey Island, but they were all booked up or wanted more than a single nights stay and we only have two and half days to go out and back before we both have to be back at work. Instead, we'll be staying at hotels, which isn't what we wanted, but we are both happy to be able to get out and ride!

The first day starts when my girlfriend gets off work in the afternoon. We'll ride right about 20 miles from our apartment in north Seattle up to the hotel at the north end of Paine Field in Everett. There don't seem to be in motels or cheap hotel options in this area, and this one at least has a hot tub and a view of the active runway and airport, but it's pricey.

The next morning we'll be less than five miles from the Mukilteo ferry which will get us over to Whidbey Island. Doing research online, I found a trail that leads alongside the railroad tracks from Boeing towards the Sound. I'm looking forward to exploring this rather than taking Mukilteo Speedway, which although it has a bike lane, is probably about as pleasant for a cyclist as its name would imply, it being highway 525 and all.

Our goals for this tour, other than generally exploring and getting to have dinner with some friends that moved to Whidbey, was for us to get to pet some alpacas and llamas and maybe other farm animals. Unfortunately our first stop of that kind bowed out due to being busy with their harvest so we are waiting to hear back from our next alternate more or less on our planned route.

We are going to ride along the northern shore of the eastern half of the island for the first day, stopping in Langley at the yarn shop there and then rolling on to the Chocolate Flower Farm to explore its delights. Next we'll be stopping at Putney Woods to take a quick peek at this series of trails to see what it is like. We'll be set up similarly to our last two day trip; with my bike having two panniers and hers being unloaded. Although we'll be on converted mountain bikes, between the racks, panniers, fenders, and upright handlebars I don't think we'll be exploring down any of the trails here, just stopping to get a feel for the place, and hopefully eyeball a large map if they have one posted.

Depending on time constraints we'll either follow the coast around the northeast tip of the western part of the island or cut across it to Olympic Mist Farm to pet some alpacas. From there we'll roll a few more miles into Freeland and our hotel for the night and a nice dinner with friends. Total mileage for this day will be about 25 miles, although I expect it might be hilly on Whidbey!

The next day will be a long ride for us, well within my means, but probably the longest day in the saddle my partner will have ever had. We'll take a slightly less circuitous route back across the island to the ferry terminal this day, stopping to check out the Earth Sanctuary preserve and Ca'Buni Coffee Roasters cafe, before stopping at Sonshine farm to pet some alpacas and goats. We'll log about 14 miles across the island.

From the ferry terminal back to our place in Seattle we've got a choice of the direct route along Mukilteo Speedway and then over the Interurban Trail and home or to take a more scenic route and explore along the coast. I'm hoping we'll try the later, but we both know that route is hilly and will also take our mileage that day from about 35 miles up to around 45, which is fine by me, but a little daunting to my partner. Especially as she rarely rides a 20 mile day and has never done three such days in a row.

Of course, two weeks ago the weather forecasts were for very clear and perhaps warmer than we'd like. Now the forecasts are calling for rain at times on at least two of the days! Hopefully our luck will hold! We don't mind a little light rain or drizzle and would welcome lower temperatures, so hopefully it'll work out just right. Showers are predicted part of the time, so hopefully we can duck under some pleasant shelter somewhere if there is a downpour and wait for it to pass. I'm used to riding in the rain, but that is usually just for an hour and with a shower at the end. She, on the other hand, is not used to riding in real rain at all!