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| arrival, surly long haul trucker trip two |
Thirty five miles doesn't seem like a long way to ride, but it sure felt like it when we arrived at the State park. It was about a 27 mile ride to the ferry. We were several miles away from the ferry and could see it would soon arrive. Riding as fast as we could against a head wind, we made it in time to buy our tickets and board as the last walk-on group. The ferry ride gave us a nice break to rest and take in the water views.
After arriving at the next port, we rode another 7 miles to the campsite and camped under a forest of tall trees.
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| sunrise the next morning |
We woke just before sunrise and had our breakfast. We are travelling without a cooking apparatus. Since they are overnighters only, we freeze a small carton of milk the night before we leave. It is still cold by the next morning and we mix that with instant coffee. Not really great tasting but it gets me going. So far I like having everything prepared before we leave (nuts, dried fruit, crackers, cheese, deli meats, p&j sandwiches, wine) and just pulling it out to eat as we get hungry.
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| on our way out |
Surprisingly, so far, sleeping outside has been noisier than sleeping in our own house. Both state parks had their own noisy quirks and very little nature sounds. As they say, it's more about the journey than the destination, and I have completely enjoyed the bike tours ... two in all ... thus far, and we are already planning our next one.
joining 52 photos project
Just a quick note: my art blog has moved to http://GalleryJuana.com.
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| night bugs against an evening sky |
Recently we took our first overnight bike tour which went pretty well. For the time being we are making do with the camping equipment we already have, so items are heavier than we'd like. A plus side: although the tent is huge, which adds to the weight, it is roomy and comfy.
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| surly lht, just arrived |
Most of the State parks have bicycle/hiker campgrounds and are usually off one of the hiking trails. It didn't take us long to reach the park. After one hour and a half ride, we reached the park. There was some highway riding which was very unnerving.
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| sweet peas flower stand |
On the way back, we took a different route making most of the way on side streets with less traffic and most with a bike lane. Along the way, we passed forests, farm lands, wild berry vines and flower stands.
joining light and dark at 52 photos
Just a quick note: my art blog has moved to http://GalleryJuana.com.
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| surly long haul trucker touring bike |
For a couple of years now, we've been dreaming of touring on a bike and we finally took the leap and purchased our first touring bikes: surly long haul truckers in smoggy pearl with bamboo fenders.
They go back to the bike shop today to have the front and back racks put on. I wanted to take a few rides in the meantime so we brought them home before the racks were in. The bike rides beautifully. There is always a rush of freedom and adventure that I feel when I am on a bicycle.
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| day one, surly long haul trucker |
My first long bike trip was in sixth grade. The class had a bike trip planned from the school to the Nursing home where we sang and visited with the seniors that lived there. The nursing home was less than a mile from the school, but I didn't live near either location. I really wanted to ride my bike with everyone and ride to school. That meant riding the 8 miles from my house to the school. As I'd never done that before, my Mom followed me in her car to make sure I had no problems. All went well and I rode home that day happy and filled with a sense of possibility.
joining childhood games with 52 photos
Just a quick note: my art blog has moved to http://GalleryJuana.com.
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| music and art at choochokam arts festival |
Every July the choochokam arts festival comes to Whidbey Island for the weekend and features arts, crafts, music and food.
This year I actually got out and joined everyone in the street dancing. Although I was probably more conservative with my "letting go," it was still quite freeing and surreal. I loved the music by Will West & the friendly strangers and bought both available cds (sunshine and take this moment).
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| street dancing |
I normally wear sneakers as I walk or ride my bike mostly, but I thought I'd wear sandals that evening. Luckily, I caught a ride after walking a few blocks with the local golf cart commuter, and he took me all the way into town. Hours later, my husband and I walked home from the festival completely revived from the music and festivities.
joining 52 photos for this is what I found
In the meantime, we got ourselves a couple of cheap, recycled bicycles from our neighbor. He rescues them from going to the landfill and brings them back to life.
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| bikes on the ferry |
Weekend rides are longer and our daily rides are to the nearby forests. Mostly we ride to our favorite hiking spots, hike, and then ride home. A couple of weekends ago, we took the ferry to mainland and rode around for a bit.
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| riding the ferry |
Hopefully cars can spot us more easily with these bright, neon t-shirts that we wear. I wear my bicycle helmet when riding. I just didn't have it on while on the ferry:)
joining Neon Color at 52 photos project.
Sit still my heart,
do not raise your dust.
Let the world find its way to you.
Rabindranath Tagore
joining 52 photos for stripes
my art blog has moved to http://GalleryJuana.com
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| book pages and self-portrait |
See? You do remember.
I taught you dancing, too,
and languages and all the music that I knew
and how to love what's beautiful.The Lion in Winter, James Goldman
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| jump! |
March 11th was a Monday and I can't remember much about what I did that day except for one exceptional moment.
That day I was at the gym on the treadmill which happens to be right at the window facing out onto the street. Most people driving by usually look our way and it's evident that we see each other. Has that ever happened to you: you are looking at someone looking at you? Most of the time it comes down to who looks away first or how do you pretend you're looking at something different and not them? Or better yet, you smile and maybe they smile back.
On that day, two young guys were walking down the street. One was carrying a skateboard and the other was carrying a milk jug with the lid off. I and two other people were on the treadmills. I was jogging and looking out when I saw the milk jug guy wave at us. A couple of seconds passed and I decided to wave back and realized I was the only one to return the wave.
We were strangers and the distance was measured by layers measured in time, feet and accessibility. I admit that I was apprehensive, but why? What did I have to lose? The layers of anonymity make it easier to be less human. They would soon be out of my view so I didn't really have to return their hello. I felt safer with those layers in place. And by returning their hello, I had cut through those layers and become more human.
As soon as I had finished my wave to them, they both celebrated by jumping up and down. Liquid was flying out of the milk jug with every jump and they both got creative with how they jumped. They continued on in this way until they were no longer in my view.
As I couldn't get a photo of them that day, I took this photo of me jumping in the woods to commemorate that happenstance. Those two guys really made my day!
joining 52 photos for Layers.
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