The rumbling sounds like a train, i guess it's the engines! I can tell which direction the ships are going in by the sound of the waves, if the wake is moving north or south down the beach next to me. One sounds VERY close to shore, the engine noise sounds like it's coming right through the campground and the waves from the wake sound like they are about to splash us.
I'm very snug and happy in my bivy sack looking up at Mars and the big dipper as i doze off. The waves from the wakes of the big container ships cruising up and down the center of Puget Sound are rolling in about 30 feet away from me. My riding buddies are in 4 tents spread out behind me, my bike leaning on a log next to me.
The total mileage for the ride to get here? Nine miles.
It's a beautiful cold, clear night, my face poking through the snug hood looking up at the stars. I'm very tired. I sleep well. I wake up in the middle of the night and adjust the extra fleece blanket lining my sleeping bag. Warm again, i quickly fall back asleep, but not before catching a glimpse of an orange crescent moon rising over Seattle, across the fjord from me.
How did we get here?
We met at the ferry terminal in downtown Seattle at 5 pm Friday. Hanna came directly from work and she and i rode the 2 miles from Capitol Hill through heavy rush hour traffic. We made all the lights!
Davey, Donald, Linda were waiting for us at outside the ticket booth. Kei Chi came just to see us off! We got in line and, just moments before the ferry started loading, Ryan & Emily rolled up completing our group. The ferry ride was, as always, fun: comfortable and very scenic. When we got off the ferry, we stopped on the main drag in Winslow for a bite to eat. We took our time.
When we set out from Winslow on our long ride for the day, it was sunset. Dusk fell as we rode through the ferns and evergreens and multi-million dollar houses that fill the forest of Bainbridge Island. Our lights guided us to our campsite. The seven of us rode seven miles through the woods. Venus was shining brightly when we arrived in the meadow by the salt water where we would sleep. We chose sites as close to the water as possible. It only cost $5 per person! (Yet another way we saved money by not driving!)
I tried an experiment on this ride. It wasn't a planned experiment. I woke up Friday morning clearly still sick. I was extremely tired and foggy headed. When Davey called and asked if i was still going with him on his ride, i hesitated, and contemplated as best i could in that condition. It's no fun being sick. If i stayed home i would lie on the couch and feel awful. If i went on the ride, i would feel awful lying under the stars by the water with my friends. That was an easy choice.
I've always believed that fresh air and exercise are very helpful when we are sick, unless you have a fever of course. The whole ride i was moving as if in slow motion. Riding was strange: my legs felt strong, but the rest of me felt very weak. I felt like i rode 90 miles, not nine. I was very tired lying there staring up at the stars.
Fay-Bainbridge Park used to be a state park, but Washington State is closing it's parks, so the city of Bainbridge Island took it over. As we were setting up our tents the park manager came by to say hello. He was very friendly and welcoming... and he sold us firewood! We settled in and ate a bit more.
My geography is pretty good, especially of this area, but i was quite confused by what appeared to be an island in the middle of Puget Sound. A big dark hill blocking downtown Seattle. We stared at it for a while as we set up our tents. We finally figured out that it was the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, and it was the strange angle that was confusing us.
I was very fuzzy headed from being sick, it was a little like being in a cartoon, but i was very happy to be there with good company, gorgeous stars and a great view across the water. We sat around the fire drinking hot cocoa and chatting until Mars was high in the sky when we all crawled off to sleep.
I was happy and i slept well, i could see my bike, the logs and the stars as i dozed off. When i awoke briefly in the middle of the night i flipped my bivy sack's rain hood up over my head, blocking my view of the stars. I tried a new method of keeping the hood off my face on this trip: bicycle cable housing fed through with the drawstring! It worked great.
I awoke to bright sunshine and a gorgeous view across the water. I had slept late, at least late for camping -- it was almost 2 hours after sunrise! Davey was already up and had started the fire.
Hanna got up quick and left us. She had to go back to work. That's the idea of a sub-24-hour-overnight: to escape from town, to ride a little and get a chance to sleep outdoors. Possibly even leave from work and return to work in the morning. Fay-Bainbridge Park is perfect for this.
After we all ate a bit of breakfast we hopped on the bikes and decided to go around the very hilly island instead of directly back to the ferry. I didn't have it in me. I did pretty well for an hour and a half, but then i lost it. Everyone else continued on while i took a 45 minute nap in the grass. I thought seriously about pulling out the bivy sack, but i figured that would be weird since i was essentially in someone's front yard. When i woke up i took a short cut, SLOWLY back to Winslow where i waited in a coffee shop for the rest of the group. Seeing as i was sick, in hindsight i realize i probably should have left with Hanna first thing in the morning.
It was an absolutely great time. Total time spent, from my walking out my door to walking back in again was just over 22 hours. S24O. Sub 24 Hour Overnight!
Red is the Saturday group ride.
Purple is my short cut and green is the route of the rest of the group.The blue dotted line is the view of downtown Seattle we had, identifying the mystery island as Discovery Park and Magnola.
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