Port Angeles

We slept in until almost 8am.......wait......I have to take a moment to really appreciate what I just wrote.....in my life since college I have rarely slept past 7am, but I am beginning to appreciate now that I can just turn over and go back to sleep at 6am with no feelings of guilt, or that I am "burning daylight".  OK, I realize it's taken me the better part of 6 months to get to that point, and maybe, just maybe I am there now.  Spending the summer in the Pacific Northwest has made that transition easier because there is SO MUCH DAYLIGHT up here!  It starts to get light around 4:30am, and gets dark around 10:30pm, so that's like 16 hours of daylight.....lol!

After a leisurely breakfast I got the road bikes ready for our ride into Port Angeles.  There is a bike path that runs from Sequim (we passed through there a couple of days ago) past Port Angeles, and it is a very nice bike path.  The entrance was about 1 mile from Conestoga Quarters RV Park so we headed out about 10am for the 12 mile ride into Port Angeles.....if we had ridden the highway (101) directly into town it would have been 8-9 miles, but I wouldn't trade one mile of the bike path we rode on yesterday for 101, which has a lot of traffic, and noise, although there is a LARGE shoulder on which to ride.  

Every time we head out on a ride I mentally debate what to bring in the way of extra clothing.  Occasionally I get "arrogant" and just bring what I am wearing.  In Washington that arrogance is always met quickly with a change in the weather which makes me regret what I didn't bring with me.  Thursday, as we followed the tree walled bike path through the local forest toward the coast we rounded a corner and were met with a wall of fog.  Mind you, when we left the RV park it was sunny, and about 65 degrees.....when the fog rolls in the temperature drops about 15 degrees quickly.  So there I was, once again, in a short sleeve Tshirt, and fingerless gloves wishing I had brought a long sleep shirt along, and my finger gloves, and maybe some ear muffs!  The Lovely Elaine, who is always very thoughtful about what extra clothing she brings along was prepared, and I rode the last 7 miles into town in the fog cheering on the sun to break through and thaw my extremities out.

 Before the FOG

 A long bridge over a local river, and over a protected habitat.

 Nice view of the still snow covered Olympics

 Into the FOG

Eventually the trail found its way to the coast, and although it was cold (for me) we did enjoy the uninterrupted views for several miles.  We finally arrived in Port Angeles around 11:45am just as the sun was winning its battle with Mr. FOG, and, at my suggestion, made our way directly to the local Goodwill Industries where I picked up a $4.99 red long sleeve Tshirt that I wore for the rest of the trip.....lol!  

After our visit to Goodwill we rode around town for a while enjoying the sites, and ultimately ended up at the "Next Door Gastro Pub".  We chose this pub using the Droid Yelp app on my phone.  This pub has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating and it lived up to its billing.  The first order of business was to order a Steam Train Porter while Elaine ordered a 9 lb. Porter and an appetizer tray of fish tacos which we shared.  The Porters were delish, and the fish tacos were cherished bite by bite.  We sat in the sidewalk patio enjoying the now sunshinny skies, and the passing rush of humanity through downtown.

I took this picture on our way back.....we stopped at the local Safeway Supermarket to pick up some half and half.  As I waited for Elaine (while watching the bikes) I was struck by how much snow is still visible on the peaks of the nearby Olympic Mountains......a lot for late July.


We arrived "home" around 3:15pm, spending the next few hours reading with a little napping (by me) thrown in for good measure.  Around 6pm I pulled out the BBQ and grilled two bison burgers while Elaine made some yummy squash and mushrooms.  We spent about 20 minutes after dinner talking via Skype with our daughter Sharon.  We are so thankful for Skype keeping us connected to our kids.


Well that was our Thursday.......today we continue westward about 63 miles to the town of Forks, WA where we will spend the afternoon in the Hoh Rain Forest.


Thanks for stopping by!