Bay View, WA to Oak Harbor, WA - 32 miles
This morning while breaking camp, the thought crossed my mind that we hadn't used our first aid kit yet on this trip. A fact for which I was grateful, but knew that by thinking it, I may jinx our good streak. Today, we had to use the first aid kit. What a blessing it was only for a scraped knuckle.
Off and on for the last 5 years, our family has biked to church. This morning was no different. Well, a little different in that we had to bike a lot farther. We had the option to back track 5 miles to the closest chapel, or continue making forward progress and go to church in Oak Harbor, 26 miles away. By leaving our campsite at 8:30 in the morning, we made it to church by 1pm with just minutes to spare. Another blessing!
In the past, I've always been excited to see a "Scenic Route" sign on the side of the rode. It means that the drive ahead will be filled with beautiful vistas. "Scenic Route" means something very different to me on a bicycle. I now know that "Scenic Route" in cyclish translates to very steep hills.
Shortly after crossing the bridge onto Whidbey Island, we heard an incredible noise! It wasn't the loudest noise I've ever heard, but definitely the biggest. I imagined I just heard a space shuttle launch or a volcano eruption. We found out later that it was an F-18 circling the base with its afterburners.
We had planned to bike another 10 miles after church to the next state park, but we had a wonderful turn of events. We ran into some friends at church that we knew from Stephen's BYU days. They invited us to stay at their home for the evening. Dinner in a cozy log cabin, a washer and dryer, comfortable beds and a beautiful view of Puget sound and the San Juan Islands were unexpected blessings of attending church.
Thank you Thuets!!!
