We said goodbye to our most accommodating hosts, Kim and  Mike along with Kim’s visiting brother, Karl. We had such an enjoyable visit with five star food and lodging.

Karl, Kim, Mike

WHAT A DAY…. Now think of the best cycling conditions you can imagine….Is your list complete?  Well that is what we had today.  Mare’s tail clouds looking over us from high overhead, pothole free pavement expanding into shoulders perfect for cycling, constantly changing bucolic vistas, natures fragrances masquerading as a perfume factory, bird songs beckoning us to wheel around every corner, thermo regulated air so we were never too hot or cold and enough chocolate, caffeine and water to fuel the ups and downs of the road. 

Someone even smothered the wind so the flags were suspended limply from their pole. Have you ever heard of riding on a bicycle without facing the wind?

Some of the 'uppage' and 'downage' as we roll along.

Roadside flowers fuel our visual delight as we wheel along our chosen route. Birds and animals appear as if on command.

White-crowned Sparrow eating lunch.

Osprey looking for lunch.

White-tailed deer in need of some dental floss.

At one turn in the road Cathy noticed a sign that confirmed all of the warnings presented in her Earth Hazards course.  Can you out-peddle a Tsunami? It is rumoured that these signs are paid for by Saskatchewan Tourism.

We stopped for a pleasant meander through a site that used to be a working farm, was sold for development and ultimately rescued with the hard work and dedication of local residents. It now houses art galleries a cheese store and a winery.

We unfolded our Whidbey Island map every few miles to check on our destination and ended up at a most beautiful B&B here in Coupeville. 

An interesting local law insists that every new house constructed in Coupeville look as if it is 100 years old.  It boggles the mind to imagine just how much energy and effort went into local politics to make that idea stick.  The result is a charming community that attracts tourists from a wide area. Here are two random examples.

Today we start on the bicycle portion of our trip.  Pete et al drove us to Mukilteo and across on the ferry to Whidbey Island. 

We spent the next few hours exploring the back roads on our way to meet up with Kim Kelzer and Mike Scott, artist friends from my Emma connections. The back roads on Whidbey Island are perfect for cycling and provide lots of ups and downs to keep our legs working.

 Beautiful roadside flowers dot the ditches.

As we approached a local vineyard I noticed this employee carefully collecting pesky bugs and moving them off the property.

Downy Woodpecker with full mouth.

 A short ride brings us to the small town of Langley (Not the B.C. Langley) where Cathy spies a sign that says ‘Soups On’. It turns out we have stumbled upon a local church offering a free meal to any wayward soul that happens by.  We are delighted to have a bowl of carrot/ginger soup and a slice of bread, leave a donation and carry on our way.

Volunteers welcoming us to the Soup Kitchen.

Inside the Soup Kitchen

Later on we arrive in Freeland where we stop for a coffee at a drive through specializing in bicycle traffic. We know this because of the two bikes parked in front of the window. 

We then wind our way around Freeland and eventually stumble across Kim’s workshop.  I recognized it immediately by the pink band saw standing on guard in the work shop. 

We visit with Kim and Mike for the rest of the afternoon and then eat a delicious supper they prepared for us. A walk around the neighborhood finishes our evening.

Kim picking garden supplies for supper.
Notice the deer and rabbit proof fence.

Baby bunny just waiting to grow big enough to try and eat Kim's lettuce.

Today started out with a ride into Kirland to check out our bikes, make sure they were road worthy after the train ride, and do some shopping at Sur la Table, a great kitchen supply, cooking shop. 

The main focus of the day was the celebration of Kenny’s grade twelve graduation. Now this was an impressive event with a bewildering array of the most talented young people you could imagine.  Every grad had secured a spot in a post secondary institution reflecting the top schools in the U.S.A and Canada.  A flavor of the evening follows.

Student speaker

Student speaker

Some of the festivities as the grads celebrate their accomplishments.

Kenny getting his diploma.

Drabble Family with new grad 'Kenny'

The whole family here to support Kenny

Kenny with evidence of lots of hard work.

Awoke at 6:00 at Peter and Yasue’s here in Kirland Washington with the best of intentions to head out on a long brisk walk to remove the sludge of inactive train travel. About 100 steps down the road there was a brief skirmish with Nature and I was held captive for the next hour in a small pocket park created by the local residents. They have removed invasive species, installed natural pathways, planted native trees shrubs and flowers, fought with the brutish Himalayan Blackberry bush, defeated English Ivy and created a natural habitat for all species to enjoy. Here are some of the images from my saunter through Cotton Hill Park.

Spotted Tohee

Here is a Song Sparrow brightening the morning. Be sure your sound is on.

Slug enjoying slithering on grasses

The largest Horsetail I've encountered

More monster Horsetail

Starting Friday June 14, 2012

We are off on another adventure on our new favorite mode of transportation….VIA Rail. The train offers such a slowed down, civilized, way to move from one place to another.  We arrived at the station in Saskatoon in lots of time to check in. Our first encounter with a VIA Rail person involved a hilarious exchange with a very relaxed employee who was having great fun hinting at the inevitable fate awaiting our bicycles stashed in cardboard boxes. As the train pulled into the station we observed Cathy’s brother John and his wife Diane waving at us from one of the cars.  They had boarded in Winnipeg and are travelling with us to Vancouver. Our next VIA personage could not have been more friendly and accommodating while he explained where our car was, how to access our reserved seats and where the amenities on board could be found.  It struck me that VIA Rail and Air Canada (motto ‘we’re not happy until you’re not happy’) may have divergent views on how to satisfy customers.

Trent and Cathy with boxed bikes.

Basking in the slow rhythm of train movement while visiting in the dome car the four of us spent an hour catching up before we headed off to our bunk beds, snuggled into our comfy nests and melted into the soothing sway of a moving train. As five o’clock am approached I was so excited about catching the morning sun wash its warm glow across the prairie/parkland that I unwound my carcass from the upper bunk put some clothes on it and headed for the dome car.  There, through the rain and fog I could make out that the train was still rolling along on its metallic ribbon headed in the general direction of Edmonton.  My momentary disappointment in arising to a grey cloudy day was soon vanquished as the sun slowly beat back the clouds and replaced monochrome with full color.

In Edmonton a Panorama car was added just ahead of our car and provided another great way to view the world according to VIA.

Panorama car as seen from the station in Jasper.

Viewing within the Panorama car

After a great brunch with linen table clothes and silver service (remember the comment about civilized?) we headed back to our beds for an afternoon nap (remember the comment about civilized?) in preparation for a walk in Jasper.

VIA rail dinner setting.

The train is running a bit late so our walk in Jasper is only about 30 minutes.

Main Street Jasper

We board the train again with the promise of ‘Bon Voage’ drinks and hors d’oerves in the dome car.

A glass of sparkling wine enables complete relaxation as the mountain scenery is rolled out in front and behind the train.

Suddenly there is great excitement as word comes from the conductor that a black bear is foraging on the side of the tracks.  Luckily I was on the correct side of the train to snap a picture. I swear the bear is blurry from the window glass refraction and not the wine!

Soon we are sitting down to a delicious meal of baked Salmon or Rack of lamb prefaced with soup, salad and finished off with carrot cake desert.

The mountain scenery continues to block the view, dumping gushing rivers, craggy peaks, brilliant green forests and tumbling waterfalls in front of our eyes obscuring the pastel shades of the familiar prairie grasses!

Pyramid Falls, B.C.