Being Lance Armstrong (Lopez Island 2006)

Our latest adventure took us to the San Juan Islands just off the coast of Washington north of Seattle. I had come across an article about good bike rides in the United States and read about the Tour de Lopez, a day-long adventure on Lopez Island, the flattest (all relative, of course) of the archipelago. It sounded like fun so we signed up, booked a room at the Islander Hotel, and planned for a long weekend.

Friday dawned bright and sunny and I didn't have to go to work. Bonus! We started off the day with a quick run through Waterfont Park in downtown Portland followed by a yummy breakfast at Beaterville Cafe in North Portland. We returned home to shower and pack up the car. We were northward-bound just after 12:30. It was a pretty uneventful drive up to Seattle and we hit the outskirts of town just as rush hour was starting. No big deal. We got off the freeway just north of downtown to check out Roadrunner Sports and have dinner at Rosita's Mexican Grill.

Another hour north and we were finally in Anacortes waiting for the next sailing to Lopez Island. We checked into our hotel and turned on the weather. A 60% chance of showers. Uh oh! Most of the locals told us they didn't get near the same amount of rain as Seattle so everyone was pretty optimistic about the next day's ride.
Saturday morning was slightly overcast with many patches of blue sky. Typical weather pattern for the Pacific Northwest and what's a little spit rain? *shrug*

We went to the Galley for breakfast and decided to drive to the start of the ride at Odlin Park instead of riding the 5 miles since the 31-mile loop was on the agenda. The plan was to finish the ride in the village and I would ride back to the start to pick up the car while Chad and Nathan went back to the hotel. Well, plans were made to be broken.

We checked in, got our wristbands which entitled us to the great treats at each rest area, and did our last minute equipment checks prior to setting off. The first few miles followed some nice, rolling hills and we were treated to great views of the other islands. It was also a perfect intro to quaint island life where driftwood furniture is de rigeur and people get to name the streets on which their homes stand. Being the nerd that I am, I got the biggest kick out of this sign and couldn't help but make the rather lame joke of not following the road less traveled since we were following the cycling masses. I never anticipated the adventure that followed.

We hit the first rest area about 3 miles from the start where we stopped to enjoy brownies, almond roca bars, and shortbread from Holly B's Bakery. Hey, this was a pleasure ride, not a competition.
On the road again and so far, so good. Many of you remember my cycling struggles in Italy last year but I guess something clicked since that trip. The art of upshifting and downshifting became a bit more automatic for me and I was actually passing people on most of the uphill climbs. That in itself stunned me so much that I'm still talking about it in awe.

Rest stop number two at Shark Reef Park. More cookies, more brownies. By now, the patches of blue were but a memory and droplets of rain were beginning to sputter down. No biggie. The rain was so light you could outrun the drops. Back in the saddle. About two miles down the road, we came to the DECISION POINT. Do we anticipate a downpour, turn left and opt for the 17-mile ride or press on with the 31-miler and continue straightahead? We went straight on the "road less traveled by. And that has made all the difference."

This was not one of our more intelligent decisions but it would be another hour before we realized that. Our legs were feeling great, the scenery beautiful and interesting, and we rode along merrily, the brownies and the reported views at Agate Beach spurring us along.

It started raining a bit more insistently but it was still nothing to be too concerned about. We're Pacific Northwesterners now after all. Our old friend, Murphy, caught up with us at the farthest point on the ride. The skies opened up, the wind started blowing like the hounds of hell were nipping at its heels, and I felt small pinpricks of hail on my face. We stopped for thirty seconds at Agate Beach, just enough time to make sure Nathan was OK (Heck, he was happy. He was DRY!!!) and grab a banana before hopping back on our bikes to book it back to the hotel. Now the vicious cycle started...."I'm cold. I'm soaked. Bike faster to finish faster. Man biking faster kicks up more wind. I'm colder. I'm wetter. Bike faster....." And on, and on, and on. No photos from this part of the ride but the Lopez Island Chamber of Commerce put together a neat little slide show so you can commiserate with all us drowned rats.

About 3 miles from our hotel, we stopped to catch our breath and make sure Nathan was still doing OK when salvation came in the form of a family from the island who stopped and offered to toss our bikes in the back of their pickup and drive us the rest of the way. We had ridden 27 miles at that point. Completing the ride would have given us nothing more than near hypothermia so we did not feel bad accepting their help. They don't call Lopez Island the "Friendly Island" for nothing.

Back at the hotel, we were still carless. I had two choices: see if I can hitch a ride on the hotel van back to the car or ride 5 miles back to Odlin Park. Screw pride! I got a ride.

By the time we got warm and cleaned up, the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to peek through the clouds. Figures. The rest of the weekend was sunny and gorgeous. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the rest of the island: poking around the village, visiting the winery, and driving to the sights we passed with nary a glance in our zeal to get out of the cold rain. Sunday found us back in Seattle where we stopped at IKEA before driving back home. Another weekend, another adventure.