Suggested songs for listening: Man of Constant Sorrow (Instrumental) & The Wailin’ Jennies – One Voice
Before Nick and I began this trip, we came up with a few objectives. One of those objectives was to make sure to take time and meet new people, hear their stories, and build new relationships. For myself, this is a bit of a change of pace, from goal oriented tasks, to stopping and just listening to those with whom we have come in contact. Although I have been blinded by my next destination a few times this trip already, the best part so far has been when we stop and take the time to meet new people. Here are some of the highlights:
People on the street
There have been many random conversations with people on the street. The bikes fully loaded are a great conversation starter. We met Ian and Dianne outside of a restaurant in Port Angeles. They were from Victoria, BC and had biked down the Oregon coast several times. They seemed so thrilled about our trip without even knowing us. Outside of Port Angeles we met Keith and Sharron. They were a couple on a road trip, Keith photographing their trip along the way. Sharron, sporting a shirt with bicycles on it so we liked her immediately, had hiked part of the Camino de Santiago. Keith told us about visiting Glacier National Park prior to having treatment for cancer and talked a lot about that experience. On the way out of Port Angeles we stopped at Sound Bikes and Kayaks to thank them for their advice on our route through the Olympic Peninsula (we had stopped there on the way out to our starting point for the trip to ask for advice). Troy and Moira were there and we got our picture with them:
Sound Bike and Kayak with Troy and Moira
While on the Olympic Discovery trail between Port Angeles and Port Townsend, we had stopped and were contemplating our next place to camp. An older gentleman walking his dog stopped asked if we were looking for a Campground and informed us there was camping for bikers at a state park only a mile ahead. His name was Bill. He advised us to save our legs for the very steep climb into Port Townsend instead of pushing ahead to the next campground nearly 20 miles away. We were very thankful we heeded his advice on that climb the next day, and even more thankful he took the time to ask if we needed help.
There have been many others, from random strangers on the street complimenting my shoes, to park rangers, to a mayor’s wife (thanks Marsha for the restaurant advice), to locals at the many towns we have ridden through. Almost all we have met have been incredibly encouraging and supportive, and have made the trip what it has been thus far.
Other bikers
When starting the trip, even though Nick had given me a lot of reading material (that I never read), I had no idea how many people ride this route. We have encountered 10 people riding on the same route thus far.
The first person we met was Jerome at Sequim Bay State Park. He was a police officer from Victoria, BC and was on a five day tour of the strait of Juan de Fuca. He and his wife had previously done a 10 month bike tour of south east Asia! He provided some helpful insights for our next day’s route. His bike was a Surly so Nick was encouraged that his bike would last well beyond the trip.
Ron and Mary were the first couple riding on the Noethern Tier Route.
Mary, Ron, and Spencer under highway 20.
Ron and Mary were taking a break under the bridge leading to highway 20. We stopped to say hello and what a blessing it was to meet them. They are a couple from Minnesota who is finishing the second leg of a west to east tour. They previously had ridden from Minnesota to Bar Harbor and were now starting from Seattle and riding to Minnesota. After some talk of bike gear, Mary told us that she had fallen off her bike but was relatively unharmed. She made the comment that it was all the people praying for her from back home. This spurred on conversation about our faith that was very encouraging to us.
On the same day we met Tom and Jane.
Tom and Jane on their tandem bike just outside Rasor State Park
Tom and Jane are a couple from New Zealand who are on their second tour across the country. Their first tour was the Trans America Tour and they are now going across the Northern Tier. The same day we met both couples, we all ended up camping at Rasor State Park with campsites directly next to one another.
The next day we rode to Colonial Creek Campground in North Cascades National Park. We somehow had let it slip our minds it was Memorial Day Weekend, so when we arrived at the campground there was a sign that read “Full”. We were told by the park ranger at the entrance of the National Park that there was a new biker only campsite, so we had made the 1000′ climb in hopes it would be open. We found the biker site to be completely vacant (what a blessing) and set up camp. About an hour and a half later Wes arrived at our campsite needing a place to camp.
Wes next to his trusty steed
Wes is a recent college graduate who is riding the Pacific Crest Bike Tour from north to south. We gladly shared our site with him and enjoyed great conversation and swapping stories of being on the road. Wes took off the next day to tackle the 4000+ foot climb over the Cascades, while we took a 0 day to rest before the climb (Wes was/is a far superior cyclist being the captain of his cycling club in college and also being 10+ years younger in age. We joke that he is probably finished his tour by now).
After Wes left, two complete strangers came up to our site. They explained they were a couple who hosted cyclists through a program called Warm Showers and were looking for Ron and Mary. Ron and Mary were supposed to be staying with them that night, and they were coming up to check and see if they were doing all right. I was amazed that people would take their holiday weekend to drive up and over a mountain pass to check on complete strangers! It turns out this couple (John and Stacey) had done several major bike tours themselves, across the US and one from Canada to Central America. We told them we had not seen Ron and Mary, and Stacey and John invited us to stay at their place if we wanted when we passed through the area. Their hospitality and openness is something that we both hope to emulate.
John and Stacey at our campsite in Colonial Campground
Shortly after John and Stacey left we again shared our campsite, this time with Tom and Jane, the tandem couple from New Zealand. They caught up with us and needed a place to camp before the climb the next day. Again we were more than happy to share the site, and that night we had wonderful conversation yet again. It turns out Tom is an engineer who has worked all over the US in the energy industry. Meeting up with Tom and Jane was almost like seeing old friends, even though we had only met two days prior.
Hospitality Tonasket, WA Style
We are currently in Tonasket, WA. After two days of pretty hard riding, we only rode a short distance (31 miles) before we attempt two days of climbs. We arrived at Tonasket and immediately got lunch at a little restaurant named Shannon’s Place. When we walked in the door, they already had water waiting as we ordered. We took our water out to the patio and sitting beside us was none other than Shannon herself. She struck up conversation about where we were coming from and asked where we were staying. Before we could answer she said we could camp in the side yard of her restaurant, where there would be water and would let us use the restroom (if she liked us). Turns out she has been hosting cyclists for over 30 years, and has had more than 5000 stay on her property. As we sat and ate lunch and watched how people came and went from the restaurant, Nick made the observation that Shannon’s Place seemed like the front porch of Tonasket, with Shannon herself (literally) welcoming people in for food and conversation.
Shannon’s Place Restaurant in Tonasket, WA
Again, it was a form of hospitality that is amazing and one we can only hope to replicate in our own lives. So we are camping in the side yard of a restaurant tonight, and the fact that their food is good is just icing on the cake.
Our campsite next to Shannon’s Place in Tonasket
In it all, we are realizing how much we miss with our own agendas and to-do-lists; how many neighbors we have never met, how many conversations with co-workers or students we have missed because we have “important” things to do. It makes us think about what is truly important in life, and most of the time it has nothing to do with tasks, deadlines, or destinations. We look forward to the people we have not yet met, and pray that we can be a blessing to them as much as the relationships we have had thus far have been to us. – Spencer
Spencer, Shannon, and Nick at Shannon’s Place.
A Slight Detour 