Ride to Port Townsend

Port Angeles to Port Townsend: 56.2 miles
Total Mileage: 504.6 miles
Quote of the Day: "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Andre Gide

Another day, another ride and after a quick route meeting we were off again!!

Sadly our group made a turn too early and were off the cue sheet within the first five miles.  Thanks to google maps we plotted a route with the hopes we could walk through someone's back yard and hop back on the bike trail.  Well we did find the yard, but there was a cliff between us and the trail so we had reroute a second time which was way more successful.

We might have been lost, but the view was great.

Today we would be riding on the Olympic Discovery Trial.  Unlike yesterday's stretch, this section of the trail had some insane ups and downs before it flattened out. 

After a couple of major hill climbs post lunch and hopping back on another bicycle trail, we could see Port Townsend in the distance!!  Yay for short ride days. 

#scurpgram

Our host tonight was St. Paul's Church which is the oldest Episcopal church in Washington State.  It was build in 1865, but moved to this location by horses in the 1880s.  The church also houses a bell which was rung during foggy weather to warn sailors about the nearing town. 

Running low on food we needed to stock up on some essentials before heading into Bremerton.  One of the local church members mentioned there was a farmers market a few blocks away so Harry and I put on our Drift West gear and headed out.  We were amazed by the generosity of the local farmers.  Look at all those vegetables!!!

With a little time to kill before dinner a bunch of us headed downtown to grab a local beer at Sirens Pub (a recommendation from the host).

After another amazing host dinner we settled in for the grant review process.  The team had fundraised just over $81,000 and we would all be given $818 to give to an affordable housing agency which applied for funding.  Each chore group was given three grants to review and after a quick round of debate they would then give the highlights and the lowlights so the other riders could make an informed decision.  The process was surprisingly smooth and all of the money had been distributed in about two hours.  This is why we ride and it will be interesting to hear back from the organizations once they receive their funding and get their projects going.