Toy Boat

Morning began with a breakfast of instant motel coffee accompanied by leftover mushroom risotto from the previous night's dinner. Not too bad.  Also not too bad was the view from our motel balcony.

On our way back into town we were passed by the following vehicle:

Clearly he didn't want to miss the ferry.

We parked and decided on "Necesito Burrito" for lunch, because that's exactly how Mike was feeling at the time. It was quite literally underground, but they made up for it by creating a unique ambiance thanks to many black lights, fish tanks (one advertised to contain a real life Nemo!) and various Mexican-inspired decorations. The burritos were the size of a...can't think of anything burrito-shaped and large at the moment, but they were huge! So huge I forgot to take a picture.

With full bellies we got into the ferry lineup (only $7.50 for a driver, passenger and motorcycle!) to sail over to Coupeville and Deception Pass. We resisted the temptation to just ride the ferry back and forth all day long, for the simple reason that it was such a good deal.

On our way to Deception pass, we stopped in the park just before the bridge. There we stumbled upon a pond and discovered what we're going to do once we retire. We were even given explicit instructions by our new friend that "the key is to find out what model boat everyone else in your area is racing. That way you'll know which one to buy so you can meet more people and the races will be much more fun." Apparently they meet once a week for practice and two weekends a month for regattas. Mike even got to push the big red button that announces the start sequence for each race.

One member of the fleet undergoing repairs	"The hardest part is not being on the boat, you're never really sure what the wind is doing"	The skippers

Then it was off to Deception pass! Very cool history about the bridge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception_Pass_Bridge. I especially like the part about how before there was a bridge, travelers would cross by means of an unscheduled ferry. To call the ferry, one had to bang a mallet against a saw, then wait.

 

Another ferry ride and we were back in Canada, home of Bamberton campground and the most generous bundles/recycling bins of firewood of any campground in North America (well, in anywhere we've been in Washington or BC so far). It also helps to take someone like Mike along with you, he has a natural ability to find nice, dry firewood left behind by others.