Ride Time capsule: Wooleaters Solstice Swiftcampout

July 3, 2018 amandaeve

The Tuesday Ride Time Capsule captures past rides that haven't been shared yet. Enjoy!

Abby's ride report said it best. Here are some exerts from the report:

Jessi, Kristin, Betsy, Amanda and I started our voyage at the Fremont PCC at precisely 8:05 am. Kristin, Betsy & Jessi were slightly late due to a minor mechanical with Kristin's shifters; I was slightly late as per usual. Amanda was on time as per usual. It was cool and overcast. We meandered across the Fremont bridge, to downtown via the Westlake trail and got to the water taxi station on Alaskan around 8:45 am. With plenty of time to spare until the next ferry, we ventured up the street to Top Pot Donuts where donuts and caffeinated beverages were purchased and consumed. Some sheep were fed... ...We boarded the West Seattle water taxi at 9:30 am and arrived at Alki Beach approximately 15 minutes later. There was virtually no one out on Alki so we enjoyed a pleasant ride to the ferry...We...continued on our way to the Fauntleroy ferry and boarded. We arrived in Southworth around 11:30 am, and proceeded to ride out to the campground. No one was on the roads, which had stunning views of the sound and nearby Bainbridge Island. We hugged the coastline, watching herons stalking their unsuspecting prey in the tide flats. The sun slowly started to emerge from the clouds.

Photos compliments of the #Wooleaters

Then we rode on to Manchester State Park, our camping destination. Abby's report continues:

We locked up the bikes and went down to the beach for a picnic lunch. Many delicious snacks were consumed, including ocean-cleaning mussels, Amanda's no-bake chocolate peanut butter oat cookies, peanut butter pretzel crack and much much more. The sun cast off her cloudy rainment and blessed us with her beaming warmth. Betsy got a little too excited about a wedding party that was taken place at the park shelter and went off to make new friends. Eric arrived via car around 3 pm and we agreed it would be an excellent day for some kayaking. We rented all of the kayaks available and took a little paddle out around the bay, where we spotted kingfishers, gigantic jellyfish, minnows jumping and a curious seal. Betsy and Kristin ventured into an off-limits government facility that smelled like death. We all turned around and headed back to shore. It was time for more snacks (and booze)! Eric got to work building a fire that was soon a roaring blaze, and we had to purchase more firewood to keep up with his firebug ways. We had some beer and a stinky fish taste test courtesy of Kristin. For dinner we had orichette (aka cervical cap) pasta with fresh basil, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, spinach and stinky fish. Everyone adjusted per their dietary needs/preferences, and all agreed it was one of the best meals they'd ever had the pleasure to eat in the great outdoors. Whiskey was consumed in great quantities and Eric read us a little of The Thirteen Clocks as we toasted smores...Betsy elected to sleep in the hammock, while the rest of us got cozy in our tents. The next morning we awoke to find Betsy asleep on top of the picnic table -- apparently hammock sleeping is indeed an acquired taste. Kristin made everyone a mini cup of coffee in the charming tiny coffee maker Roger found at Goodwill. We spent a leisurely morning eating hard-boiled eggs and oatmeal, and lounging by the delightful breakfast fire that Kristin made. Around 10:45 am we were fully packed up and ready to roll. The sun was out and it was warm but not too hot. A low fog hung above the surface of the water as we rode back to Southworth, and we could see the mist evaporating as the day grew hotter. We rolled into Southworth just as the 11:10 ferry was arriving (30 minutes late) and were pleasantly surprised to be catching an earlier ferry back to West Seattle than we expected. More snacks were consumed. Jessi abandoned us to drink a beer and eat tater tots in the cantina. The scene on Alki Beach was completely different than the previous day. Small children, oblivious pedestrians and inexperienced bicycle riders created a challenging obstacle course for the Lady Wools, but we wove our way through the crowds without incident and even passed a sexist dude without a glance behind us. We got to the water taxi station at approximately 1:25. Would Abby have enough time to buy some fish tacos at Marination Station before the 2 pm water taxi arrived? It was a very close call, but she made onto the boat with minutes to spare and enjoyed some tiny but excellent tacos on the boat ride back to downtown. This was just the fuel needed to get back to Fremont. We rode along the Elliott Bay Trail, enjoying the incredible views of Rainier and the waterfront, and not enjoying all the tourists crowding the bike path. We took the ship canal trail back to the Fremont Bridge and Abby encouraged everyone to break the law by racing across the bridge as the bell was ringing for a ship to go through the drawbridge. After this last sprint, it was time to part. We chatted up an older gentleman who was wearing a RSVP jersey and riding a sweet titanium steed that was fitted for travel. Jessi, Betsy & Kristin headed off to Ballard and Amanda and Abby climbed one last hill up to Fremont. The journey had come to an end. Total mileage: 47 miles give or take depending on starting location Pace: leisurely Mechanicals: One Crashes: One Flats: Nope Wool: check! Sheep: check! Number of times Kristin attempted to explain the meaning of wool eaters to a complete stranger: At least 3