June 25, 2025

We woke up around 7:30 in the hostel in Seattle. We had free breakfast before going to pack our bikes and leave the hostel. Isaiah and Jacob navigated us out of Seattle, getting us to the ferry terminal on the breathtaking Puget Sound waterfront after some shopping. We took a FAST ferry to Kingston to then get on another one to Edmonds back on the mainland. The ferries had beautiful views of Seattle and of the Cascades. We also learned new card games as well as playing well-known ones like B.S. (which is totally insane with 6+ people). Once on the mainland, we had some real riding to do. We rode through the suburbs of Seattle, with minty fresh breath courtesy of Altoids, and for the most part the ride was quite smooth. There were few cars on the road, and for the most part we stuck together quite well. At one point, however, we had to adjust cables on Annabelle’s bike. Lowen and Elliot volunteered to take a side quest with a leader to a bike shop to retrieve said cables. This just gave the rest of us even more time to learn new card games (like Egyptian Ratscrew, which is really a blast). Eventually the bike was fixed, and we started riding again. We got to the ferry terminal for our third and final ferry, after many fun (though twisty) downhills. This ferry was only about twelve minutes. Not even a baker’s dozen. We got to Whidbey Island, where our group divided in order to conquer. James, Simon, Charlotte and Robyn went to the grocery store for dinner and breakfast, while the rest of us went to the campground. After some [incredibly hilly] biking on the beautiful Whidbey Island we got to the campground. We huddled around the camp stove as the bolognese burbled. Someone saw a shooting star. We slept. Tomorrow we are going to do double the mileage. It’s gonna be tops!! – Isaiah

Once upon a time in the highlands of New York there were 8 gremlins and 2 giants. All were very different from each other but they had one thing in common – an epic journey to the mystical lands of maple monsters. They rode their metal horses at the break of dawn, ready for a day of adventure. After many crests and troughs they arrived at a tavern to fill their gourds (get water). Then they ventured to a stable where they hoped to reshape their horses shoes but alas the stable was a mirage (the bike shop on google maps that was just someone’s house). Beyond this fallacy of a stable we needed to attend to a damaged wing of our Pegasus’s (a series of flat tires). Progressing forward, the gremlins and giants found themselves in a never-ending mountainous incline and deduced that the commonwealth of New York was too topographical. They then venture to a center of enlightenment to quench their thirst but were forced to drink from an aqueduct. Their travels contained a whimsical picnic lunch by the picturesque Hudson River. After a dip in the magical stream their map led them to a magical kingdom of Walmart. Refueling with iced dessert and attending to our steeds we reached the welcoming lands of the Best Western. Upon dismounting our herd the band swam in the fountain of youth (HOTEL POOL). Lighting a bonfire the group reflected on their travels, while eating large turkey legs (grilled chicken kebabs), looking forward to where tomorrow takes them.