Skagit Spring Classic

Once again I was heading north with my car loaded with gear. This time I was spending the night camping at Bay View State Park, another new place for me.

I got there around 3:30pm and set up camp. It was way too early for me to eat (or go to bed), so I decided to drive the 100-mile route of tomorrow’s ride of the Skagit Spring Classic. This would be the first century ride I had done and good practice for the STP in July.

After a couple of hours and around 63 miles, I was getting hungry and decided to call it quits and head back to camp.

Before I ate, though, I made a stop at the beach at the state park. It was a lovely place to relax for a bit.

Back at camp, I wasn’t as hungry as I thought and made due with some crackers and tuna salad.

I tried going to sleep around 9pm, but the campers next to me were talking too loud (until around 1am).

After getting dressed in the restroom the next morning, another woman pointed out a gorgeous owl sitting up in a tree directly overhead. I didn’t have my phone, so I didn’t get a photo.

I started my ride around 7am and it was already promising to be a warm day.

A few miles in and along a farm road, I spotted a beautiful bald eagle sitting at the top of a tree. I just had to stop and take a photo!

The first rest stop was at the 20-mile mark and on Chuckanut Drive, one of my favorite drives in WA. This was the first time doing it on a bike and it was so pretty and fun!

I ate some Slim Jim pieces, some homemade snickerdoodles and some watermelon before pedaling on through Skagit and Whatcom counties.

At mile 40 arrived at the second rest stop and ate more watermelon plus some peanut butter on celery. I sure was eating more snacks on this ride than I usually do!

A 10-mile loop had me back at the same rest stop to eat more watermelon and some pineapple. It was so darn hot by this point, I was feeling a bit overheated and feared I would get sick again like I did on other rides. This fear had me rethink riding 100 miles…I just didn’t think I had the energy and wellness to do it (and still have fun). It disappointed me to quit early, but I knew it was the correct thing to do.

I consulted Google maps and found a detour back to the start, putting me at around 68 miles for the day. I also got to stuff myself with the salad and spaghetti they were serving all riders….so good!