Day 1 Tuesday 7/7/09

Day 1 Tuesday 7/7/09
Anacortes to Rasar State Park, WA--
44 miles
3600 calories

Enjoyed the cool overcast day with perfect temp for riding... Started the day at 61 degrees and finished somewhere in the high 50's. Set up camp just before the rains came and went into "town" of Birdsview, which consisted of a small convenience store and the Birdsview Brewery where I sampled some of the brewmaster's finest: a Sweet Brown Molly- a malty dark beer with overtones of molasses (which he adds to each batch) and a wonderfully refreshing Ditsy Blonde Ale, which is flavored with 2# of lime peel per 6 barrel (33 gallons/barrel) batch. Met some nice folks in the brewery including a couple who keep a local winery-- she is from Ogden and works as a PT in nearby Burlington. A late and dusky return to the campsite leaves me with a feast of hotdogs mixed into Zatarain's dirty rice! Salty but satisfying. My campsite is nestled amongst the old cedars and other majestic old growth and I am not far from the mighty Skagit River, which flows emerald green through this lush valley. A peaceful place to rest these bones as the rain taps on the tent.