PNW Day 1: Raspberry Wine and Garden Peas

When knox and vic announced their engagement, the wedding felt infinitely far away. Suddenly, I'm having an extended breakfast with them in West Seattle, being warned to expect an unholy amount of Madonna at the ceremony. It comes with the territory, I suppose.

The ceremony is still a week off, but dr_sunflare and I are making the most of the holiday with a week-long swing through the Pacific Northwest. This patch of the earth meets all of my base requirements for a place I could live (mountains, ocean, culture), so I'll be watching to see if it performs as well in real life as it does on paper. That the region is forecast to be uncharacteristically not-rainy may bias my impressions a bit.

We're both wiped from a bad flight the night before. (Once again, United messed with us. It's a minor miracle that we got here at all.) My definition of "low-key day" is a sub-20 mile bike ride, so we ferry over to bainbridge island to conquer its many hills and search in vain for actual views of the Sound. We rent fat-tired Trek hybrid models and are instantly pining for our zippy road bikes. (Me especially: how do people use a diamondframe saddle for more than 10 miles without screaming in pain?) The ride is improved with a stop by a winery and its charming, enthusiastic owner/proprietors. Their Pinot Gris and raspberry dessert wine are amazing. Since we don't have room for any on our bikes, we purchase a few bottles after returning to the mainland.

My plan was to drive north and camp tonight, but we're far too wiped. We improvise a barbecue with heavy input from the garden and brave our hosts' kitten again. Will our hosts recover enough sleep hours to match their ambitious plans? Stay tuned....