When I set out on Sunday’s adventure I had no idea I’d be chasing the ghosts of Ma and Pa Kettle.
Ma and Pa Kettle were comic film characters in a film series that was produced in the late ’40s and ’50s, and which continued on network television into the ’60s and ’70s (and probably still runs on “family” networks). The series was based on Betty MacDonald‘s 1945 best-selling novel, The Egg and I, which was inspired by her real-life farming neighbors in the Chimacum Valley. I remember watching those films as a kid, but always assumed the setting was Appalachia, not western Washington.
Betty MacDonald seems to have a cult following, and her farm on Vashon Island is now a bed and breakfast. Who knew?
The ride idea came from High Performance Cycling teammate Chandru “Dru” Narayan who has a reputation for putting together long rides that incorporate stops for good food and coffee. The plan was to start at Gas Works Park at way too early, pedal to the Edmonds Ferry then to Port Gamble, across the Hood Canal Floating Bridge, to Port Ludlow, Port Hadlock, Port Townsend for a lunch stop, then back to Seattle via Poulsbo and the Bainbridge Ferry. Dru aptly dubbed this the “Ports and Forts” ride.
Parts of the route were the same as the Cascade Bicycle Club’s Kitsap Color Classic, but most of the route was new to me. As planned, Dru’s route was 130 miles minus ferry crossings, though since I rode to the start I would be in for more than 150 minus ferry crossings.
The other cycling buddy for the day was Justin Canales, who had never before done a century ride. Despite some minor difficulties with gear, he completed the ride. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the swimming pool!
We stopped for lunch in Port Townsend at Better Living through Coffee, which is a winner based on name alone. For the record, I had pre-planned to try their salmon sandwich, but they were out of salmon. Instead I had a salmon chowder which was tasty and kept me fueled for the remaining ~100 miles. Dru is a vegetarian and he had a lentil soup. We both had 8 oz coffee drinks which motivated us to push ourselves out of the comfortable sunny couches in Better Living and start pedaling again.
After re-mounting our bikes we headed to Fort Worden, which involved a short but very steep climb that was a shock to the system after lunch.
As the ride progressed, I rode ahead and periodically waited for my companions. Unfortunately, after we crossed the Hood River Floating Bridge on the return trip I went a bit too far and got separated from the others. It was at this point that I felt like I was chasing the ghosts of Ma and Pa Kettle.
After about 30 minutes of looping back and forth on Clear Creek Rd searching for my cycling buddies, I headed to Poulsbo then to the Bainbridge Ferry. Alas, I just missed the ferry my companions had caught. Aside from my little misdirection, this is a great route and I recommend it as a must-do in July or August when the days are longer and warmer.
Here is Dru’s video perspective on this fantastic ride:
