“Everything that lives, lives not alone, nor for itself.”  William Blake  

Day 4: Friday Harbor to Dennis’s Highland Garden House, Mt. Vernon  Leisurely breakfast outside, yoga and good-byes.  Almost at the ferry, we discovered our water bottles were missing. Lisl sprinted back to Juniper’s Lane to get them!  Yeah for strong legs!  Peaceful, expansive ferry views, writing and rest. We took the Tommy Thompson Bike Trail and it kept us off busy Route 20 most of the way.

Calhoun cross road, blooming onions teeming with happy bees, rhodos exploding with color, wild irises, leisurely small family farms and dairies away from the big factory fields. The dike along the Skagit, and bridge into Mt. Vernon, big hill to Highland House. Evening stroll into Mt. Vernon for a yummy and gratifyingly reasonable dinner at the Mt. Vernon Co-op. What a deal!

Day 5: Centennial and Kulshan Bike Trails Our loquacious and quirky host, Dennis, suggested we forego Camano Island and enjoy the rails-to-trails Centennial Path. Fortified by his homemade goodies and veggie omelet, we set off down the Conway Frontage Road, across WA 534, spotting a Killdeer on the way!

Great day. Rolling farms, peek-a-boo mountain views, fellow bikers, walkers, cheery blackbirds, markers telling of the Japanese families and their internment, and about Arlington — its logging, rail, farming, and aviation history.

We rode to Armon, and home via the west shore of Big Lake, and the Kulshan Bike Trail through the town. It was our longest day, 53 miles, 85 km. Shower, meditation, and another yummy Co-op dinner, this time topped off with Salty Caramel Coffee Ice Cream. Oh my goodness.

We walked the new Mt. Vernon Waterfront, and sat outside in the garden with Spanky, the giant, black house cat, enjoying the riotous poppies.

Home tomorrow.  Rain predicted.

Highlights and insights:  Blessings and gratitude for farsighted people who think and act for the common good…rails to trails, cooperative stores, small farmers with farms that benefit so many forms of life.

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, andgrowth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook .