Today Adam and I went to a party (OK, it was a baby shower) on Bainbridge Island. Of course it was a piece of cake (pun intended) getting to Colman Dock (took the 27 to 3rd & Columbia, then walked west on Marion all the way to the passenger terminal), but the rest of the trip was a bit more of a challenge.

The party was held at the home of the mother-to-be’s sister, which was about three miles from the ferry dock. The shower started at 1:00, and the Kitsap Transit route we needed to take didn’t start running until 3:40. (It was one of those commuter routes that runs outbound only in the morning and inbound only in the afternoon.) We could have taken a taxi, but since it was Saturday and we weren’t pressed for time, we decided to walk.

The first mile was lovely. It was a beautiful day, and Winslow’s downtown area has lots of shops, restaurants, and people. We passed an outdoor farmer’s market and several tree-lined neighborhoods. Then, the sidewalks ran out. The roads turned into the curvy, stoplight-free, suburban/country highway variety. We walked another mile on the shoulder of a fairly busy road, alternating between a narrow bike path and the tall grass that was growing alongside the ditch, hoping that everyone who drove past us was both sober and competent. I’m not sure that this was true, but no one hit us (though one car did run into the bike lane and come very close).

Near the end of mile two, the father-to-be passed us and turned around to pick us up–thankfully, right before the bike lane ran out.

The good news: There was red wine at the shower, and I won one of the games. I guess all these years riding buses with pregnant women has made me pretty good at estimating their girth.