Rides

Nursing a hernia. Probably pushed it a little too much. 

Another month riding around on the Saga. Got an upgrade this month when Mike gave me a set of VO hammered fenders. Shiny. I got the hardware from VO, spent half a day installing them, and now it's a whole new bike!

Mostly dry month. Today I got out for a nice rainy ride. Fun, but it's still warm.

Nursing a hernia, testing my limits. 

Practice ride for a ride to the coast next weekend. Tracy needed to test out her new 1.5 inch tires on her touring bike. I needed to see if Grando is up for the trip. Rain in the morning but it stopped before we got out and we did not get rained on at all. Cloudy and cool, perfect for a hard climb.

I got a flat just as we turned off on to West Hills. Then trouble with a new tube. I had to patch some tubes. Held up fine after that.

There was some slick mud on Woods Creek and my bake tire spun a few times going up. I was a little aprehensive that I might slide going down, but it was fine.

This is a hard ride. John just got back from Hawaii and has not been on the bike for a while. He did great. Robert had some problems with his deraileur but managed to continue.

Great ride. We are ready to ride to the coast next Friday!

I was walking the dog north of Peavy Arboretum the other day and noticed that the trails will be closed to bikes after Oct. 31 so I went over to ride them today. Intensive Management Trail and Calloway Creek Trail crisscross for several miles on the way up to Cronemiller Lake. It was cloudy and cooler today, perfect for riding in the woods. From the lake road 500 climbs for a mile or on the way over to Lewisburg Saddle. Then it rolls for a while before the nice descent to the road. I continued on the 610 road to the Horse trail/Dan's trail connector, and then took Dan's trail to Chip Ross park and then home. The Grando really took well to the forest roads and trails.

Beuena Vista ferry. Back through Jefferson and Crabtree.

Another gorgeus autumn day. Temps in the 70's, lite wind. Did a loop aroud the refuge on Buena Vista Road, Ankeny Hill Road, Wintel Road, and Jorgonson Road. Then Talbot on in to Jefferson. Did not see much in the way of wildlife. Got some lunch in Jefferson and then took some roads I had not been on yet. Mostly followed this route, in reverse from Jefferson through Crabtree and back to Corvallis.
 

Pictures:

As I was approaching this I thought it was the biggest pumpkin patch in the world. Turned out to be squash, grown for seed I'm guessing. On the hill above Buena Vista.

The Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

The North Santiam River

Windy

Got a late start. Ran into a headwind on Peoria which would continue the whole way. I thought about turning back but the thought of a tailwind coming home kept me sloggin on. Got some great apples at a farm stand at the corner of Irish Bend loop near the Lake Creek school. Nice day in Eugene. Low 70's. Went to Co-Motion which is way out of town to the west. They have a great bike path which goes all the way to Fern Ridge reservoir.

Left for home at about 5:30 and got home by 9:00. I guess I did have a tailwind altough it was mostly west by then. Got dark once I was past Harrisburg. It sure is great having good lights and a generator hub. Can't imagne why all bikes don't have these.

Nice gravel glider through the rolling hills of northwest Polk county.

All rides around town or to the garden or shopping.

Woke up to sunlight and was surprised to see it was already 8 AM. Another late start and I had a long day ahead of me. I could have stayed another day, but decided not to. Broke camp, said farewell to fellow bike tourists and headed south on 101 to Yachats which was 5 miles. Stopped at the market and got 2 bottles of ice tea and a banana. It was cool here but I knew it would be warm further inland. Made the familiar left turn onto Yachats River Road.

Back in the early 1970's I lived up the Yachats river valley. I still think it is among the most beautiful places I have ever been. Not spectacular like the coast or the mountains, but lush, pastoral, and timeless. Pictures could not do it justice and I took none. If you haven't been there it is worth a trip to the cost just to see it. Little has changed in the 40+ years since I lived there. There are a few more places, and a few more side roads. There is a nice Elk preserve now, but I didn't see any. Of course the river was quite low this year. The picture on the right is where the road forks, about 8 miles up. The right fork is the main road while the left follows the north fork of the river. I'll have to go back and ride it sometime. There is a covered bridge that I don't remember.

Another mile up is a paved logging road that winds back to Cape Perpetua. This also meets the paved road that goes from Cape Perpetua to Five Rivers. This is a well known bike route but I think it is quite a bit longer, and with more climbing, than the route I was taking today. At about the 10 mile mark the road turns to gravel. A little over a mile later there is a dead end sign and forest road 54 cuts off to the left. This was my route. It had been a gentle climb up to now but here the fun started. The first half mile was steep. I stopped at one point to catch my breath and had a hard time getting started again. I was thinking I would have to do some pushing and just then the grade let up and the going got easy. I found a nice clearing and stopped for second breakfast. It was absolutely gorgeous here in the deep woods of the coast range. After less than 2 miles from the start road 54 ended at road 58 and I turned left. I was now on top of the ridge and the road was fairly level. About a quarter mile further on I saw the sign for Five Rivers on road 3705 which would take me out on Buck Creek. Six miles of lovely downhill through lush forest. Very little signs of logging as this area was logged long ago and now has nice second growth. I did not see another car the entire way over to Five Rivers road. When I hit the pavement again I had gone just 10 miles on gravel.

I never knew what the 5 rivers were or what the river you follow on Fiver Rivers road is. Google maps calls it the Alsea which is of course wrong, unless you call it the southwest fork or something. I found this article about the Fisher covered bridge which says "The structure spans Five Rivers, so named because of the five streams of Alder Creek, Cougar Creek, Buck Creek, Crab Creek and Cherry Creek which make up the stream". So now I know.

I took Five Rivers road north for about 4 miles before hitting Lobster Valley road only saw 2 cars this stetch. At this point it was only 3 miles from highway 34 but Lobster Valley road would meander south on it's way east. Even though I was following the creek upstream it was mostly gentle rollers for the next 15 miles or so. It is mostly woods but eventually the valley opens up and there are some nice farms. I passed Little Lobster road on the left which is gravel and took off steeply uphill. I knew this would shave some miles but I did not know how much climbing there would be. I stayed on the black top not knowing that I had a mountain to climb either way. Again only 2 cars had passed me this whole stretch. At the end of Lobster Vally it is one of those roads where it looks like your riding into a box canyon. Usually the road somehow sneaks around without a terrible climb. Not this time. Once turning left onto Deadwood highway - 501 there were a series of sharp switchbacks as the road climbed steeply for about 2 miles. I already had close to 50 miles on the day and this was a killer. As with all mountains though it had a top, and a wonderful descent for the next 6 miles or so into Alsea.

I was so happy to get to Alsea early enough for the store to be opened. For the last 10 miles all I could think about was a Gatorade. I don't drink much of the stuff but when I need it it works like rocket fuel to get me going again. With 25 miles left to go, and Alsea mountain to climb, I seriously needed it. I sat and talked with a couple of locals for a while. They had a trailer on a truck and were headed to Corvallis and offered me a ride. Oh the temptation! Any sane person probably would have taken them up on it. If you've ever been up the west slope of Alsea Mountain on highway 34 you know it is a brutal, unrelenting climb. The steep part is probably only about 2 miles but it seems like forever. The Gatorade did it's trick however and I just settled in to a 4 mph pace and slogged on over that mountain. And if you have done this ride you'll know that the east side is about as good as it gets for windy fast downhills with lovely banked curves where you can go as fast as the cars. I didn't go that fast but still enjoyed it. Especially now that it was cooling off after a hot day.

Back on local turf I still had lots of energy for the final stretch and just enough daylight to make it home before really needing lights, although I had my rear flashy on since Alsea. A long but very satisfying day and a great way to end a short tour.

The sun was out when I got up, but it was still cold and wet. Fortunately I still had some firewood and got the fire going right away. Pretty soon the sun was strong enough I was able to get everything dry. It was probably close to 10 before I got started, but I knew it would be easy riding today.

I was back on pavement now. From Elk City it is 9 miles to Toledo along the Yaquina River. Very pleasant ride with hardly any cars. I wish there was a way to bypass Toledo. Besides the smelly pulp mill there is a big hill going into town, and a big hill leaving town. I got a bottle of ice tea for later and continued on.

Yaquina Bay drive was probably the highlight of today's ride. It is also a popular day route for Newport locals and I saw a number of other cyclists. It is a kind of a place out of time with a few small marinas and oyster shacks. I stopped at a grassy spot by one marina for second breakfast. I do not eat a lot when touring. I can eat frequent small meals consisting of some dried fruit and almonds, or a cliff bar, but not much more. For late lunch I might have some peanut butter on a tortilla. If I eat much more it really slows me down.

It was a lovely day on the coast. A few scattered clouds but mostly sunny and still cool. I found the Oceana food co-op in Newport and stopped for a cup of maté. That, and the hill I had to climb to get up from the bay front warmed be up nicely and I was able to shed all but my shorts and jersey. I took the posted "Oregon Coast Bike Route" through Nye beach and around the Yaquina state park, and crossed the bay bridge heading south on 101. Always a shock to get out on a busy road, especially after a day of gravel roads in the woods where I saw 2 or 3 cars all day. This stretch of 101 has an adequate shoulder and I've ridden it several times before. I ignored the south beach fish market where I usually stop for fish and chips. Not this trip. Seal Rock seems to be the sunniest and warmest stretch of beach between Newport and Waldport. Maybe the rocks block the north wind, which was providing a nice tailwind. I stopped and took some pictures while chatting with the seagulls. A bit further down I pulled into another park. It was the warmest part of the day now and I wanted to dry and air out my sleeping bag which was a bit damp from the night before. A good time for lunch as well.

When I got to Waldport the read out on a bank said it was 72 degrees! Not bad for late September. Beachside state park is 4 miles south of Waldport. There were no other cyclists in the $6 hiker/biker camp when I got there. The camp has just 3 spots nestled in the shore pine with picnic tables, one spot being a double. I took the spot I had used before which had some filtered sun coming in. The beach is right there, but you cant get through the tangle of shore pine to get to it. You have to take a trail a short distance. The beach is quite wide and the tide was very low. I'm assuming the tides were extra low and high due to the super moon. Maybe. I laid down in a sheltered spot and took a nap in the sand.

Back at camp I was preparing dinner when some other cyclists showed up. Hannah, Kate, and Benjamin were from Vancouver B.C., and Jamie was from Australia. They were all headed south, Jamie possibly to Mexico. They got settled in in time to all go down to the beach to watch the sunset. It was quite nice and really lasted a long time. There was no dew under the shore pine and everything stayed dry. I slept quite well this night.

Up Woods Creek. Down Mary's Peak road to Harlan road.

I did this ride last summer so I knew what I was in for. Then I was meeting Linda on the coast who already had a campsite, so I was not carrying the camping gear. This year I was self supported so the load was a bit heavier. There is some steep stuff on this climb. Last year I had to get off and push a few times. This time I was able to stay in the saddle even when I was only going about 2 mph. Nice that this bike is even stable at that speed.

Every mountain has a top, and every downhill on bike makes you quickly forget the pain you just endured on the other side. Mary's Peak road from Connors camp trailhead to Harlan road is 10 miles of fast downhill. The first mile or so is a bit rough as it was graded with course gravel for some logging a few years back. The gravel is all worn in now so it is just a bit bumpy. After the logging road cuts off it is much smoother and a very fun descent. The woods are lush and the air was cool. No question that it made the climb worth it.

Of course every great downhill has a bottom and this one ended at Harlan road, about 4 miles east of Harlan. This is a wide well traveled gravel road. There is nothing in Harlan, but shortly after is Big Elk Campground. I had a decision here as to my route. The most direct route to the coast was to take Hilltop road. I had never done it but I had the FS map and it looked fairly straight forward. I decided to save this for another day as I knew it would involve more climbing and I was beat from the Woods Creek climb. A stopped at Big Elk campground for a snack. I thought about staying the night. It is a nice spot and looks to be free camping. But it was only about 4 PM and I wasn't ready to stop.

It is 20 miles from Harlan to Elk City on a nice wide, mostly flat, gravel road. It follows Big Elk creek pretty closely the whole way. The road was pretty smooth for the first 12 miles or so and then I started running into some washboard, some potholes, and some loose gravel. Not a problem for the 52 mm tires I was riding. I got to Elk City with plenty of light left in the day. There is a little Lincoln county park / boat ramp / campground there at the confluence of Big Elk creek and the Yaquina River, 23 miles upstream. It is a popular spot with salmon fishers. The fee for camping is $20 so I found the camp host and talked him into letting me camp for $10. He was so impressed I had rode from Corvallis I think he would have let me stay for free. He even brought me a wheelbarrow full of dry firewood! I found a spot out in the open where I hoped to have a good view of the moon. Tonight was the super moon eclipse and it was clear as a bell. When the moon did come up it was behind a hill so I had to walk out a ways to see it. By then the eclipse was well underway and a crescent was already showing as the shadow was moving away. Still quite spectacular.

The downside to camping by a river of course is the dew. It set in early and heavy. Everything was wet before it was even dark. At least I had a fire. Here is where I really regretted bringing a bivvy sack instead of a tent. I was warm and dry in my sleeping bag, but the bivvy and everything else was soaked. Between this and the brightness of the moon I did not sleep well.

Out Crescent Valley - Mountain View - Arboretum. Back on Independence - Pettibone. Then out to the garden.

I was testing the Grando with front panniers which seemed to work quite well. I'll do a blog post on this.

Tenners ride with a nice extended route to Shedd, thank you Robert. We went to Peoria and then took Abraham to Potter. A short stretch on 99E and then West-Linn to Roberts and back around to Boston Mill and Shedd. Going back I went solo seeking out some gravel. I found some on Driver which went back to pavement and dumped me on 99E about a mile shy of Tangent. From Tangent road I took McLagen to Seward and County road to Harvest, which is gravel at the east end. Then Oakville back north to where it narrows to a one lane and ends back at Peoria road. Stopped at the Peoria Market for an ice cream.

Absolutely gorgeous day. Sunny, light wind, clean air, mid 70's. Doesn't get much better for bike riding.

Pictures top-to-bottom: Driver road, view from Driver road, Harvest road.

Did a bit of meandering on this ride trying to take some gravel roads. Found Ervin road which is gravel from Airport road to Decker. I then went up one of the tree farm roads from the bottom which was steep. Went back and climbed back up Decker and took the tree farm road at the top, where we frequently see horses. This one follows the ridge and is mostly flat. Back down to Bellfountain and then the gravle section on 53'rd to the garden, and then home.

Gorgeous day. The rain yesterday cleared the air and everything was fresh and clean today. Could even see the mountains. Nice and warm as well.

Via Lewisburg Saddle, Soap Creek. Back on Springhill, Scenic, Oak Grove, Metge. Hot day. Maybe the last hot day.

It occured to me on this ride that the Grando is over a year old. It has 2,500 miles. Not bad considering I have 2 other bikes.

Got up early and headed out by car to meet the Linn Shuttle which picked us up at Mountain House and took us to Clear Lake. It was a bright sunrise and it was totally clear over the mountains, but it soon clouded over and was cool all day untill late in the afternoon. I didn't know anything about this ride. Since it followed the old Santiam Wagon Road I expected mostly double track following an easy grade. There was some of that, but there was also a lot of full blown single track with steep grades, rocks, roots, and creek crossings. In other words mountain biking. Of course I don't have a mountain bike, but I'm happy to say the the old Mountain Trucker did just fine.

We started the day with some easy trails around Clear Lake. Robert had some idea of riding a few miles of the McKenzie River Trail to check out Sahalie Falls. I talked him out of it knowing that we had a long day ahead of us. We followed the trail to FIsh Lake which is the start of the Santiam Wagon Road. This was a main depot and they have preserved a lot of old buildings and have a tourist attraction with a lot of history of the pioneer days. Here it was indeed a road that started climbing right away. We knew we had a long climb to Tombstone Pass. Robert thought is was 1,000 feet, Nelson thought it was 1,900 feet and it turned out to be 2,300 hundred feet. It was spread out over 10 miles so it never got too steep. For these 10 miles it remained double track although there were pleanty of places where it was rough, washed out, or narrowed to single track. We had met a guy at Clear Lake who told us there were a lot of down trees and creek washouts. At this point the creeks were all dry so that wasn't a problem. We climbed over a couple of down tress and were thinking it wasn't so bad until we came to one section that was completley unpassable. I was behind and could see the other's tracks heading off into a tangled mess. I tried to follow but soon gave up. Fortunatley we were very close to the highway so I back tracked to where I coud get on the highway. About a quarter of a mile up the road and Nelson pops out of the woods with Robert close behind. They had a hard bushwack just to get back to the highway.

A short way up the road we were able to get back on the trail, and from here to the top of Tombstone Pass it was much easier going. The road is not maintained and there are tress growing up on it. In some places you couldn't see much ahead as we crashed trough the saplings that were crowding out the trail. This too ended as we joined a more recent logging road the rest of the way up to Tombstone Pass. From here, we were told, we would loose 3,500 feet over the next 12 miles back to Mountain House. We were looking forward to a nice road through the woods. What we got was single track. Some really nice, some really gnarley, and not all down hill. The first section makes no claim to even follow the wagon road. We guessed they built highway 20 on top of it. It starts of steep but smooth downhill with a few hairpins, and then it settled into a pattern we would follow pretty much the rest of the day. Some nice level sections followed by some steep, sometimes rocky and narrow sections down to a creek bed, and then a steep climb back up the other side. We must have crossed dozens of creeks this way, only a few of which were ridable. Most were dry, but still required a dismount, scramble over the rocks, and then push up the other side since we had lost all momentum. There were at least two wider creeks that were flowing and required some fancy footwork over mossy rocks while carrying your bike.

While the creek crossings wore me out, the woods were spectacular. The western Cascades at it's finest. Fir, Hemlock, Cedar, Maple, and Alder. At the higher elevations I saw some Noble Fir which has a distinctive blue tinge almost like a Blue Spruce. Eventually the single track did join the wagon road again, but there was very little double track and still lots of creek crossings. There were also plenty of nice swooping downhill to make it very enjoyable. There were actually mile markers along the trail so we knew how far we had to go. All I can say is a mile is much longer on a mountain bike trail than it is on the road. Eventually we reached the trail head and were back at the car.

This was the hardest ride I've done in a long time. Much harder than the 107 mile ride I had just 3 days ago. It was good that it was a cool day also. It would not have been much fun in the heat of summer.

I was very impressed with the Mountain Trucker. At first I was getting bounced around quite a bit. But after I lowered my seat and let some air out of the tires the whole experienced changed. While my goal for this bike is not mountain bilking, but rather off road touring or bike packing, it is nice to know that it can handle single track and get trough some pretty rough stuff.

Another Great Ride

Well attened Tenners ride out to Springhill, Albany, and back Riverside. New bike path on 34 done except for a bridge that is built but not yet surfaced. Beautiful cool morning.

A few wrong turns, a few detours, a few rain showers, one flat, but all in all a great ride. Started out heading back west thinking I'd find a bike path along the river, but got directed by some cyclists to go back on the Springwater corridor trail and take the 205 bike path.  The 205 path was excellent other than the noise from 205 and the big streets it had to cross. It did not however go all the way to Oregon City as I was told. It ended at 82nd which was my first point of confusion.

Eventually I got going south on 82nd which had a nice bike lane. At Gladstone I crossed the Clakamas River on a bike trail which followed the river to Oregon City. Here I got confused again. I would have been fine if I followed Google Maps directions but I went off course to avoid a big hill. Finally found an elevator to get up the bluff. Oregon City seemed like a bike friendly town. From there the route went a little further east than I wanted, but took me on some nice country roads. There was a short stretch on 99E which wasn't so bad, and then back off on side roads through Canby and Aurora.

Eventually I was on Boones Ferry Road when I saw a sign for Donald and Champoeg park, so I left Google's route and made my way to the Willamette Scenic Bikeway. Once on familiar roads I didn't have to check Google Maps every few minutes I started making better time. Scenery was better too, especially when I got to Wheatland. There were a few places where I toyed with the idea of taking a more direct route to Salem but I resisted the temptation and stayed on the nice quiet back roads even though it was longer.

It was getting dark when I got to Salem and got off course due to a road closure on Cherry st.  I found my way to the bike path on River Road South only to find it was closed as well. The whole road was closed. Feeling a bit devastated I followed the detour signs which took me across some railroad tracks and down to a wonderful gravel bike path along the river!  I was thrilled. This was the path I was always hoping for as it avoids the nasty sidewalk path along River Road. Now back on course I was making good time. It was dark but traffic was lite. The final stretch was the familiar route on Corvallis road/Independence highway. Got home at 10:15 so it was a 10 hour plus ride. 

It's only about 8 miles to Adinah's house but I did some other riding. 

First day of retirement went for short ride. Good headwind coming back b

Just another ride to the garden. 

Rain! And wind too. Rain was nice. We didn't go over Decker, just to Decker road and back. 

My last week of commuting to my job at OSU. 

Butt not recovered from tour. Put on a padded saddle and keeping the miles down.

Went for a gravel ride. Up Jackson, down Oak. Very nice. 

With January to the ukulele convergence in Central Park. Aka another trip to garden. 

3 days on the Grando. Garden after work. 

2 days + on the Saga. Neede to carry more stuff. 

Nice cloudy morning. Clouds lifted coming back into the valley but still nice and cool. 

Not as hot. Nice. Mostly ride to garden after work. 

Back to commuting and after two weeks of riding in the nice cool northwest it is back up to 100 here. Eessh.

That was it. I retraced my path back to Mount Vernon and found the Amtrak station no problem. The train as on time and I had a mellow ride home. I got home and another great bike tour came to an end.

Started raining just as I was breaking camp. Cool wet ride over the bridge and on. Lots of traffic which was beginning to wear on me. A signed section of USBR 10 let me to a protected lane over another big bridge. Nice.

Stopped at the Skagit Food Co-op in Mount Vernon and had some lunch and got some food for the next few days. I found the Kulshan Trail bike path that took me most of the way east to highway 9 and then took the highway south to Big Lake and then Walker creek road. Still raining on and off.

The next 3 days would be music and partying with old friends. What a way to end a tour!

The Easy ride, although much more hilly than yesterday. Started out on a quiet back road, and then found a bike path, but was soon forced out on WA 20 which was very busy. Good shoulder but still too many cars. 

Oak Harbor has a nice beach front, but it's a big town and the traffic was terrible. I did see a bike path join the road past town, so there probably was a way to avoid the traffic. 

Deception Pass SP is quite nice. H/B campsites isolated in the woods. Beach wraps around facing both west and north. The weather is still wonderful. Highs in the low 70's. Might rain tomorrow though. 

I took a rest day in Seattle and went out and got some new padded shorts. The shorts I took for the tour did not have padding and I had developed a saddle sore. And I got to hang out with Tabitha and Sophia some.

It was an adventure getting out of Seattle on the Interurban trail. I had good directions plus the Seattle bike map, plus Google maps. I needed them all. The ferry ride from Mukeltio to Clinton on Whidbey Island is only about 20 minutes. At first traffic was light on Whidbey, but then the next ferry came in, and it never slowed down after that.

Lady in a store tipped me to a back road into Casey park, which would have been great had it not been for the fierce head wind.

Campground was quite nice. The cleanest rest rooms and showers on the trip. H/B was small but hidden behind a fence. Camping is right next to the ferry terminal. I walked along the bluff and explored the old fort as well. Very interesting how the fort was built into the bluff so that it was invisible from the water. It was a very strategic location on the Straight of Juan de Fuca. I have no idea who the enemy was at that time or why we needed a fort. It was cool camping across the sound from Port Townsend where I had been the week before. It looked really far. I could only see the smoke from the mill.

Once again met some more bike tourists. Two young couples, once from Seattle out on a short ride, and one from Colorado. Always fun to swap stories with other bike travelers.

Whidbey Island is home to a Navy air station. They wait until just after dark, and then buzz the campgrounds. Must be fun for them, it was hell for us.

I was up and ready to go well before Hazel and Ian so I said farewell and headed off to Bremerton. I started out on the same route as day 2 but followed the highway on to town as I was heading for the ferry. There were some hills and traffic but not too bad. Got to the ferry and cruised right on, no charge! Evidently the ferries charge bikes and pedestrians leaving Seattle but not returning. It was great coming into Seattle on the ferry.

I took Jackson and Cherry up the hill to my daughter Tabitha's house. I had already been to Seattle twice this year and this was the easiest route yet as it avoided the biggest hills.

No pictures of today's ride.

Today was the last day of the Loop Tour, but I would be continuing on, not sure exactly where I'd end up. It was a short ride back to Montesano but I got off route in Aberdeen and wasted a bunch of time. I was about to just follow the highway, which said it was only 8 miles to Montesano, when Lon came along and got me back on route. I hung out at the high school for a while saying goodbye to people and waiting for Robert who was carrying my ukulele in the SAG wagon. Then I was off on a solo ride.

Since I had started my ride in Olympia I did not ride the day 1 route, which is what I followed today. This was the least scenic route of the tour and it was getting hot, but I was making good miles. Much of this ride was through logged over timber land with young regrowth. Not many towns along the way. I was pretty parched when I got to Matlock and got a cold drink. The miles were adding up but I didn't think I'd have any problem getting back to Hood Canal where I remembered passing a nice state park on day two.

When I hit 101 I was now retracing the ride from day one, past the Indian fireworks places and up to the big casino at the bottom of Hood Canal. I checked the map and it turned out the park I wanted to get to was still 12 miles off. I found a wonderful farm market and stopped for a break and some ice cream. I had a nice tailwind the rest of the way which really helped as I was already over 80 miles.

When I finally got to Twanoh state park and pulled in there were two other bike tourists who had just pulled in and were talking to the ranger. He said the hiker/biker camping was close to the road and we could just use a regular tent site for the same price. So i shared a campsite with Hazel and Ian, a young couple from England that were here touring. They had also done a loop of the peninsula and were now heading to Seattle and then on to Montana. One thing I like about touring solo is the people you meet.

So at 92 miles this was the longest day I had ever done on a bike tour. I felt great and it was really good to know I was capable of that kind of mileage.

Mostly downhill to the beach, then steep rollers like the coast, except we were on a state road with no trucks and not that many cars. 80 degrees at the beach!

We were now entering the summer tourist area of the Washington coast. Plus it was the weekend. Our campground was at a state park, which was just past a casino, so lot's of traffic. A relatively short day on the bike, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy the beach. On the beach the kites were out in full force. It was a huge beach, opened to drive on so there were lot's of people, but the kites seemed to be the big attraction.

This was our last night camping together which means the traditional group potluck where we are supposed to all contribute whatever food is left in our panniers. Somehow we missed that point and many of us went shopping for more food. So we had a feast, and leftovers. Happy campers we were.

The last official event was the group photo. Henry did the honors and then Ann had some parting words for us. Tomorrow would be a short day back to the start at Montesano.