Oh, how nice it is getting off of primary highways. For the past three days, I have been riding some of the less traveled roads of western Washington. While these roads typically have a lot more short climbs than the major highways, they offer a much more scenic and less hectic day of riding.
On Monday, I rode the 35 miles from Cathlamet to Castle Rock (Gateway to Mt. Saint Helens). This proved to be a very hard ride ... lots of climbing. Tuesday's 42 mile ride to Centralia was a very nice ride. This ride took me through some very scenic valleys, home to many small farms and small towns. I even got the chance to see the world's largest egg (concrete statue) in one of the small towns. Wednesday's 52 mile ride to Tacoma was half good/half uncomfortable.
The first half of the day's to Tacoma was a joy. About 13 miles into the ride I discovered a bike/pedestrian (paved) trail that allowed me to travel parallel to the highway, without having to worry about cars and trucks. This 13 mile ride into Yelm, WA was very enjoyable, slight tailwind, slight downhill and no rain. Just as I came to the end of the trail, it started to sprinkle ... followed by one of the hardest rains I have seen in a long time. This storm was one of those types of storms where the rain drops are falling at a 45 degree angle ... the type of rain that you are unable to see 20 feet in front of you. I mean to say it was a major downpour.
Fortunately, there was a small cafe at the end of the trail, into which I entered during the sprinkling phase ... hot coffee and a dry spot to watch the storm made me think once again, life is good.
The second half of the ride into Tacoma was wet, cold and highly trafficked. I was glad when this day's ride ended.
Tomorrow I head toward Bremerton and Port Townsend. I will be meeting up with my ex-brother-in-law in Port Townsend on Saturday for a day of riding. I am looking forward to seeing Ned, as it has been a great number of years since we have seen one another.
Next Sunday, I start riding east on the Northern Tier route.
And the sun is supposed to be shining for several consecutive days ... something else to which I look forward.
very nice, I bet those side paths are very enjoyable...and dry weather to ride in. I'd say you're getting spoiled out there. Say hello to Mike for us...
ReplyDeleteWe ended our "perimeter" tour on some of the same roads (We lived in Dungeness, WA, about the same time of year: 14,000 miles ending, and we were sad.
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