As it turns out, Mother Nature has decided to coat the entire Coast in an overcast shade of gray. Cold and wet is the ongoing theme of this part of the ride ... cold and wet.
One aspect of riding the Coast that I was looking forward to is seeing and meeting other touring cyclist. This is being realized, and it is a joy to see the exuberance and wide-eyed smiles of these (for the most part neophytes to touring) road warriors, even though the road (and the cyclist) is cold and wet. For the majority of the twenty or so riders I have talked with, the tours are two to three days old having started in Astoria, OR. Some are going across country, most down the coast. New bikes, new panniers, new joy. I love seeing so many folks out doing what I love.
As is usual with me. my planned route is once again experiencing change. I had planned to head north from Astoria up and over the Olympic Peninsula, then catch Amtrak back to Portland for the music festival. After looking more indepth at this plan, I came to realize that I was attempting to pack alot of miles into a small amount of time ... long days and tired legs just don't seem to be working for me these days. So I have decided to slow it all down, take a few days off in Astoria to absorb Lewis and Clark history, then ride up into southwestern Washington and then eastward toward Portland. Simplifies and eases the approach to Portland.
As is typical for me when approaching the end point of a long ride, I am mentally back in Tucson ... but given the grayness of the road these days, Tucson is a nice place to be (heat and all). Looking forward to getting home.
The coast experience is so very different when colored by gray skies and cool temperatures. I'm glad that you're able to see the silver lining in those coastal clouds -- home is indeed a nice place to be.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are meeting other cyclists. Lucky them for having crossed your path!