87km out of 660km so far

I woke up, went through my normal routine, had a quick breakfast and a short chat with the other cyclists. As I was loading the bike, I realized the back tire was flat. I wonder how long before I got to the campground this happened the day before. In general the sight of a flat always frustrates me, but thinking about it, getting it in a campsite next to other cyclists is probable a much better place to get one than anywhere else. I unloaded the bike, patched the hole and 20 minutes later I was back on the road. I went down the road to see the ocean I was hearing all night long. The beach was amazing. I wish it was sunny and warm so I could go for a swim.

A few kilometers down the road I stopped to a cute little coffee hut for a delicious cheese cream browny. Since they had wifi, I spent a good half an hour catching up with emails and planning my route. On the way out, I couldn’t resist having one more browny. It was still overcast and foggy at times with a very fine drizzle. Even if my thermometer indicated 22 degrees, I was a bit cold so I rode all day with my arm warmers on.

Half an hour later, the road finally met the ocean. So far I think the grand majority of the coastal roads I’ve been through, don’t have a public access or even view to the water. I was really happy to finally cycle next to the sea, as the scenery I went through today was simply amazing.

I got to Raymond and it was time for some lunch. The town was spread over the two sides of the river, with a big wood mill in the middle. I went around the streets and I found a nice family dinner to have some lunch.

There was a campsite around the area, but it was way too early to stop, so I continued further south. From Raymond I found a bike path that runs right by the water, but unfortunately that finished rather soon.

The rest of the route continued to be amazing, right next to the water, rivers and wetland. Birds of many kind were flying above me, while others would look for food in the water. Even if I would prefer a sunnier day, the overcast and the fog added a dreamy feel to the scenery I was cycling through. Especially at the last part of the route by the bay, with all these abandoned docks and boats and a complete absence of cars, I felt like I was part of a movie set.

 The campsite I was heading to, ended up being another KOA, for which I wasn’t that happy, since the last time I had to pay $30 for a night and many buckets of rainfall. This one proved to be much better, as they had a specific area for hikers & bikes for $16, which included hot showers, laundry, wifi, free coffee in the morning and free mosquito bites all night long.

73km out of 573km so far

I woke up early but spend almost a couple of hours in the campsite before I left. I had just realised that my friends in Portland are away until next Monday, so I needed to kill a couple of days in order to time my arrival there. They had told me well in advanced about their plans and I was certain it was fine as I was planning to cycle around Olympic park. But since I skipped that part the day before, I was a bit ahead of schedule. I decided to just take it easy for the next couple of days.
I started heading to the west again, through an old highway which had many nice old barns and houses on the side. The forecast mentioned it would be warm today and indeed it was, reaching up to 34 celcious. Luckily there were not that many hills on the way so it wasn’t that bad. Of course despite the breeze, the sun is still hot and I can tell I am developing the cyclist’s uneven tan with hard lines on my legs and arms. I should take a photo at the end of the trip just for the record.

The next big town on the way was Aberdeen, home town of Kurt Cobain and I couldn’t resist putting on the appropriate album on my mp3 player. The city it self is by the river, with several industrial complexes processing wood and many shopping malls/parking lots dominating its central street.

I’ve been there before and I still find it rather uninteresting. Even after cycling some of the back roads, I didn’t manage to find a cafe or something simple for lunch. I ended up having a sandwich in the lunch area of a supermarket, together with various other interesting characters. I cooled off indoors for a little longer, bought plenty of supplies for dinner and headed off across the bridge.
I was planning to head to Raymond, but since I could take my time I decided to go through the scenic loop to Westport and North Cove, right next to the ocean. With such a heat, I was looking forward to see the water and possibly jump in. Of course this didn’t happen, because fog is almost a permanent feature of the west coast. Just a few kilometers before the sea, the temperature dropped by several degrees as I cycled under the thick fog. I should have stopped at one of the lakes on the way if I really wanted to cool my self off earlier, but by that time I was already cold.

Heading further west, I went by Bottle Beach State Park, where more than 130 species stop by during their migration. I thought since I am also migrating, I should have a break there for some photos and a snack. I met and had conversation with a couple of bird watchers and they suggested to spend the night at the camp ground of the state park at Twin Harbors beach.
Trying to locate it, I went by a couple of other RV parks. One of them had a big sign, advertising motel rooms, RV spots and camping, all with Wifi. It looked more like a half abandoned ranch, rather than any of the above. I asked the only lady in there and she seemed rather confused. She mentioned that I could throw my tent wherever, but there are no showers available. In the end she suggested that I should better go to the state park campground, as it was a much nicer location. She was quite a character and at least honest.
I got to the campground relatively early, which luckily had 4 cyclists/hikers spots for just $12. It didn’t take long for all the spots to fill up with cyclists, even if the rest of the campground was rather empty. Most of them were heading south as well, to San Diego, or even down to south America over several months. I put my tent up, had a shower and prepared something to eat. Bonus items for the night, was a $2 mini bottle of red wine and a movie.