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.
I met some old friends on the way.
Grass and chimneys
In the middle of somewhere…
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.
Come as you are
Downtown Amberdeen
Back alleys
He is still around
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.
The fog above the coastal line
Bottle beach
Wasn’t me
Crossing towards Westport
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.
Stuff in a pot
