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.
The beach by Greyland
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.
Artist
I guess the sea was up there at some point?
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.
Migrating birds
One of the many wetlands
Even the cows as speechless
Maybe I should buy some to celebrate my first 1000km
Some kind of protest
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.
One of the many metal public sculptures within the town
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.
Action shot from the cockpit
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.