And Then There Were Three
Sunday morning brought sunshine through the trees. It was still pretty cold as we packed up and there was a lot of dew around. The tent case instructions say "never put away your tent while damp", I think the manufacturers have never been camping. Certainly they haven't visited the Pacific north-west. Regardless, the tent was stuffed away wet. We rode over the gravel forest road back to Highway 101. As the day warmed up the ride took us through small towns with ever-present forest on either side of the road. It was nice to be warm again, by the end of the day our shoes had even dried out.
We spent the night at the Elma RV park, a bargain of a place at just $10 for bicyclists. As we were spreading our damp tent all over the tent camping area the host came to give us freshly baked cookies. Best RV park ever. They were delicious. We took full advantage of the amenities offered and washed all of our clothes and spent a few dollars on hot showers - our first in several days. The next day we were planning to meet Mike's dad in Centralia and we wanted to be presentable.
Monday was a short day. We rode out into cold mist and resolved to buy full-fingered gloves on our rest day. We elected to take a shortcut that knocked 8 miles of riding off the day, resulting in 30 miles of riding. Fifteen miles in the Gray Goat bar and grill in the town of Oakville provided an excellent second breakfast of veggie omelettes and hot tea. Another fifteen miles with a few snack breaks took us to Centralia in the early afternoon. There we increased our team size by 50% by adding Mike's dad, henceforth known as Mike Senior. Mike Senior and his bike took the train up from southern California and arrived the previous evening, albeit several hours late. We spent some time swapping stories then headed to the delightful venue of Dairy Queen across the road for a late lunch.
Today, Tuesday, has been a rest day. We've eaten a lot of food, visited a lot of shops in search of decent full-fingered gloves, and watched some TV. The weather has been great, almost 80 F/ 27 C, and we're hoping for more of the same tomorrow as we start riding.
Sunday miles: 60
Monday miles: 30
We spent the night at the Elma RV park, a bargain of a place at just $10 for bicyclists. As we were spreading our damp tent all over the tent camping area the host came to give us freshly baked cookies. Best RV park ever. They were delicious. We took full advantage of the amenities offered and washed all of our clothes and spent a few dollars on hot showers - our first in several days. The next day we were planning to meet Mike's dad in Centralia and we wanted to be presentable.
Monday was a short day. We rode out into cold mist and resolved to buy full-fingered gloves on our rest day. We elected to take a shortcut that knocked 8 miles of riding off the day, resulting in 30 miles of riding. Fifteen miles in the Gray Goat bar and grill in the town of Oakville provided an excellent second breakfast of veggie omelettes and hot tea. Another fifteen miles with a few snack breaks took us to Centralia in the early afternoon. There we increased our team size by 50% by adding Mike's dad, henceforth known as Mike Senior. Mike Senior and his bike took the train up from southern California and arrived the previous evening, albeit several hours late. We spent some time swapping stories then headed to the delightful venue of Dairy Queen across the road for a late lunch.
Today, Tuesday, has been a rest day. We've eaten a lot of food, visited a lot of shops in search of decent full-fingered gloves, and watched some TV. The weather has been great, almost 80 F/ 27 C, and we're hoping for more of the same tomorrow as we start riding.
Sunday miles: 60
Monday miles: 30
 |
| Good weather in the forest |
You searched -- but did you find? Are you now owners of full-fingered gloves for the next chilly morning?
ReplyDeleteTake care of Mike, Sr. and ride safely.
Cheri
Just Dad at the moment. We didn't see any that quite tickled our fancy.
DeleteDad party time! I hope you guys are staying dry and happy!
ReplyDeleteWe are trying. I am writing at 6:59 a.m. Very cool outside. Mike's tent worked well. Air mattress and sleeping bag were great. This campsite may be the noisiest place on earth. Between the freeway noise from the 5 freeway, the main artery, and the non stop trains there has been a less than gentle roaring going on all night. As I write this, two more trains have gone past, horns blaring. Hopefully this campsite is an anamoly. On the other hand, at 16 dollars a night, it ain't so bad.
ReplyDelete