My bar buddy in Cathlamet, Chris and I talked about a lot of things in addition to the local restaurant hours of operation and A/C repair status. I told him my route to Bruceport and he said it’s a horrible road for bikes with no shoulder, traffic etc. Since there isn’t any other option he had me stressed out and I woke up at 5 am to the sound of logging trucks and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Eventually I decided to just get up, pack up and head out, hoping an early start may beat the traffic.
I thought it would be good to show the routine I go through each morning. Though it’s still a work in progress, I try to have all electronics charged overnight but depending if I have an outlet or use the battery pack. I usually “top them off” first thing while I’m packing up. You can see all the cords on the bench by the rear wheel.
Then I take everything out of the tent and group/inventory it. I use most everything every night so stuff gets scattered and I don’t want to lose anything. I place everything in a pannier. It should go in the same place in the pannier so it’s easy to find. Ha! That’s a joke. With my memory? I end up checking every pannier every time anyway. From there, I pack up the tent, bag, pad and tarp. The first time packing, everything is folded neatly and placed with great care. By the third time I’m just shoving it in anywhere and everywhere (this may also explain why I can never find anything.) I always make sure I replenish my snacks and buy Gatorade the night before and fill up my bottles. Thinking about it, I need to hire one of those closet organizers to improve my process!
Now I’m ready, but it’s 6:30 am and nothing is open for food. What to do what to do….
Well Cathlamet Chris was all in my head so I had to get going. I simply ate a protein bar, washed it down with Gatorade (breakfast of champions!) and hit the road.
Traffic was moderate but there were more logging trucks (I don’t think they like cyclists and they purposely get close to me!) Fortunately there was a nice shoulder 90% of the way so all was good. There was a lot of hills and I just chugged away hoping for a roadside restaurant for something to eat. Finally I found this little Mexican (yes, again but I had no choice) outlet in a convenience store. Breakfast Burrito and coffee BOOM!
From there the ride was great. Cathlamet Chris got me all worked up for nothing. The ride was very beautiful as usual.
I mentioned that I wanted to stop and smell the roses on this trip. I haven’t seen any roses but did get a little artsy with some flowers on the side of the road. See, I do have a soft side!
I finally intersected HWY101 heading north. It’s funny that I got to thinking that we have all seen the cyclists on 101 with all their stuff and either said out-loud or under our breath “look at that poor bastard.” Well now I’m that poor bastard! How ironic, but I love every minute.
I made it to Bruceport County Park at about 1 pm. My bike trip computer froze up so I didn’t have a map of the route. My watch said 56 miles with 2400 ft of climb. To get a route to show, I quickly punched it into MapMyRide. Surprisingly it shows over 3400 feet of climb!!!
Wondering if it’s because I was out of cell service for a while. I decided to check yesterday’s ride because I was out of service for a while too and that showed over 4700 feet! Damn, no wonder I’m so freaking tired. I thought it was just because I’m old. Well, I’m sure that’s still part of it!
Oh regardless, I made it. Once I got to camp I started thinking about dinner. hmmmm there is nothing around and South Bend is 6 miles away! Hmmmm, check Uber! Yep! $25 each way. Funny how the distance is in the gray area. 2 miles I ride my bike, 10 miles I call an Uber. What to do what to do…. I decided to ride into town. That way I have the flexibility to stop at the store. I also figure having to ride 12 extra miles is the “stupid tax” for not catching this during the planning. Worked out great. Had some Chinese food (Kung Pao Chicken). I hope I don’t feel that in the wrong spot tomorrow! WARNING - food pic
Made it home without incident. Now time for a shower and get to bed. 75 miles to Shelton tomorrow! Geez time and miles are flying by. It’s going to be Thursday!!
Until then….
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