Visit from my family

Woke up early since the sun was out in force. Packed up and headed towards the 101 to start our short day of riding. Aberdeen was on the agenda being 44 miles away. Seemed like a lot of it was somewhat downhill which our legs enjoyed. 

Made good time into Holquiem just outside of Aberdeen by a couple miles when we came across Hum-Dinger a greasy outdoor diner that Evan and I ate at a lot on our TransAmerican trip. They are always the best. The older sassy women were loving our tuxedo jerseys even telling Blake to ride in his birthday suit. 

I inhaled my veggie burger, onion rings, and chocolate milk shake before the other guys ate half of theirs. I'm blanking on the adage about a hungry man and a veggie patty but it's somewhere. 

We then rode to Aberdeen looking for Internet at a cafe or something but all there seemed to be was a Starbucks and McDonalds so we rose to the next town Cosmopolis to a fun spot that just closed but the owners live there so they kept it open. We chatted with them about their establishment and how they moved from California and how they always wanted to run a cafe that served organic food and coffee and supported local arts and music. We congratulated them and encouraged them to keep it up and start a farmers market in their parking area. 

We finished our muffins and smoothies then huffed it up a decent hill to Artic RV and Campground where we got a spot. Great little place and the owners love cyclists. They cut us a special deal and then took us on a walking your of their backyard showing off a huge garden, apple and kiwi trees, and wonderful flowers. They allow anyone staying to harvest whatever is there; the onions, lettuce, and green beans are tempting us so perhaps tomorrow we will take a little.

My brother, Leo, his wife, Jenny, and my niece, Ruth-Ann, tracked us down from their hometown of Olympia and brought us 2 big pizzas, salad, chocolate cake, and green tea. It was so awesome to see them and for them to bring such a feast. Sadly we didn't have much time but it was worth it to have some laughs, hugs, and to chase little Ruthie around the grass and spin her around until we were both walking like drunken sailors as my dad calls it.

Said our goodbyes and many thank yous and my family headed back home. I was thinking as I was riding today how blessed I am and I don't expect anyone to go out of their way for me but it sure is nice when they do. Couldn't be more thankful for the blessings of family and food.

*Almost forgot, as we were riding today Evan points to a sign and as I turn to read it I veer slightly over the white line as a logging truck was coming. Closer than I'd like to be but still a 'safe' distance away. Was reminded to be in constant control of my bike even when I'm rubbernecking a sign.

Meeting the ocean & lake swimming

We woke to much condensation on our tents so we hung them in the sun patches while we prepared breakfast and packed up. The ride from our campsite was through wooded parts then through clear cut area with signs scattered telling when they were clear cut, replanted, and when the next harvest would be.

Before leaving on this trip I was having lunch with my good friend, Mike Bartlett, and I told him that restoration has been really impressed upon me this summer and I'm wondering what that is going to look like on the trip and after and I would say that so far I'm happy to see these clear cut forest being replanted (the forethought is wise) but its crazy cause I saw a replant date of 1986 (a year after I was born) and the trees still had a long ways to go. Nature works in a much different scope of time and so does restoration. Be mindful in a day of instant oatmeal which is getting a little old for me.

We winded through some wooded area then rode up along the beach which was so gorgeous! I joked about how we can finally start the trip but after a quick lunch by the shore we headed back inland to Lake Quinault. 

We settled into the first campsite and setup right on the beach. It was hot and we were sticky with sweat and sun screen so we jumped in the crystal clear lake. Frigid at first then it just was perfect. We swam and giggled like small boys taking videos of us diving in and acting like goofs. 

The sunset complimented nicely with the lake and surrounding hills. I tried to capture it but the human eye is such an amazing piece of technology. The sun dipped over the last hill and we settled into our sleeping arrangements: Blake in his tent, Evan wrapped like a burrito in his tarp, and me in Evan's tent.

Port Angeles to Bogachiel State Park

An earlier start was on the agenda today where Evan shocked us all by getting up to observe the sunrise then had his bags all packed (after he went back to sleep). We returned to our bikes and gear and packed up saying goodbye and many thanks to our hosts and to Nancy for chauffeuring us around.

Blake and I mailed a few garments back to Idaho and then we all loaded up on food an hit the road. It was sunny and clear all day, staying in the mid 70s which is surprising for a place that gets 12 feet of rain a year! 10 miles was spent winding around Lake Crescent, a gorgeous and clear lake that is somehow affiliated with the park. That part didn't have much of a shoulder but wasn't too bad. 

There was much talk by some others of quite the hill at the end of the lake but it wasn't bad at all. It was long and gradual which was awesome; I jammed out and sang the whole way up only to find two other tourers up top (I thought they were Blake and Evan). Chatted with them for a bit and kept going. There were minor hills but some nice flat and downhill where we could get a good average going on our speedometers.

Forks was our destination am we arrived in the early evening and inquired about a state park we saw on a map and it was only 5 more miles down the road so we rode on. Hunger kicked in right when we were just a mile or so away and we found a campsite, made some grub, showered, and swatted mosquitos. 62 miles, not too shabby. Hitting up the coast tomorrow for lunch time then to Lake Quinault. 

Obstruction Point

Yesterday we spent most the day hiking in the park again out at Obstruction Point. Gorgeous weather once again with wonderful mountain vistas. It's a dirt road to a pull off where Evan, Nancy, and Blake went for a more daunting 10.3 mile hike with much elevation loss and gain while I went for the modest 7.3 mile hike down to a lake walking along a ridge then dropping more than 2100 feet. The lake was crystal clear and the fish were jumping like mad. I caught up on some reading and just soaked in the view. I am a sucker for alpine lakes, must be why I enjoy the Sawtooths so much. 

I hiked back to the car and read for an hour and a half before the rest of the gang showed up. We were all wind and sunburned just a tad. We returned to camp, consumed many calories, had a fireside chat, then slept.

The Park on the Peninsula

We or off the ferry boat in Port Angeles and found a nice place to have some dinner. It's a quaint town with the ocean sloshing on one side and the mountains holding up clouds on the other. Attempting to stay at a campground, we went to Safeway to get some more groceries we contacted another warm showers person since we planned on visiting Olympic National Park for a couple of days and Evan's friend, Nancy, was coming from Seattle for a visit. 

We obtained a place to stay which was literally 2 blocks away from where we were. Deanna and Randy host cyclers all the time and they have a wonderful home with a cute dog named Skip. There were two guys who just finished their tour from Chicago to Austin, Texas then they took a bus to San Diego and biked up to Port Angeles that were staying there too. They were buying a truck to drive back to Chicago which they did buy yesterday. 

Nancy didn't arrive until 4pm so Evan and Blake worked on their bikes for a bit while I went to the ocean front to read, journal, and explore. They met up with me and we went to eat at a Chinese buffet rated best in the Peninsula. After two large plates of food and a small ice cream cone I was stuffed to the rafters. 

Nancy came and picked us up and we headed up the winding steep mountain road into the park. The road goes from sea level to about 5,000 feet so we were glad we weren't going to bike it. We spent a couple hours hiking around Hurricane Ridge and taking pictures of the mountainous landscape as well as the numerous deer that were not too scared of onlookers. 

After the sun went down we headed to a campground to set up for the night. We enjoyed dinner and conversation then called it a night.

Ferry boats, Canadians, Hills, and A Place to stay.

The ferry boat ride was enjoyable. We sat at the top front of the boat to make sure they were going the right direction. We sat, talked, ate, Blake tried to read but of course Evan and I didn't make it easy for him to read. We arrived to Nanaimo which was larger than expected. 

We stopped at a nice grocery store to pickup some snacks and dinner. Everyone in Canada is so kind, interested, and excited about our bike trip. It's amazing how many people recognize my surly long haul trucker and saddle knowing it is for touring. We departed town and hopped on the highway south towards Victoria. 

The ride was along a highway busier than expected and not as many viewpoints either, still pleasant to smell the ocean air and take in the lush rainforest. There were several decent hills which is only getting us in better shape, but we all struggled a bit. 

We rode 45+ miles down to Duncan looking for a provincial park; we stopped in at a grocery store in Duncan to ask directions but no one seemed to know. Outside a couple and their friend were talking to Blake about our bikes and invited us all to stay the night in their backyard. They were headed to a party but said their doors are unlocked an too feel free to shower and make food in the kitchen and setup anywhere in their yard. 

It's always nice to get a shower especially when you don't know when your next one will be. Granted its day 1 but we are already grimy from sweat and exhaust. We made some hot food, showered, and set up tents then zonked out. Not a bad day; the weather has been so perfect with partial clouds, cooler temps, and sun peaking through here and there. 

Thank you Canada, you have been kind as always.

We awoke today and packed up sating many thank yous and "if you're ever in Idaho..." We rode off encountering wonderful cool temperatures, no rain, and partly sunny weather. 

The riding was nice today but we did encounter a long climbing hill which gave us all a huff and a puff. There was a reward towards the top with a pretty viewpoint of the end of the island, the San Juan Islands, and if it was clear, a mountain in Washington that I am blanking on. We then had an awesome downhill cruise for quite a ways, reaching speeds of up to 40mph. 

About (Canadian about), 9 miles from Victoria we stopped at a Tim Hortons to fill up water, use the restroom, and carb up with a muffin and donut. Surprise surprise. Heading into Victoria we were riding on the freeway navigating past cars speeding from the on ramps to the highway. 

Downtown was a happening place filled with tons of people, a rowing race, some sort of festival, and a picturesque parliament building next to the water front. Sadly we only had a half hour before catching our ferry boat to Port Angeles, Washington. 

We spent the time on the boat reading, journaling, updating the blog, taking pictures, and Evan setting up his mat on the floor and napping. 

Canada has been very kind to us, getting positive responses from everyone. They sure love our tuxedo jerseys! I've always had a good experience in western Canada and this confirms once again that they are very wonderful people. 

Once in Port Angeles, we plan on visiting Olympic National Park for a day or two. Sorry for the lack of pictures but I am taking them, but I am just updating via my iPhone. Check instagram for pics and maybe when we get to a computer.