Actual Miles: 86.0
Cumulative Miles: 220.7
Elevation Gain: 1,722'
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 7,521'
% Distance to Mexico: 11.7%
Let me start with this. My turn-by-turn directions were perfect. But when you're riding down a bike path and suddenly the path is completely blocked for construction, or when you're supposed to make a left turn and that turn is totally fenced in, it's not easy to get back on route. Take this turn, for example: there was no way around that fence. Or how about street names that change three times? And here's my favorite: unmarked streets! I made a turn on one unmarked street, hoping it was Central Park Drive, and it took at least three miles and two stops with mapping checks (in the rain) before I was rewarded with a Central Park Drive sign and a big sigh of relief! And yes, there were a couple of user errors along the way, as well. After 80+ miles, you wouldn't think I'd cycle right past the place I was staying, would you? I did. Fortunately, I figured it out a half-mile down the road. The Westport Bayside B&B was the perfect choice for the night and Tracy and Richard are wonderful hosts. All these redirects didn't cost me a lot of miles but it probably cost me close to an hour of time. That was due mostly to stopping to check maps on my pda at least 8-10 times. Even when you figure out where you are, you don't necessarily have a clue which direction you have to go to get back on course. The other time killer happened because one of my Polar cyclometers decided to stop recording mileage after the Rusty Tractor stop. No problem, right? Just use the other one. Ya, but now your turn-by-turn mileage is off for two reasons: all the re-routing additions, and the fact the new cyclometer starts at mile zero. I was constantly doing algebra equations from my bike trying to figure out what mileage my cyclometer would be at when my turn-by-turns would tell me I needed to "turn right on Bayview Rd. at mile 73.7." I eventually made it and I actually feel pretty good. None of my injuries are bothering me but I've already spent more than 16 hours in the saddle, and you show me any seat that's comfortable for 16 hours! I was rewarded with a few great pics down near the Marina in Westport. Day 3 Recap: Potlatch to Westport, WA
Actual Miles: 86.0 Cumulative Miles: 220.7 Elevation Gain: 1,722' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 7,521' % Distance to Mexico: 11.7%
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Another 80-miler today, possibly in the rain, heading west along the Chehalis River, to Aberdeen and on to the fishing town of Westport, situated on a peninsula between Gray's Harbor and the Pacific. Westport will bring me to the Pacific Ocean for the first of many days to come. I'm leaving early, as the morning weather report now shows no rain here until 9:00, and a window between noon and 5:00 with no rain at my destination in Westport. No complaints first half of the day. I'm almost 40 miles in and it's only 10:30. It's overcast but comfortable and I have only caught a few drizzles so far. Nice countryside but it loses something when you can't enjoy it against the backdrop of a blue sky. I'm in Elma now, getting some carbs for the final 40 at the Rusty Tractor.
You really had to be here to get a sense of what a compassionate, yet strong woman Cathy is. She runs Quilcene's Mount Walker Inn on her own and has faced some incredible hardship along the way. She didn't blink an eye at jumping in her "crummy" to go out to look for me when Kelley told her I'd taken a deep cut to the knee. After getting me patched-up at the fire station, Cathy drove me 50 miles round-trip to and from the Port Townsend Hospital, and waited for me for two hours while I was there. Wait, there's more! When I woke up in my room the next morning, there was a bucket of ice sitting out on the front step for me. Finally, Cathy wouldn't take my money. She wanted it to be a donation for Lindsey. After everything she told me, I understood. But you had to be here. Cathy is quite the animal lover. She has 6 cats, a dog, a horse, a goat, and probably more. The goat has a bad cut that Cathy has to tend to daily. The cats look like they pretty much run the joint. Cathy is saving up and putting money back into the Mount Walker Inn every year. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and a great deal. She lives on the property herself in a nice house overlooking her property. Of all the wonderful things about Cathy, I might have loved her truck the most. She calls it her "crummy". Hey, it got me to the hospital and back, just fine! I've always wanted a crummy. Cathy built a little building out front of the Inn, right on the highway. Her dream is to start a little espresso bar/coffee house there. I think it's a great idea and I hope she does it. If anyone is reading this thinking they might spend the night in Quilcene some day, stay at the Mount Walker Inn and tell Cathy that the guy she took to the hospital who fell on top of his bicycle while walking it onto the Port Townsend ferry sent you.
Really!? One day of sun is all I get?! Forecast says its going to be raining here by midnight and then raining from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. Looks like scattered rain in Westport, my 79-mile-away destination. That's too long of a day to try and wait it out. For sure if it's not raining when I get up, I'm leaving. Getting everything ready tonight so I can leave as soon as I want to in the morning. That probably means much less blogging throughout the day.
Beautiful first 10 miles through the Olympic National Forest, skirting Mount Walker. Then you drop down the other side to the spectacular Hood Canal. Having sunshine is a bonus. Here's a little video clip of me after arriving at Potlatch.. Lots of great chances for photos today Stopped in Brinnon for lunch at the Half Way House. I'm only a quarter-way through the day's ride but that's one of the luxuries of being Me right now. Tried fried Hood Canal oysters here. After one, I thought they were pretty good. After two, I realized that I just miss fried food, and still don't like oysters. Day 2 Recap: Anacortes to Quilcene, WA
Actual Miles: 46.7 Cumulative Miles: 134.7 Elevation Gain: 1,919' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 5,799' % Distance to Mexico: 7.2% I'm loving the comments I am getting, thank you! One request I have is to send me those comments by clicking on a comment link in one of my blog post. I can see (and save) all those right on the web site. You don't need to fill out the submission form unless you're someone I don't know. Those comments end up getting sent to my email. All the emails are nice but I'm trying to stay off email as much as possible! Keep em' coming! Thank you!!
Most of this today's ride skirts the edge of the Hood Canal. With few lodging options, I'm stuck at 40 miles so I booked a great waterside spot in Potlatch.
Let's start with how I feel. My two hurt toes sting, but feel better than when I woke up. My hip is a little sore but the swelling went way down. My knee stings a little, but it also feels better than when I woke up. Now it's my bike I'm mostly worried about. The large chain ring got slightly bent in the fall and now the chain is rubbing on something when I'm in the large chain ring. Bike is also filthy and sandy from the weather. But I'm going to wait to get to Potlatch to deal with those things. The sun is out this morning, so I'm looking forward to a great ride! Most of my injury details are in the "It Could Have Been Worse," blog post. As for the highlight of the day (unrelated to injury), I really enjoyed Washington Park and the point I rode out to before leaving Anacortes. Those side trips put me behind schedule and were partly responsible for making it an 80-mile day, but they were worth it. Hung around to watch this guy jump off the cliffs in Anacortes, but he got busted by the Rangers before he ever had the chance. Had to stop and take this photo at NAS Whidbey for Derek. Of course, he asked me if I went by before I ever had a chance to post it. For those who don't know, our boy is training to be a Naval Aviator and is currently stationed at NAS Whiting Field in Florida. I thought the Coupeville - Pt. Townsend Ferry was actually in Coupeville, but it's about 10 miles up the road. Messing around here really put me behind schedule. Day 1 Recap: Anacortes to Quilcene, WA
Actual Miles: 80.0 Cumulative Miles: 88.0 Elevation Gain: 3,780' Cumulative Elevation Gain: 3,880' % Distance to Mexico: 4.7% OK, let's get the bad part out of the way so I can get back in the zone. I rode 80 tough miles today, a lot of it wet. The kind of rain Washington is known for: drizzle. I got through the riding party tired, but fine. The walking my bike part? Not so good. I was running late all day after screwing around too much in Annacortes. Then I miscalculated the distance to the Port Townsend ferry. With 10 miles of pushing it hard, I just made it to the 3:00 ferry. I took off my shoes and put on my flip flops while waiting to board. Then when I grabbed my bike, it tipped over because of all the weight near the rear in my panniers (something I repeatedly forget). I tried to keep my bike from tipping and in the process, I went down on top of it. Net result? Cut toe, cut elbow, big hematoma bruise on my hip, and four staples in my knee to close a nasty cut. Bottom line, I'm OK. It doesn't even hurt much. We'll see how I feel in the morning. Short day tomorrow, fortunately. Now let's get to the good stuff, starting with Cathy, the owner of the place I'm staying, the Mt. Walker Inn. After getting bandaged up on the ferry, I knew I needed stitches and there was a hospital in Fort Townsend, but I decided to ride the last 25 miles to Quilcene instead, where I was pretty sure there wasn't one, based on their population of 851. I called Kelley while riding. She called the Mt. Walker Inn, talked to Cathy, the amazing owner of this oasis (more about Cathy to follow later on my blog) and asked about any medical services in town. As expected, there wasn't much in a place this size. Cathy was very concerned and she drove out to meet me when I rolled into town. She immediately took me to the fire station, where I was bandaged up again, and strongly advised to get stitches. Afterwards, Cathy drove me BACK those same 25 miles to Port Townsend, and waited for me for 2 hours while they cleaned me up, took x-rays, and finally stapled my knee. Who does that? I'm so grateful! I was pretty depressed while riding those last 25 miles into Quilcene. But I feel the Mojo coming back now. And if it weren't for that one, stupid, self-inflicted thing, it was a good day, in spite of the weather. I met a lot of people and had many chances to talk about Lindsey, and give away several of her donation cards. I'll post some of those pictures now, but it's late and I need sleep. So I'll blog more about the day tomorrow The above picture is overlooking Anacortes and was taken by Kathi (a Cannondale rider) and her dad, Dave, visiting from Santa Monica area. Met Prudence about 10 miles before Oak Harbor. She's been cycling the coast of Oregon and Canada quite awhile already. I think she said she was headed back to Seattle. Met this family at the Deception Pass Bridge. They drove all the way out from Waco, Texas. Asked a lot of questions about my ride and Lindsey. Very kind and sincere. Don has been riding with a group down in Oregon. He gave me the lowdown on a great place to stop in South Bend, where I stay after Day 4. Don was headed the other way, to the San Juans.
Today’s route is a 71-miler through Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, then onto Port Townsend via ferry. My ride finishes in Quilcene, home to the Quilcene oyster, on Quilcene Bay. It's cloudy here in Anacortes, but the forecast is sunny and 80° in Quilcene. I looped through Washington Park this morning, and I'm now at Mary Ann's Kitchen having breakfast. It's already 10:00 and I haven't left Anacortes yet!
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Jeff FredericksOn August 14, 2013, I'm flying to Vancouver, British Columbia and beginning a 29-day, 1,880-mile bike ride from Canada to Mexico. Archives |