We got some decent rain today on our climb through Walker Pass, but the second half of the ride went slowly.
Gramma and Grandpa watched the kids this morning as we got ready to go. The forecast once again called for rain, so we suited up in rain mode and got rolling.
It drizzled as we slowly climbed 500, in fits and starts, over 12 miles or so. There was hardly any wind, so it was actually kind of refreshing.
A deer popped out of the brush right next to us, and ran along beside Anne for a while. She slowed down (after all, deer have the right of way), and the animal jumped back into the bushes.
The rain picked up a bit as we descended into Quilcene, where our single turn of the day would be. We figured we’d be most likely to be able to find shelter, and indeed, we found a picnic area behind the local Historical Museum. Sadly, the museum wasn’t open yet. We left a donation in the bin in thanks.
Then the turn onto 101 for the climb through Walker Pass. 101 here isn’t like it is at home in the San Francisco area. It’s one lane in each direction, just a rumble strip for separation, and (largely) a decent shoulder. The road took us through Olympic National Forest. It’s only a 750 foot climb and stays pretty easy. I kept waiting for it to ramp up. When we stopped for some pictures, it turned out we had just about reached the peak.
Back down we went, excited to have the major climbing over, although we still had 25 miles to go. The rain kept up, though still pretty mild.
The rest of the ride took us along the Hood Canal. It was pretty, but tedious. There were a lot of short climbs and descents. Nothing challenging, but also nothing satisfying.
We knew there would be no services at the motel, so we had picked up some dinner materials yesterday on our rest day. We stopped for some milk for the kids from a corner store about a mile before the end. We were glad to be almost done.
When we got to the Creekside Inn, a tiny four- or five-room motel, we spread our wet stuff in front of the fireplace, let the bikes dry under the awning, and prepared a tasty meal of mac & cheese, summer sausage, and cherries. An after dinner walk in search of a vending machine at one of the neighboring RV parks did not bear fruit.
This seems to be the land of VHS. Yesterday in Port Hadlock, there was a store advertising that they sell VHS on their door. Then today there were several tapes left at the side of the road, spread out over a couple miles.
Tomorrow looks like there might be more rain, and we might even catch sight of the Pacific Ocean.