[Note: the route shown for today is incomplete. I think I restarted my phone while stuffing it in the dry bag this morning. I’ll fix it after I get home]
We’ve seen straits, canals, bays, and sounds. Today, on the eighth day of our west coast tour, we finally saw the Pacific Ocean.
We started the day with several drawbridges as we navigated though downtown Aberdeen. While we were stopped to figure out exactly how they connect, it started drizzling. Then it got stronger. We hadn’t started in rain mode, and Ruth started strenuously requesting the rain fairing. So we put on the rain covers, but skipped booties and such.
We crossed the second drawbridge, and found the Chehalis River Trail, with the help of a local resident with a killer backyard RC car track. It’s a pretty standard multi use trail that runs on the northern perimeter of the city. The river is hidden on the other side of a levee, with barbed wire preventing examination.
There’s some kind of utility operating there, with small buildings on the levee and access roads. At one, a crew was bringing in new equipment, with a pickup, trailer, and forklift blocking the path. They asked if we wanted through, then started moving. I expected them to open a small passage for us to walk the bikes through, so I dismounted and put on the cleat covers. Instead, they completely got out of the way. Anne zoomed through. Rather than delay the crew further, I tore off the covers, held one in my hand and stuck the other in my mouth, and rolled though. Yum.
The trail went past pasture land with horses. In one, there was a group of deer grazing, too. They were just chilling, so Anne was able to get a picture.
Much of the rest of the day was spent on WA 105. We went past an Ocean Spray facility, which smelled strongly of apple juice. We went past several places selling oysters, typically featuring one or more huge piles of oyster shells.
We had a picnic lunch in the parking lot at Bottle Beach State Park. It had turned quite sunny, so we put away the assorted rain covers. After we ate, Anne took Ruth down the boardwalk to the beach, while I got to change Max’s diaper.
Naturally, as soon as we got rolling, it started raining again. So, stop again, put the covers back. After a while, it got sunny again. So the fairing on Ruth’s trailer came off. This time I left the covers on the panniers, to ward off the rain.
We took a diversion on Cranberry Road in Grayland. It took us through a residential area, then to farmland, but with a crop we didn’t recognize. A large field of short red plants, and regularly spaced sprinkler heads. Then, inspiration hit. It was Cranberry Road for a reason. Many of the buildings had Ocean Spray signs on them, too. We’re clever people.
Then, ocean. We’ve seen a bunch of salt water connected to the Pacific in various ways, but this was the first view of the ocean itself. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the coming weeks, but it was still a welcome sight. It reinvigorated me for the back half of the ride.
Shortly thereafter, we ran into another bald eagle soaring about.
We cut back in around a bay towards the motel for the night, with a lot of dilapidated boats in various stages of decay. In Raymond, there are a ton of metal statues of all subjects alongside the road. Many are essentially silhouettes, but others are more fully formed 3D objects. We took a path through town to get to South Bend.
Chen’s Motel is a bit run down, but with a nice enough interior. It seems that it’s run out of the cafe that shares the parking lot.
The repeated rides are starting to take their toll on our bodies. Our muscles are up to the task, but contact points and joints are protesting a bit. I think we’ll get used to it.
We’re figuring out the bedtime thing, though. Even though we’re tired, trying to get the kids down quickly is a mistake. They need more time to unwind after the ride. So we’re all doing the grocery shopping in the evening, and letting them run around in the room a bit.
Tomorrow will be pretty similar as we finish Washington and cross into Oregon.