July 19, 2020
Day 2: Granite Falls to Rockport
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We bid farewell to my boss and his lovely wife, the chickens, the creek, and the camping spot. We passed River Meadows County Park, my original choice for our first night's stay, but didn't make the side trip to investigate its potential as a bike camping destination. $30 would have been a steep price to pay for a place with no showers for tent campers.
I made a wrong turn at Arlington Heights Road, and in the process of correcting course, we wound up on one of those dirt roads that ended at one of those gates with a no-tresspassers-this-means-you sign. Rather than risk angering the owner, we backtracked. No big deal. We felt good and we were making good time.
The traffic on Arlington-Darrington Road was okay, and the shoulder was okay, but we were happy to discover a paved section of the Whitehorse Trail to our right. We enjoyed it so much that we stayed on it when it turned back to gravel. It was only when I thought that it was going to peter out on us, that we returned to the road. In due time we reached Darrington, where we found picnic tables in the shade at which to eat and rest.
The rest of the ride was flat and unremarkable. We crossed the river and a few creeks, but mostly we just cranked out the miles. We were happy to reach Rockport and our destination for the evening, Howard Miller Steelhead Park. Walk-in tent sites were $12. There are ten of them.
Just as we finished our transaction with the campground host, two bike tourists appeared behind us. Wow, we're not alone! It was Blaine and his son Logan. They were traveling light. He explained that his other son, Levi, was driving a SAG wagon, so they could cheat a little.
Soon after meeting them, a young lady in pigtails rolled by on her fully-loaded bike, never to be seen again. There was also a duo who snuck in and out of their campsite so stealthily that I wasn't even sure they were bike tourists.
We had plenty of time to decompress, wash our dirty clothes, and cook a nice dinner. A short ride lay ahead of us tomorrow. These were indeed the salad days of this little tour.
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 115 miles (185 km)
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