DAY 4: Twanoh State Park to Bruceport County Park

August 6, 2018

STATS:

Distance: 98.05 miles

Average Speed: 12.1 mph

Time Pedaling: 8:04:29

Maximum speed: 34.1 mph

Expenses: $24.25 ($9 for supplies at WalMart and $15 for camp, but Alana will pay me back for half in Astoria)

Yesterday I lost my groove. Today it came roaring back.

I've found that cycling early in the morning is a great way to start any day on tour. With that in mind, I set an alarm for 5:30, made breakfast by 5:45, and was out by 7:15.

At this point of the trail, the Adventure Cycling route heads further inland to take advantage of flatter and (presumably) lower trafficked roads. I was already off route at this point, so I decided to continue my trek towards the coast, following my own route and the route outlined in the "Biking the Pacific Coast" book. Doing so was largely successful, with only a few hiccups that I will outline below.

I spent my morning passing through very rural and heavily-logged terrain. Swaths of clear cut forest were common sites throughout the day, interjected with forested roads and gorgeous farmland. Throughout it all, however, was the presence of stark, abject poverty. Inmany ways it reminded me of rural Appalachia. But that's not to say the logging industry has gone quite as bust as the coal industry; I saw countless logging trucks plowing the roads, waiting for their "Final Destination" moment.

A good spot for a quick snack. There are endless possibilities for stealth camping in the clear cut areas.

Christmas trees, awaiting their wintry slaughter.

Throughout the day I was much more purposeful in taking breaks, snacking, and enjoying the scenery. It made for a much more meaningful day, and allowed me to push hard while still enjoying my time.

After some flatlands outside of Elma, I took 107 towards the 101. Road crews were mowing, and would stop the traffic one way for 10-15 minutes. This meant that I was left with gloriously empty stretches of road, without the stressor of traffic and noisy automobiles.

The 101 was everything but relaxing. Traffic was decently heavy, and the shoulder would vary from huge to nonexistent. It was also littered with broken glass, gravel, and other roadside debris. Just as I was thinking to myself "Wow, these Schwalbe tires really are built well" I heard a dreaded rotating "pst...pst...pst..." sound. I couldn't see any obvious damage, but heard air escaping and dawdled off to a shady stretch of road for closer inspection and repair.

Well that'll poke through anything! I've never had a puncture like this before.

At least I had been planning on taking a break around now anyways. 70 miles into the day.

I was in good spirits, though, and once I fitted a new tube I was on my way. It was hot and quite hilly, and the traffic still wasn't letting up. I was weary and really wanted to get to camp. With 10 miles top go, while fighting a smelly headwind outside of Raymond, I saw a touring bike outside of a park restroom. I met up with Alana, a westbound cross-country cyclist and also a former Fulbright recipient. We continued onto Bruceport and split our campsite. We shared stories of our times abroad and on the road. Alana is documenting the lives of migrants in 15 cities across the US, which I'd say is a great deal more thoughtful than my own claim of passing gas. Oh well, to each their own!

Home is where the heart is. Bruceport County Park, Washington.

Gas: passed

Today's ride: 98 miles (158 km)
Total: 287 miles (462 km)

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