first day on the road

Mileage. About 45, approx 1,000" feet elevation gain.

Being a big sissie, I had Janet give me a ride to just outside Olympia, which allowed me to bypass to mostly boring miles traversing the Puget Sound lowlands over to the Olympic Peninsula. So, today's ride was fairly short and relatively flat. I started riding just off WA highway 108 a couple miles outside Olympia. Almost immediately I encountered a headwind, which continued to build as I headed west.

Things were relatively uneventful, and the terrain began a series of gentle climbs (3 to 4% grades) for awhile, then dropped down to McCleary. Off the new highway onto the old highway, cleverly named McCleary-Elma road, soon the rain began to fall. I stopped in Elma for a Snickers bar and some Powerade. The sour melon flavor is about the same color as antifreeze. I still think it may be some sort of effluent from the nearby Satsop nuclear power plant. After Elma, the road changes name to the Monte Elma road, as it goes to Montesano,which is the county seat of Grays Harbor County.

I contemplated staying in Montesano for the night, as I was pretty much drenched at this point. I thought of staying at the Monte Square motel (where Alan and I stayed in 2008, and Steve and I in 2009), but decided to ride on to Aberdeen which was just another 9 or 10 miles.

From Montesano I had to get on Hwy 12, which is pretty much a freeway for a while. There was tons of broken glass on the shoulder, and I was hoping not to get a flat. I had good luck until almost Aberdeen.

There was on narrow bridge crossing the Wynochee River, so I stopped and turned on all my red flashing blinkies... 2. Planet Bike Super Flashes, 1 Portland Design Works RadBot 1000. These were in addition to the taillight powered by my generator hub. I was lit up like a Christmas tree! Anyway the crossing went without incident.

Fighting a fairly stiff headwind coming into Aberdeen, all the glass finally got the best of my front tire. I stopped and fixed the flat, didn't find any sharp object in the tire, and continued on my way. About 5 minutes later, Psssst! Flat again! This time I saw that the tire casing had been completely cut through so I guess that the tube actually was protruding from the tire. So I booted the tire and it now is fine.

In Aberdeen I got a room at the Olympic inn Motel, which they claim is the nicest motel in Aberdeen. I guess they would know. After a shower, I went for a burger and beer at Teri's Steakhouse, and now back in my room, with all my drying clothes. Next I will patch the inner tubes punctured today. Tomorrow I will head south, and the weather forecast is good. Maybe I will take advantage of that and maybe go as far as Cape Disappointment or Astoria OR. I didn't take too many pictures today, as the rain put a damper (ha! Nice pun) on that, but I will try to get them up soon. See ya later!