Thirty eight degrees when we woke up this morning and there were frost warnings!!! We had breakfast in sort of an open air garage area of the KOA back lot . . . COLD!!!

. . . and as we left camp, we passed patches of grass that did have frost. At this point many of us were thinking . . . and we paid good money to do this!!!

We all headed over to the Lewis and Clark Over Wintering exhibit where the expedition had overwintered before heading back east after their western exploration.

The fort was actually very small . . . less space to heat!!

Sacajawea, an Indian women, was very instrumental in the western exploration being a success.

. . . these cabins were looking familiar . . .

. . . the fort had been the site of many councils . . .

. . . and the interior rooms were beginning to look like . . .

. . .  the KOA cottages we had just left!!!!

. . . as I was warming up in the sun, Rich said I looked like a model for Showers Pass rainwear and suggested I send them a shot for their ‘senior members’ client catalog!!!

Soon we were back on the road heading south, riding fast enough to warm up.

Oregon is VERY friendly to bicyclists and have great modern campgrounds . . . AND TIME LIMIT FREE showers. No depositing quarters for three minute segments!!!

We me David and Mikaela, who were looping from Astoria to Seaside and back for the day. Both were on vacation from their jobs in Seattle.

Soon we arrived in Seaside and had our first sighting of the ocean . . .

. . . which we would follow for the rest of the day BEAUTIFUL, The smells, the scenery, the vistas were fantastic and the temps got about 60 degrees!!!

Down the road we went to . . .

. . . our first tunnel of the trip.

Only a quarter mile long, you push the button on the pole to the left which starts lights flashing on the top of the bridge letting approaching cars know there are bikers in the tunnel.

For three of our riders who passed through at separate times, it was a warning to logging truckers to have some ‘fun’ and blow their air horns as soon as they got next to our riders. Hugh called Oregon DOT to complain, but with out a license number, or company name from the truck, they were not willing to do much.

A REAL Kodak moment around every corner . . .

. . . but watch for falling and fallen rocks on the road!!!

At Seaside we had  big climb and  an unexpected sudden 2 mile long downhill into town. As we approached our home for the night Manzanita, we had another BIG 4 mile downhill but in this case could see the town below . . . BEAUTIFUL!!!!

What a day had it been and we are hoping for three more before the next rain is predicted. AND maybe temps in the mid 60’s tomorrow!!!

Cozy cabins at the KOA allowed us to finally dry everything out and sleep out of the rain for a night.

What a GREAT surprise when Mike P. (aka ‘Evil Mike’), from our 2017 Northern Tier ride, showed up at 8:30am with donuts and coffee for the whole gang. Mike, Anne, Hugh, Denise and I were all on the ride from Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor MA. Great to catch up and find out what was new in everyone’s lives since that great crossing.

We miss you Wade. Keep riding that BMW!!!

I was the first in yesterday and after stopping at the ‘Ranger Station’ to get the wristbands, maps and keys for our luxury camping cabins, while biking the 1/2 mile to our cabins my chain/hub broke locked up and the wheel would not turn (see the chain hanging in photo above). I carried the bike the rest of the way to the campsite and took a closer look. After removing the chain, the wheel would still not turn. Ryan arrived about a half hour later. I took off the wheel and we headed to town  . . .

. . .  where Scott, owner of Bike and Beyond after a quick diagnosis began exploratory surgery on Connie’s rear hoof.

After removing nearly all the bushings,  washers, spacers and packing, the hub would still not turn. I guess after 10’s of thousands of miles on the hub, it just disintegrated. Luckily he had a replacement wheel, a new state of the art Mavic on which he installed my cassette and tire. I brought the rest of the bike in today, he put it all together and I was back on the road!!!

Today we said goodbye to our Swiss biking companion, Olivier, who is heading back to Geneva. His Brompton bike is probably geared too high for a trip like this and he pulled muscles in his leg. A visit to the doctor resulted in a suggestion not to bike for two weeks. Safe trip home, Oliver!!!

The rain started right when it was supposed to at 2:00am but was finished by the time we woke. Those in the yurts stayed dry, but so did we who were in tents. However . . .

. . . the 45 degrees morning temps called for a third cup of hot jojo!!!

Right out of town we took a ferry across the river, leaving WA behind and beginning our journey through OR. WA had a great ‘Welcome to” type sign . . .

. . . and I met Dale and David who were venturing over into OR for a breakfast of flapjacks with merryberries. They dated for ten years, meeting half way from each of their homes in Cathlumet, and decided when they got married two years ago to move here permanently. Nice story!!!

oh . . .  and we did see a few sasquatch’s heading down to the river for a morning drink!!! (local farmer humor).

On the other side of the river, Oregon DOT had not gone out of their way to make us feel welcome!!!!

Right off the ferry it was time to climb, which certainly took care of any chill one may have still had . . .

. . . top of the first pass . . .

. . . where a state park afforded great panorama views

I had made it to the 9:00am ferry and I could see the 10:00am version hauling more bikers across the river.

. . . there was our host town.

. . . the bane of bicyclists, the de-laminated steel belted radial tire. INSTANT flat if you encounter some of the steel belt strands. So far on the trip we have had about a half dozen flats. Two folks have had multiples!!!

. . . ahh hopefully not today!

About 5 miles out of Astoria, a trooper passed me on a curve with his lights on . . . around the curve I saw why. The two young men sitting on the tailgate of the truck had run off the road, tipped upside down . . .

. . . and crawled out the car through the windows as the car laid upside down in a creek with two feet of water. Unbelievable that neither of them was injured.

. . . living on a house boat doesn’t mean you can’t have a basketball court . . .

. . . someones weekend dream that never materialized!!!

. . . if I hadn’t been so close to Astoria I would have stopped for coffee and talked to anyone who would listened about forestry in the Pacific NW.

oh yeah, there were a few more hills along the way!!!

. . . but drivers were  courteous as we rolled into town.

. . . where we were greeted by a group of sea lions barking at us. Nice!!!

Click above to HEAR the movie!

A five mile boardwalk along the water took us to Hwy 101. A great way to see town, just need to keep an eye on the rails. Don’t fall in the crack!!!

Seems to be lots of homeless in WA and now OR. They tend to congregate in areas, with all their worldly belongings towed in a shopping cart. Here some one had set up a food station behind their car for those who needed a meal.

Quite the bridge. Jenny had ridden over it in that past and said it was quite the experience!! Maybe tomorrow.

We are staying at a KOA and have a rest day tomorrow. So no cooking tonight and into town for dinner. Here Ryan is giving us our ‘allowance’ for dinner, in cash . . .

. . . and we all had a great meal at a local brewery. Rich enjoyed his burrito although there was a ‘guacamole incident’ !!

Nice sleeping inside last night . . . outside temp this morning, 47 degrees!!! We had to leave the place spotless, so after all the dishes were done and put away, Rich and Dave swept and mopped the whole place!!

On the road we went. Heavy fog this morning along the route . . . and Nelly came over to the fence to say Hi! Washington State of course is know for apples and there are piles of them everywhere. I need to remember to pick up a few to carry along for moments like this. Always can use a new friend!!

In Toledo there was an old water tower with a great railroad graphic painted on the side . . .

Oh yeah, we are not far from Mount St Helen’s and if you are in a car, you are encouraged to fill up before heading up. Being on two wheels and with full tummies, were are good until at least 10:00am!!!

Great scenery along the way included this farm ahead which had a pasture full of horses . . .

. . .  and a funny barn. No weak women on this trip!!!

WA is looking out for the welfare of us bicyclists!!!

Tent show came to town and must have forgot there signs . . . unless they were run out of town!!!

Along the way was this ‘70’s vintage Toyota Land Cruiser, very similar to one I owned. Great machine that would go through anything, but hard to heat up during the middle of a Minnesota winter.

When we rode into Longview, there was a six mile paved bike trail to keep us off the main road . . . BUT these signs along the the trail . .

. . . were sort of disconcerting. Keep moving and don’t touch anything!!!

Soon we were biking along the Columbia River and the sun came out from behind the clouds and it was gorgeous . . .

. . . it’s definitely a working waterway.

We partially dodged the rain bullet today. Starting out in 47 degree temps, we were suppose to ride into the rain as we neared Cathlomet, our home for the night. When we left Longview, for the last 20 mile stretch, the weather had cleared in Cathlomet. The storm  had gone around us and looking over ones shoulder could see that Longview was now getting the worst of it!!

Erosion and rock slide protection along the road today. This one had two parallel barriers running along the road  . . .

. . . and some kind of bird had met its demise, some time ago, and all that was left was the skeleton. You can see it’s talons in the red circle.

There were some riverside homes along the way too. Not sure what this guy (the landowner has GOT to be a guy) was thinking when he landscaped the place, but certainly it’s a conversation starter!!!

Tonight we are staying at the Elochoman Marina’s campground. Hugh and I were the first into camp and could see the next storm blowing in from the west. We BARELY got our tents up before the rains started to fall. It was supposed to rain most of the night, stopping 3:00am. There were two yurts available for rent so we snatched those up.

Each one has fabric walls, reinforced by wood lattice, a ‘70’s style couch . . .

. . . and a bunk bed. Also a heater and power. The bathroom is down the lane. Girls in one yurt, and boys in the other. Four of us guys decided to camp outside in our tents.

It was supposed to start raining about 3:00am but waited until 5:00am. The rain was supposed to last until mid morning and, with the inside heated kitchen,  many of the riders delayed their start. I got going at 8:00am and by about 9:00am the rain had stopped.,

Passed these guys who looked like they were milling cabin logs . . .

. . . then came upon this nursery that had their arborvitae stock layed out by the year it would be for sale. 2041 was yet to be planted!!!

Lots of Christmas tree farms along the way too . . . very nicely pruned.

I felt I might be related to this guy!!!!

Had to stop and visit with some of the locals . . . very friendly and curious

. . . as were some of the others just down the road.

The Oakville Fire Department had their own submarine. The lettering on the front said ‘Launched 2016’!!!

I stopped into Willie’s Sports Shop, located in Centralia, to buy some chain lube and had a nice discussion with Willie and his Sales Manager, Madison. Ends up Willie played minor league baseball for the Cedar Rapids Rockets and his team frequently came to play the Madison Muskies. Small World!!!

On the outskirts of town was this VERY secure prison. Interestingly, it had no name and was only a block or two from a school!!!

One of the first roadside auto death memorials I’ve seen on this trip . . . Jesse James must have been very popular  . . .

. . . because on the other side of the street was another memorial for him!!!

This guy had a memorial built around the flag you can see in his front yard.

It was a 60 mile day and we had only climbed 350 feet of the 1,500 feet we needed to climb. This is where the rest of it  started . . .

. . . fall colors are starting to show up in them there hills . . .

. . . and of course what goes up must come down . . . yippee. Hold on!!!!

We are staying at a conference center located on the grounds of the Lewis and Clark State Park, but first I had to get by Randy, the flagman. He said they have been busy building roads all summer but as Fall approaches, things were slowing down.

Connie was happy to be home for the night . . .

. . .  and there is plenty of room for her and the other steeds  inside with us.

I got into camp about 10 minutes after the van arrived and here was Ryan going through our rental agreement particulars with Ranger Emily . . .

. . . while Oliver readied the FULLY EQUIPPED kitchen.

The main house . . .

. . . and the lounge. There was a joint bathroom with four stalls and two showers.

There also were two single rooms, one at each end of the house. One had its own bathroom and shower. We decided on a lottery system for the bedrooms and Pam drew the lucky winners. Glen won the bedroom without the private bath and shower . . . and guess who won the other???? Yours truly!!! I’ll sleep good tonight, no earplugs needed!!!

The kitchen crew in action . . .

. . . chefs Denise and Gina whipped up  a great apple raisin salad and black bean and sweet potato soup. YUM!!!!

. . . it was still warm enough that most of us ate dinner outside!!!

. . . home sweet home!!!

I’m pretty much back on my morning schedule, getting up at  5:00 – 5:30am.  At about 5;45am the tents start lighting up like mushrooms as the others awake.

The sun FINALLY comes up about 7:15am . . . and the temps are usually in the lower 50’s . . . not too bad if it is not raining!!!

Most riders start breakfast with their headlights on and by the time they are done it’s light enough to start taking down tents . . . most are on the road by 8:00am.

Oh, our chefs are taking care us veggie types, usually leaving the meat out until the end of their prep and then adding in either meat or tofu/soy products.

Gina is now 0 for 5 camping nights, having spent last night with her friend Robyn, who ended up only living about 3 miles down the road from our campsite. We’re beginning to think she has friends along the coast all the way to San Diego and may never spend a night in a tent.

Today’s ride started with a tour past Lake Mason, reminding me a lot of riding in northern Wisconsin. Beautiful lakes, heavy forest cover and nice cabins along the way . . . .

. . .  and they are looking out for bikers too!!!

. . . this gang may not like their neighbors!!!

We stopped along the road, about half way to Elma, for a little break. Fall colors are starting to pop in the hardwoods.

. . . and soon arrived at this little oasis, in the middle of a 25 mile stretch with nothing else around, and pulled in for an ice cream . . .

. . .  and had a nice discussion with MaKayla who was only in her third day of employment at the store. I asked her about her clientele and she said there was a bunch of ‘old people’ who stopped by every morning and spent about an hour drinking coffee and telling stories. I asked her what she meant by ‘old’ ??? With a coy smile on her face, she said  . . .”older than me”!!!

A wide selection of goodies , . . we all had something different.

More political signage. WA must be a red state, haven’t seen any Dem supporters.

We are getting into some heavily timbered areas and clear cuts are starting to show up.  Most of the areas have been replanted . . . nice!!!

Sure hope whoever had the little party along the road here was not driving near us . . . actually, I hope they were not driving at all!!!

This small engine shop had a FUN mailbox!!!!

The Elma Campground & RV Park was SUPERB. It had the best grass I have ever slept on during a bike trip. No weeds, no rocks, no brown spots, 3 inch long grass . . . felt GREAT walking around with bare feet.

. . . and Milt, the campground host, met us when we arrived giving us the code for the bathrooms and each of us a plastic bag with four freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Still warm!!!

One of the daily routines is for most folks to do some laundry either in the shower or a utility sink. Most state campgrounds do not have laundry facilities. Time to put up the clothesline. Problem in the Pacific NW, during the fall, is with the cool temps, rain and a short daylight window nothing dries before the sun goes down. But they do dry some . . .

. . . unless you are busy working on a journal then Denise’s Laundry Service will hand deliver your clean, folded wash, right to your tent!!!

Dave and Joe were supposed to cook tonight but Joe needed to head into town, so Anne and Liz jumped in to help Dave. Dave is ‘GREAT’ at taking instructions!

Great pasta, bread and chicken salad, served inside and with real tablecloths . . . and the heat was on in the building!!!

We had a rider joins us late last night, Sewartha, who rolled in about 9:30pm . . .

. . . and in the morning popped up like a mushroom from her bivy bag. Here is a ‘re-enactment’. She just graduated with a degree in environment micro biology, and having missing the deadline to apply for graduate school, decided to bike from Vancouver, where she is from, to Mexico. We’ll probably bump into her again as we all bike along.

The best campground grass, EVER!!!

Although we had dinner in the building that ‘An Officer and A Gentleman’ was filmed in, we assembled at our campsite for breakfast and to make lunches . . .

Oliver began assembling the Brompton. Just a couple flicks of the wrist and it is ready to ride!!!

Yesterday when we came into the campground, I stopped to see if the seasonal canteen was open. The rain was four or five inches deep along the gutter and unfortunately had covered the curb. This was the point of impact and over I went. Luckily . . .  only a mere flesh wound.

We had a 1.5 mile bridge to cross today but first had to cross the up coming traffic to get to our lane. If that didn’t kill ya, the metal grated deck would . . . .

Nice of  WA DOT to cover a five foot swath with another a rubber surface to prevent bikers from falling over on the slick metal, into the path of traffic!!

. . . we passed the house of many storks.

. . . oh, there are some rural WA landowners with opinions!!!

There seem to be many military bases in WA, mostly Navy. Here was another base we passed that had BIG jets . . .

. . . and evidently VERY secure boundaries protected by working dogs, no retired fido’s need apply!!

Denise, Jenny and I stopped about 10 miles shy of our campground for a little snack. Jenny is a vegetarian, but eats chicken . . .

. . . which was evident when she emptied the deli’s fresh chicken counter!!!

After 10:00pm things settled down from the Navy jet station at a naval base right next to us . . .

and they were flying low , as you can see from this photo from our campsite!!!!

A good nights sleep and my new usual breakfast . . . oatmeal and fresh fruit. Good way to start the day!!

Oliver covers up his Brompton bike every night in it’s own wrapper . . .

The bikes are made for commuting. Many sailors use them to explore local towns when they sail into a harbor. I have never seen one  used on a  long road trip!!!

One thing we learned to look for when entering one of the Washington State Parks is how they run the pay shower system. Some showers use quarters, some use tokens . . . and it’s best to get the correct currency BEFORE you enter the park. Sometimes it’s a along way back to the entrance!!!

Exiting the park and heading south, we passed this house with a sod roof!!! As you can see it hadn’t been watered for a while . . . the rain must just run off it, carrying along the soil!!

Lots of veggies produced in the area we biked through today. This proud mother has LOTS of prodigy to take care of!!!!

We also saw our first oyster farming operation . . .

We were on a popular riding route, as you can see from the four color route markings from previous rides . . .

Soon we biked by the Navy base, the source of all the aerial commotion last night . . .

. . . BIG fence surround the base. No patrol dogs at this one.

Today we needed to ferry from  Coupeville to Port Townsend, crossing Puget Sound. We all got the Senior rate!!!

Bikers are the first ones on the ferry!!!!

We met a mountain biker from Dallas, who was also crossing over while vacationing in the Washington state area.

First on . . . and first off, AND it was still raining!!!!

Soon we were in Coupeville, a cutesy little seaside town . . .

. . . where if the population changes by a single digit, you can see they change the sign!!!

Local art in Coupeville, in both human . . .

. . . and animal form!!!

Hey there’s Gina’s friend, Debbie having a chat with Pam!!!

Downtown Coupeville . . . cutesy,

But they had a great bakery and with the rain pouring down, it was a no brainer . . . in we all went!!

Oh yeah . . . with a strong cup of hot coffee, we were all VERY HAPPY!!!!

. . . and with the rain still falling, nobody was in a hurry to leave.

. . . but Connie was outside waiting to run, so away we went.

Gina said goodbye to Debbie, who had traveled with us for four days and was now heading back to Seattle. Gina has yet to camp!!!

Denise was having back problems and our local physician/pharmacist, Liz, dispensed some appropriate drugs!!!

Before we arrived at our home for the night, Ft Worton State Park, Jenny had a flat on her Surly Orge, which has a horizontal dropout. It is a VERY difficult operation to repair a flat out on the road, and in the rain!! We hauled her bike the final mile into Ft Worton.

Rain has been an issue in this area for years. Here is shot of a tourist waiting for a farmer to come with his team to pull him out!!!

As we biked along the coast there was some interesting architecture, including this house that was tsunami proof. Storm urge just flows right through the middle of the basement!!!

Lots of hills on the route, up and down along the coast. Here was a big climb. Climbs are always hard to show in a photo . . .

. . . but the Garmin shows a pretty good representation of the climb!! The dot on the slope was our current location.

At Fort Worton,  although the rain was supposed to stop at 4:00pm, most folks decided to seek indoor housing that was available to rent. Some of us decided to take a chance on the rain stopping at 4:00pm and camped out.  Seeking shelter from the storm . . .

. . . and the temp, which had been dropping during the day, was now 52 degrees. Time to start up the stove for some hot chocolate . . .

. . . and to keep our hands warm!!!

Mike and I were cooking tonight and decided to make vegetarian and chicken versions of curry over rice . . .

. . . Ryan was so excited about the whole thing, he pitched in to help make the sauce . . .

Mike had bought a bottle of wine and  here is Gina ‘measuring it out’ so everyone got a sample. Several didn’t want vino so there was plenty for those who wanted more.

. . . after a hard night in the kitchen, both Mike and I did imbibe!!!

Pam and Oliver ready to eat!!!

The final presentation . . .

Chocolate cream cake for dessert!!!

And of course, the evening was closed with a map meeting. By the time those of us who were camping got back to camp, the rain had been stopped for several hours, there was a gentle breeze blowing and everything had dried. We all fell asleep in our tents to sound of ocean waves crashing on shore!!!

The forecast last night was for rain today, starting at about 1:15am. I got up to go peepee at about 1:30am and it was just starting. At 5:30am, when I packed up my tent, it was still raining. BUT one must still eat breakfast and here are Ryan and Rich chowing down. Dark until about 7:00am!

Dave was getting ready to leave, as was the rest of the gang, by 8:00am . . .

. . . still considering rain gear of not . . . the answer was yes. Rain forecasted for all day.

Out on the road we followed along the coastline, riding up and down gentle rollers . . . very scenic

. . . as you can see, this highway has been a main connector from Vancouver, BC to San Diego, for a LONGGGGGG time!!

A lot of trails cross the roads here . . . and how someone could loose a shoe and not notice it, is beyond me!!!

Around the corner was another great view . . . but wait, what is that out in the water????

Why, the saltwater cousin of the Loch Ness Monster (probably dropped of by an alien spaceship!!!)

As we hugged the coast on the way to Deception Pass State campground, our home for the night, it was clear the tide was OUT!!!!

Oh . . . with all the moisture out here in the NW they can grow some BIG pumpkins. An 826 pounder with her little brother weighing in at 405. Lot of pie potential there.

A Washington State version of a ‘tiny house’. Looked quite comfy on this rainy day.

We stopped at  a local bakery in Edison, WA but it was standing room only, and they had run out of coffee . . . they did have some nice looking bread!!!

Denise and Liz had found a place to settle in for a while.

The tide was coming up as we exited Edison . . .

. . . and he river was full of fisherman seeking the King salmon. The season closes today for white folks, while tribe members can continue to harvest . . .

. . . a couple of fisherman with their quota . . .

. . . most were 15 to 20 pounds . . .good eatin’!!

Oh . . . people in Edison have opinions!!!

I tied up with Jenny and we rode together, in the rain, the rest of the way to Deception Passe. She also has a forestry degree and had a 32 year career with the Ministry of Natural Resources, in Environment Canada.

Waiting for the drizzle to stop . . .

. . . then the rain started again during our final 10 miles up to Deception Pass campground . . .  LOTS of traffic with all the campers and tourists heading home early because of the rain.

The bridge lookout at the pass is under construction but we stopped to get a quick photo from the road . . .

. . . no shoulder so you need to ‘take your lane’ when crossing.

Great nights sleep in spite of the traffic and trains going by. Here’s Joe and Ryan explain the morning breakfast procedures. Coffee at 6:00am with breakfast and lunch fixin’s out at 6:55am . . .  not a minute sooner!!!

. . . the food table at 6:68am !!!!

Denise has a funny diet. Hard boiled eggs, cheesecake from the night before and blueberries . . . actually sounded pretty good and you have all the major food groups included!

Jennie, from Vancouver, Canada, presented each of us with a maple lollypop, and a small Canadian lapel flag pin. Canada produces 77% of the maple syrup in the world.  Mike had his lollypop for his morning dessert!!

. . . and of course don’t forget to fill your water bottles for the days journey ahead.

Now that is quite a name!!!!

In other words, ride defensively . . . note the two deer’s rear ends to the right of the sign.

Nice train tunnel and track connecting the islands with the mainland.

OK . . . .

I guess these were put up by the local Chamber of Commerce????

Today were are biking 35 miles up to the Canadian border and back again. A loop from our campground. Coffee is HUGE up here in the NW part of the country with Seattle being the home of Starbuck’s. But there is still room for the independent coffee entrepreneurs’ like this drive-by shop shaped like a tugboat. Cute!!

Thirty-five miles down the road we arrived at the US/Canadian border where the Peace Arch stands in no-mans land between the two counties. On the left, you can see cars lined up to get into Canada and on the right are cars waiting to get back into the US. Under the arch there was a protest going on regarding pipelines and global warming.

Your scribe, still on the US side . . .

. . . much of our group arrived at the same time so there was chance to take a photo on the Canadian side too, with the maple leaf flower planting in the back ground.

Yikes . . . we are not in Kansas anymore, toto!!!!

Connie had a weird noise coming from her rear hoof that produced a loud squeal, so irritating that I couldn’t ride within 100 feet of the gang. They could hear the high pitch and I couldn’t. The answer was a quick stop at the Bellingham TREK store in located on the way back to the campground. Ryan, who is from Madison and lived in the Shorewood area, diagnosed Connie’s issue as dry parts.  A little oil and I was on my way. Another employee, Clay, was also from Madison. They moved out here for the mountain biking!!!