INLAND TO SEATTLE

DAY 66 

WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE 2016

WILLAPA BAY (BAY CENTER) - LAKE SYLVIA STATE PARK (MONTESANO)

1015 - 1630

75.8 km (47.1 miles)
Av. Speed: 16.6 km/h (10.3 mph)
Max. Speed: 59.1 km/h (36.7 mph)
Time On Bike: 4h 33m 09s

There used to be a ferry that would transport people between Westport and Ocean Shores on the Washington west coast, directly across the mouth of Grays Harbour.

For whatever reason the ferry service was abandoned some years ago and has never been reinstated, which kind of made it pointless for me to go in this direction.

I thus decided to take a more direct route inland towards Seattle and targeted the town of Montesano which offered camping in the nearby Lake Sylvia State Park.

Overcast conditions accompanied me out of Bay Center along the Dike Road and back onto 101.

For one of the first times, I was not completely dreading the day's run up 101 with the relatively low traffic volumes that seem to more common in these parts.

My feelings were pretty well vindicated for most of the morning too, as it was a super enjoyable ride along the banks of the Willapa River through to South Bank and Raymond - almost entirely flat and a little bit of wind assistance to boot.

The afternoon session in contrast was a bit of a brute, with no less than four 200-500 ft passes to climb north of Raymond along 101.

A diversion on route 107 intervened about 8 miles south of Montesano and was welcome relief for the last stretch into town.

FISHING TRAWLER, BAY CENTER

SOUTH BEND, WASHINGTON

RAYMOND TIMBERLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

CRACKER DODGING ALONG THE "OLD HIGHWAY"

DAY 67

THURSDAY 9 JUNE 2016

LAKE SYLVIA STATE PARK (MONTESANO) - POTLATCH STATE PARK

1130 - 1900

83.35 km (51.79 miles)
Av. Speed: 16.2 km/h (10.1 mph)
Max. Speed: 54.5 km/h (33.9 mph)
Time On Bike: 5h 08m 27s

I found Montesano to be a very nice little town.

Lake Sylvia also was a great place to spend the night even though it is about a 2 mile climb up the back of the town, it was quiet and out of the way.

I also saw my first ever otter paddling about in the muddy foreshores of the lake on 30-minute walk-around before pedalling out.

For dinner the previous evening, I had indulged a Mexican feed for the first time in a while at the El Rancho family restaurant in Main St. 

The chicken and beef fajitas really did go down a treat with a tasty Margarita to wash it down.

LAKE SYLVIA STATE PARK

From the relative affluence and quiet of Montesano, I took the "old highway" east, running parallel to Highway 12 towards Shelton.

Not only was the riding pretty tedious but there were numerous indicators that this was, for want of a better implication - "conservative heartland".

Posters advocating Donald Trump for President and Christian churches of all denominations began appearing on just about every town block through the towns of Elma and McCleary.

"Hicksville" was more how it felt to me along this stretch and I was just hoping I didn't come across a dodgy looking local character whose recently-released-from-prison mug was plastered over the day's local rag in relation to a murder in Elma where a body had been found in his house and he, not surprisingly, was nowhere to be found.

THIS BUILDING WAS JUST ABOUT THE SCENIC AND CULTURAL HIGHLIGHT BETWEEN MONTESANO AND SHELTON ALONG THE "OLD HIGHWAY"...

On arrival in Shelton around 5 pm, my unease was not in the least bit relieved when the first thing I noticed was a security guard patrolling outside the Safeway supermarket - the first time I had seen this on my travels so far.

At least he could watch my gear whilst I was inside stocking up for the night(...???...)

As I came back outside to load up, I was privy to a conversation between 3 locals - the details of which revolved around someone they knew being stabbed in the chest and such-and-such being up on charges for assault with a deadly weapon.

And then there was the bit I couldn't quite hear properly about the girl who just found out she was "effing pregnant again and didn't know who the effing father was."

Based on this, I was quite looking forward the next hour of riding as quickly as possible away from Shelton in the dwindling afternoon light towards Potlatch State Park.

Aside from nearly being wiped out by a Winnebago whose driver could not have possibly seen me at all as it sped past, tailgating an also speeding semi-trailer - the ride up to Potlatch was pretty enjoyable, with some rare views of the Olympic mountains to enjoy along this strip of 101.

ARRIVAL IN SEATTLE & A DROP OF RAIN ALONG THE WAY

DAY 68

FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2016

POTLATCH STATE PARK - SEATTLE

1110 - 2030

83.02 km (51.59 miles)
Av. Speed: 16.2 km/h (10.1 mph)
Max. Speed: 56.2 km/h (34.9 mph)
Time On Bike: 5h 06m 07s

Overnight rain did not auger well for the day's proceedings.

Potlatch surely was a nice and convenient place to stay, right on the shores of Hood Canal and only a skipping stone away from Seattle with my opted route for the day being along 106 which is the most direct line to Bremerton and the ferry across to Seattle.

HOOD CANAL FROM POTLATCH STATE PARK

The first 30 minutes out on the road set the tone as a series of good sized showers passed over with each delivered a fair bucketing which lasted anywhere between 5 and 35 minutes.

By the time I was just east of Union on 106, I was not going to get any wetter.

So as one shower passed and released the sun from behind its cloud bank, another was queued up just behind and so it went for around 2 hours.

Rain aside, the ride along 106 was a beauty and it was totally enjoyable in spite of the sketchy weather.

Tracking along the southern fringe of Hood Canal for most of its distance, the traffic was low and the scenery impressive with row upon row of exclusive waterfront properties and resorts on display along the shores of the canal.

LOTS TO LOOK AT ALONG ROUTE 106

And just as I was beginning to get used to it all, a junction with Highway 3 intervened and brought with it big traffic, shitty shoulder and a nice 500 ft hill to climb on the way through to Bremerton.

Pulling into Bremerton right on 3.30, I knew there may be some time to kill to schedule my arrival in Seattle with meeting my new Warmshowers hosts Pia and Zach who were good enough to be putting me up for the first 3 nights in town.

I was able to find a wi-fi connection and hot chocolate in Bremerton and get my bearings at the same time.

From here I set a timetable which would require me on the 5.30 ferry to Seattle and with the directions I had, the ride into town should bring me home about 7.30.

8.30 as it turned out - this involved only one wrong turn along the way, which in a foreign city of nearly 1 million people, I was pretty proud of.

I will be visiting Seattle now for the next week.

SEATTLE SELFIE