Advertisement
Water on the Guages
Takes a lot of rain.....and it's 42F! 21 & 22 May 2010, Seattle:
The Weather Underground website called for only a 10% of precipitation in Ashland at 0700, and 70% by 1000 for Friday morning. I rose at 0500, struck camp and was on the road by 0630 under somewhat clear skies. It is not so fun to pack up a wet camp, so getting away dry was an excellent start. A few miles later as while fueling up, the gray northern sky was readily apparent. Fifteen miles into the ride, the rain began.
Rain in May is not so unusual. Rain and 37F at 1,500' in late May is a bit out of average. Thank goodness for heated grips.
The thought of riding 400 miles of cold rain was a bit daunting. Breaking up the ride into 100 miles sections made the task more reasonable. The first 100 miles was very wet, a steady rain, and my legs and feet were cold. A truck stop breakfast and warm coffee (it was sort of like coffee) brought great comfort and a needed rest. While at that stop the rain let up, and getting back on the bike was an easier task. For most of the
186 Miles to Go
To the next turn........ rest of the ride, the rain came in showers, with some chance to dry in between.
At the 200 mile mark I was in a pace, and only stopped for fuel and caffeine. Between the i-Pod playing Bandana Blues (check out the podcast) and the steady flow of traffic, the miles rolled by. Passing through Portland on the I-205 bypass brought me to Woodland for lunch at 300 miles. The waitress tried to sell the pie four times. I resisted.
With Olympia as my destination, I headed out to doubtful squally skies. At Centralia the traffic came to a halt. The the rain began. As we crawled along at 3mph the rain poured. Now, riding in rain at speed, the windshield, fairing, and hand-guards all provide decent protection. However, standing still allows the water to fall straight down and makes for a very wet ride. Suffice it to say my underwear were wetter than they would have been at speed, and no boys, I didn't soil myself.
When I stopped to pick up beer in Olympia, I didn't even bother to take off my helmet in the downpour. Into the grocery store, grab a box of beer,
Home Safe and Sound
It was a GREAT ride! put it in a plastic bag and strap it onto the bike. It was pouring.
Soon I arrived at friends Peter and Ruth's in Olympia. Peter's dog Taylor had unexpectedly died recently and the evening was a wake of sorts with good friends Jim, Meesh, and Eric. We had an assortment of libations, including some excellent tequila, and enjoyed great conversation and reflection both around the table and the fire outside. The alder grilled Quinalt steelhead was fantastic. RIP Taylor.
Saturday morning was relaxed, great strong coffee with Peter and Ruth, and then a tour of the multi-media facility that Peter has been building at The Evergreen State College. Huge project, remarkable facility. Evergreen is my alma mater, go Geoducks. Yea.
The final jaunt home was great. The last hour of the 1,800 mile tour went quickly, with traffic running 10+ over and no LEOs in site, we rolled North.
Arriving home was great, greeting Dana, Kate and Spike. We dropped Kate at Grandma's and picked up Boodles, asparagus and steak. It's great to grill at home.
It was a great nine days on the road. The plan was to ride shorter days and be flexible on the planning. Both these ends were met, and it was nice to have a more relaxed approach than some of the rides we've done. The two-day run from Seattle to Albuquerque, for example, a pair of 850 mile days. Not so much fun. A great experience, won't do it again. The pace of this trip was great.
It was a great experience to expand my riding skills off pavement. Being in the middle of no-where is always great. Crashing there, ah, not so appealing. I missed Reverend Chuck on this trip and I hope we get to ride again soon.
The bike was flawless, nothing broke, the tools and spares were untouched. The only batteries ever changed were in the camera. The electronic kit worked great, the camping rig efficient and functional.
Mr. Boodles trial was a success, so now I know what the Alaska happy hour will taste like.
One great measure of vacation quality is the amount of time spent thinking about work. I did a little- on the first day. Work? What work?
Thanks for following along and thanks for the nice comments. With my memory, the blog makes a great journal, and sharing the experience with others is a pleasure.
Arivaderchi,
-Bill
Advertisement
Tot: 0.107s; Tpl: 0.021s; cc: 14; qc: 47; dbt: 0.049s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Dennis
non-member comment
Fun for us too. Thanks Bill.