Day 2: Or the real Day 1?
The day started slow and wet on pretty empty suburban streets of Seattle. The Garmin seemed to be doing a really good job keeping me on quiet roads so I started to trust it. And then it brought me 3+ kms in the wrong direction.
After correcting the course and using Google maps, I managed to catch the ferry to cross the bay. On the other side of the water was far more scenic and nicer riding, tho more challenging hills. There was a choice of directions on Google Maps. One choice was “The best route” and the other had “Fewer hills”. I initially decided to outsource this decision to Instagram via a poll, but then got talking to a local so I just went with his decision. More hills with less traffic..
Getting fuel for the stove was cringe worthy experience. Got weird looks when I asked for 0.7 of a liter of unleaded Gas (I knew enough that they call liquids Gasses over here). Myself and the poor girl behind the counter did some quick googling to convert liters to gallons and just decided to settle on 1/4 of a Gallon which I paid for. I then tried to use the “Gas” pump and it stubbornly refused to work. The Girl then had to come out to help me. So you have to press a button for which type of Gas you want and then because I was filling a bottle and not a car, there was another trick with the nozzle. I cycled away pretty quick after that before I made an even bigger fool of myself.
I have checked into a hiker biker type camp in Belfair. Initially I was told to take “Hiker-biker camp #3”, which I eventually found and setup camp. Then some workers drove up and told me that the section of the park I was in was closed… I needed practice tearing down camp anyway… After moving camp, I had a pasta lunch meaning I can operate my Omni fuel stove. I hadn’t used this stove before the trip, which might have been stupid but I didn’t want fuel residue in the stove when I brought it on the plane, just in case.
The couple in the big RV beside my little tent cooked dinner for me this evening. His name was Mike but her name escapes me. They are a retired couple that travel around different state parks offering volunteering services. And the chicken rice dish hit the spot too
I cycled about 60kms today. I can feel already that my legs might object to riding tomorrow. I had a quick look at the guide book which suggested cycling Elma which is 55 miles / 88 kms. Will make this decision later tonight.
