Washington

After all that sunshine in the OR Cascades I was due for some wet riding.  From Portland I rode along the north side of the Columbia River to Carson, where I headed into the mountains, along the east side of Mt St. Helens through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and then Mt Rainier National Park.  This leg was very wet, sometimes cold, and a lot of climbing.  Unfortunately the weather did not provide views of either of the peaks.  On the plus side, no shortage of good drinking water or free places to camp.

The ride over the Columbia River from Portland into Washington via the I-205 bike path.  Riding sandwiched between two lanes of freeway traffic is very unpleasant, but at least there is a way to get across the bridge without a car.   

The view of the Columbia River from the Evergreen Highway.

Big Hydro on the Columbia River.

Once I turned north and started climbing, springs like this one were a regular sight.

Rain came and went every hour all the way through the mountains.  Amazing how much cover a few tall trees can provide.

The best view I got of Mt. St. Helens, from the northeast. Not great, but not raining,  and much better than the one I got the day before from the southeast.   

Shortly after stopping at the viewpoint above, I climbed another pass and the sky fell on me.  First a bit of sleet, and then an all out down pour made for a very unpleasant descent down to the town of Randle. I was very cold and wet, so I stopped in the Mt Adams Cafe for dinner.  Horrible food, but they had WiFi, heat and no rain.

A break in the rain on Rte 12 in the Cowlitz River Valley after leaving the cafe in Randle. 

Found a place to camp on route 12 between Randle and Packwood in a stand of trees adjacent to a rest stop.  A damp rainy night.  Elk just outside my tent in the morning.  There is an Elk butt somewhere in that photo. 

From Packwood I headed north on Rte 123 up and over a pass to Route 410.  Unfortunately there was no change in the weather, so no mountain views, but many beautiful waterfalls and rivers of all shapes and sizes.   

The weather forecast posted at the closed Mt Rainier Visitor Center on Route 123.

Water was running down the rocks in sheets

The foggy tunnel near the top of the pass

The best view I got of Mt. Rainier.  A very cold descent along the White River followed. I found a place to camp in a power cut not far from the city of Enumclaw, which was considerably drier and warmer than the mountains.

The sun arrived for my stay in Seattle.  I did my usual couple days of walking around the city.  Seattle is big, hilly, bustling (big tech city), and very bicycle friendly. I was impressed by the number of people commuting by bike, none of which seemed to mind the hills.  Adam and Beth, my very kind Seattle Warmshowers hosts, and a few days of camping in the rain, motivated me to put the effort into lining up Warmshowers hosts moving north. 

Riding into Seattle

The biking scene in Seattle at rush hour.  Highest concentration of waterproof panniers on the planet?

Picture from the Fremont Bridge.  Lots of water, bridges, boats, and sea planes in Seattle.

Beth and Adam, my Warmshowers hosts in Seattle.  These two cycled from Japan to Ireland!  A link to their blog: https://crazyguyonabike.com/westfromjapan  

From Seattle I rode to Olympic National Park to ride Hurricane Ridge Rd., a 17 mile 5,000'+ climb.  I think this was the longest continuous climb of my trip.  Luckily the weather was beautiful, so the views were too.  I had a great Warmshowers host , Lonnie, between Port Angeles and Squim that loved to host travellers and make good food.  He likes to build, so he has built a number of small cabins and an outdoor kitchen to host people.   

Riding to Olympic National Park. 

Two Canadian cyclists heading up, one local deer heading down Hurricane Ridge Rd. 

The views got very nice toward the top

Almost to the top

At the top

A hike up to Hurricane Hill

The view from Hurricane Hill looking south

Fearless deer on the trail

Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan De Fuca, looking north

The Olympic Marmot

The hike back down

The ride back down.  17 miles downhill is a lot of fun.  I actually had to slow down for cars.

After a shower I found Lonnie in the kitchen making a pizza.  This pizza had to weigh at least 10 lbs.  He also made two pies, strawberry rhubarb and cherry rhubarb. 

Lonnie with my bike and the outdoor kitchen.  He is great company, and has a garden full of fresh fruit and veggies!

The next destination was the San Juan Islands.  First stop was in Anacortes to catch the ferry, then to San Juan Island, then to Orcas Island, and then up to Bellingham before crossing into Canada.  

Ann and Bill, my hosts in Anacortes.  They are actively retired.  Just got back from a Grand Canyon rafting trip, hiked the AT, and have done a couple bike tours. Bill invited me out for rowing the next morning, but I didn't have the energy or the time if I was to catch the morning ferry. They had a number of fruit trees in the yard. The jars on the counter are filled with dried pears, apples, and prunes.  Delicious.  

The ferry ride out to the islands. 

Riding on San Juan Island to Lime Kiln Point State Park.  No whales spotted :(

One of many ferry rides.  This one to Orcas Island,  with good security. 

On top of Mt Constitution on Orcas Island.  A solid climb with a spectacular view. 

Orcas Island is the hilliest of the San Juan Islands.  After a tough ride on many hilly dirt roads I arrived to John and Sonja's house.  Off-grid solar living at its finest.  John has a solar energy contracting business on Orcas and has the problem of being too busy right now.    

Look who I found on Orcas Island! Kurt and Kristy, friends of Ryan and Jess's from Ashland.  I also caught up with Maryam from CA, who is working at a camp on Orcas.  She gets the photo credit here.  Should have had someone take all of our pictures.  Always a pleasure to see familiar faces while travelling. 

Back to the mainland.  Riding up to Bellingham. 

Awesome Warmshowers hosts in Bellingham, Wendy, Elizabeth, and Tim.  Wendy's invited me to stay under the condition I would be OK with pizza, beer, and trivia night at McKay's, which they do every Wednesday as a family.  I managed. And our team won!  They are really good at trivia. I'm not sure I helped much.  If you can handle the rainy weather in the winter, Bellingham is a nice little town. 

And then to British Columbia...