Select Page

Hood Canal and Southern Puget Sound

by | Aug 26, 2014 | Allan's Bicycle Trip Blog

The last three days have been riding days, as I settle into this travel phase of the journey. From Port Townsend I have ridden along the west shore of Hood Canal, which is also the eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula. Deep, mossy, lush and overgrown forest is punctuated by both small towns and resort development for Seattle escapees. I heard from one local about a seafood restaurant at Hamma Hamma, Washington, and had my first taste of local oysters, both steamed and raw, and clam chowder. The oysters and clams are grown and harvested right next to the roadhouse, and piles of oyster shells were all about. image

All three nights have been spent at established USFS and state campgrounds. The last two have been shared with other touring cyclists, all of whom are heading to either San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Tom Robbins wrote Another Roadside Attraction back in the 1970s. I recall the setting was around here.

Tom Robbins wrote Another Roadside Attraction back in the 1970s. I recall the setting was around here.

Part of a much more complex Roadside Attraction... This old truck is slowly rusting into oblivion in the moist climate.

Part of a much more complex Roadside Attraction… This old truck is slowly rusting into oblivion in the moist climate.

The old machine and the new machine

The old machine and the new machine

Today, riding through Shelton and on to Montesano, I found the “zone of bliss” while riding, on a section of quiet highway (traffic was on the newer bypass 1/4 mile away), smooth pavement and broad shoulder, 73 degrees and a headwind to dry my sweat and keep me cool. I felt strong and healthy while pedaling, as if I could just pedal all day without fatigue. Today is Sunday; I rode 40 miles Friday, 37 yesterday and 54 today.

In the distance are the cooling towers of two nuclear power plants that were never completed. In the 1970s the Washington Public Power Supply System (pronounced "whoops" went bankrupt over a plan to build five nukes for merchant power from the Northwest.

In the distance are the cooling towers of two nuclear power plants that were never completed. In the 1970s the Washington Public Power Supply System (pronounced “whoops” went bankrupt over a plan to build five nukes for merchant power from the Northwest.

The Elma High School, with the two cooling towers behind. The area looks pretty run down.

The Elma High School, with the two cooling towers behind. The area looks pretty run down.

Tomorrow I’ll experience a milestone of sorts. Forty years ago in 1974 I rode from Vancouver Island around the Olympic Peninsula and down the Washington, Oregon and California coasts to Santa Cruz, where I then lived. Tomorrow around Aberdeen I rejoin the route I rode then. Symbolically this gives me the ready stage to reflect on the half-of-a-lifetime that has passed in that time. I do find that I’m very happy with my traveling and with my means of travel. There’s no vehicle better suited to this trip than a bicycle: the pace, the daily distances, the questions from strangers, the opportunities to stop for any reason… I’m where I want to be right now as I ride toward home.

When asked, I say that I would like to ride the coast as far as San Luis Obispo, mean on that I would ride Highway One along the Big Sur coast. Once I have done that I’ll have a better sense of what will follow: whether to continue riding through the Southern California bustle and traffic, and perhaps across the desert of Southern California, or to simply find my way back home by swifter means. We’ll see… For now, I’m full of gratitude – for good health, good weather while it lasts, good encounters along the way.