Slow and Steady Wins the Race - Day 15 - 62 miles

I woke late at 8am. By the time I was out of my tent the Germans had predictably packed everything up and were almost ready to ride. The Canadians who I know now as Nick and Callie were not far from being ready themselves. I didn't mind running a little late as I was expecting a fairly short ride of 45 miles today.

Once on the road I slipped into a nice rhythm, slightly slower than my normal pace, having learned some valuable lessons yesterday from Jordan. I was riding alongside some large deserted beaches so was keeping my eyes peeled for bears. So far Washington campsites have been apparently bear-free areas, judging by their unsecured rubbish bins. I gather that the salmon spawning season is now underway so I need to ask someone in the know whether I should expect the Grizzlies to be about. I crossed one river and overhead noticed some sort of eagles (I think) circling. I counted at least 20 but they were present as far as I could see. I imagine they were looking out for salmon but I need to find out a little more about where we are in the salmon season before really being able to comment on what's going on.

Around 30 miles of uneventful riding passed before I joined a rather unpleasant freeway for the next 15 or so miles. Most of the time it was stressful but perfectly safe due to the wide shoulder. Occasionally though there would be a bridge over one of the many rivers and the shoulder would all but disappear. The technique for negotiating something like this with traffic travelling at 70MPH or more is a little tricky. I stop just before the bridge and wait for a gap in the traffic. I then pedal like hell to make it across the bridge before the next car comes along. Some of the bridges can be quite long and very scary. I hope there will be less of this kind of riding once I hit the west coast tomorrow.

I pulled off the freeway and found Lake Sylvia State Park. I was expecting to the find the Germans and Nick and Callie already there but it seems I'd beaten them. One thing about riding on your own is that you tend to travel faster and make shorter stops. I set up camp and took a shower. I've never been in a Mexican prison but I imagine showers there look just like the one at Lake Sylvia.

About an hour later Nick and Callie arrived having managed to take a much nicer route than me, avoiding most of the freeway.

I popped in to the nearby town of Montesanto, a fairly charming, typically backward rural American town. I bought a few groceries then found a coffee shop with wifi. I don't know why I did what I did next because I know that Americans don't know what a white coffee is. I asked for a white coffee. The girl looked at me confused and tried to explain what I wanted using what I guess were the wrong coffee terms. I cannot identify what I ended up with. It was certainly white, but it was not coffee. I don't say this in the way someone who really knows their coffee might say, 'this isn't coffee.' It was neither coffee or any other drink I've tried before. Being English and too polite for my own good I drank it all without making a scene.

Back at camp I was approached by a couple of fellow Long Haul Truckers (owners of the same bike as me) who were very excited to spend 30 minutes discussing the finer details of our bikes.

I made a slight variation on my usual pasta or rice with tomatoes tonight. The cheeky new addition to tonight's menu was boiled mushrooms. Nick and Callie came over to join me for dinner. It was nice to get to know them a little better. I became aware after talking to them that everybody I've met so far has disappeared from my life for good moments after. It's nice to meet new people but even better once you start to get past the polite stage and build up some sense of familiarity.

Meeting more bikers on this route it's good to realise that almost all of us are not doing as many miles as we thought we would. There are exceptions. Mythical cyclists, we all trade stories of, having only met them for the briefest of moments before they disappeared another 80 miles down the road.

I'm gaining confidence now I've found a better pace. I did 62 miles today without much difficulty. My legs and my lungs are getting stronger every day. In 3 days I should be in Oregon. I can already start to see something approaching what you might call progress.