Thursday, 16 August 2012

Washington......done.



Tomorrow I will leave Washington and enter Oregon, a big moment for me as it will be my first state completed.

The first week has been a great week.  I have met a travelling companion, a 60yr old veteran called Clifford.  I never expected to be travelling with a guy like Clifford, but it has been great fun.  He has taught me all about travelling and camping in the US and offered me some great much needed advice on how to cross bridges!!  I think I am a bit too quick cyclist for him; was worried I’d finished him off yesterday.



I have had one issue in my first week, my stove.  I am having a nightmare with it and not been able to cook or MAKE COFFEE!  Luckily Clifford has been here with his trusty alcohol stove to cook us dinner and make tea.

The cycling has been a mixture of great scenary and big roads.  Washington has been much sparser than I expected.  When I imagined cycling the pacific coast, I figured it would all be like Baywatch.  It’s not.  The coast is deserted, the key features have been woodland and the Olympic National Park. 

The roads are big and roomy, although the logging trucks keep you awake and on your toes!

Highlights
  • The people!  Everyone says hello and chats, it is great!
  • Nature - I have seen a bald headed eagle, a chipmunk and a wood pecker


Low lights
  • Aberdeen; the birthplace of Kurt Cobain…..not even a mention of him!
  • Nature - Mosquitoes and camping in the same sight as a wood pecker



So I am sat writing this in a camp ground, just outside Raymond, WA.  I am sat with three other cyclists.  Clifford and German couple Bruno and Sandra.  Bruno is entertaining us with his Ukelele, playing a mixture of hits and originals (currently 50 Cent).  The music is certainly making the mosquito eating more bearable.


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