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| Misty mountains north of Kelso |
I awoke this morning to rain. Looks like the further north I head, the likelihood that I'll see rain increases. Oh well. The first 15 miles out of Longview were soggy. I took a break outside of Castle Rock to make coffee and a snack in a covered picnic area. Of course the rain lets up when I'm under cover!
Oh yes, a little about the route. There are two primary mapped bike routes between Castle Rock and Centralia. The STP (Seattle-to-Portland) which stays west of I-5 and Adventure Cycling's "Pacific Coast" which stays to the east. On this trip I followed the STP 50% of the time and my own route the other 50%. I wanted to test some new to me roads. And the new roads were all nice, save for a short (1/4 mile) steep grade of over 10%. The climb was worth it for the views and quiet road.
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| The steep hill, near Vader WA |
There was a couple down notes, though. Airport Rd, my preferred route between Chehalis and Centralia, was closed for construction, so I had to backtrack and use the busy, sucky main road between the two. Which led to a viaduct where bicycles were prohibited? Screw that. I rode it anyway.
I got to my warmshowers host in Centralia a little after 4. Showered, then headed downtown to enjoy a beer. Which is where I am right now.
The numbers:
56.3 miles
11.9 mph average speed
Saddle time 4:45
I'm a little geeked out that there's a town called Castle Rock in the Pacific Northwest. Please say they play up the Stephen King connection somehow.
ReplyDeleteThat would be killer! :)
DeleteSounds like you're having a blast of with the trip,despite some routing issues,my good friend,ride on and stay safe :)
The DC
Sorry, no evidence of Stephen King appreciation in the Castle Rock.
ReplyDelete