September 21
48mi/77km
2400ft/730m elevation gain
Our last day on the ODT was definitely our favorite. In the morning, we mostly followed Crescent Lake in Olympic NP along a rail-to-trail path. We went through some cool tunnels blasted into the rocky mountainside, and we mostly rode in the forest.
Because we were off the main roads and mostly on a proper multi-use path, we avoided traffic and towns. We ate lunch of smoked salmon, olives, cheese, and an apple at a picnic table right along the trail.
Even when we were routed back onto roads, at first we were completely free of traffic. We even saw a herd of Elk crossing the road. By late afternoon we joined Hwy 101, so the rest of the day we were back in traffic. The riding was easy. We arrived in Forks around 4pm and stopped at the grocery store, where we met another cyclist, headed for Santa Cruz.
It was only another 5mi/8km to a state park, where we decided to see about camping. Like most of the parks we’ve been to, this one has hiker/biker sites that are about half the price of a regular site. It also has showers! We’ve been quite spoiled with a shower every day so far in Washington.
