September 24
35mi/56km
440ft/135m elevation gain
Today was the flattest riding we’ve had. I can’t recall a single hill, or breaking a sweat, or even breathing hard.
Mostly we were on rural roads, paved but not heavily trafficked, with the occasional segments along highways. There was an interesting contrast between the properties we passed. There were massive and beautiful farmhouses, with acres of manicured land. There might be cows or horses grazing, or even alpacas. Maybe some chickens and ducks. Rows of sunflowers and dahlias. And the next property would be overgrown, with buildings in disrepair and junked cars, and a hoard of stuff strewn about.
Today and tomorrow, we’re following the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route, which doesn’t actually follow the coast at all in Washington (although it does in Oregon and California). Once we get near the Oregon border in a couple days, we’ll switch routes again. We’ll join the Lewis and Clark Bicycle Route heading east through the Columbia River Gorge, before joining the Oregon Outback Route near The Dalles, Oregon, and head south through Oregon. It will be a more direct route than the meandering path we’ve taken through Washington. It will also be almost entirely on dirt, which we are looking forward to. Pavement is nice but it’s not as nice as having the road mostly to yourself. We’re hoping for a little more solitude.
Today, we saw 2 Great Blue Herons, an American Kestrel, Steller’s Jays, Northern Flickers, and California Scrub Jays. At a parking lot in town we saw Brewer’s Blackbirds.
We arrived in Centralia before 2pm, so we stopped at the grocery store before heading to the hotel to check in. Later, we explored the park near the hotel. We took showers again, but for probably the first time I didn’t even feel like I needed a shower!
