In planning the trip, I knew about the annual StP ride, but the timing wasn't going to work out to go with a big group. Then, I found this page documenting an alternative route that avoided some of the southern suburbs in Seattle, trading them for a great ride across Vashon Island.
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[ A quick note about the Google Maps: I'm still trying to figure out how best to present the information & my route. Unfortunately, either my programming skills aren't up to snuff or what Google actually lets you do through their API is too limited (or some combination of the two), so there are things about the maps I'm not happy about. For example, it'd be sweet to just show my route, without those yellow markers that I had to add so Google would change its driving directions to line up with my route. Anyone know how that works? ]
I left my house a little before 9 AM and rolled through downtown, scoffing at those suckers stuck in cars. The bike route from downtown Seattle to West Seattle is well-marked up to a point. Unfortunately, that point is in the middle of Harbor Island, a major shipping center but not a particularly bike-friendly part of town.
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I intended to bike around the north end of West Seattle (along the flat beach), but ended up detouring up and over the big hill. I did make it to the ferry terminal, at Fauntleroy, but 15 minutes after the ferry I wanted had departed.
You can see I wasn't actually too laden down compared to some cycle-tourers - I made reservations at a couple of motels, so I wasn't carrying a tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc. And, a frisbee teammate was bringing my cleats & gear to the tourney, so it was just clothes, tools, snacks and water with me on the bike.
The ferry rides were pleasant rests in between cycling segments. Unlike taking the ferry in a car, there are minimal lines, and it's quite cheap.
From Fauntleroy, I took the ferry to Vashon Island, biked the length of the gorgeous island, and then took another ferry to Fort Defiance Park, in Tacoma.
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After wending my way through Tacoma (and narrowly avoiding being doored), I headed south to Spanaway (with a great view of Mt. Rainier that unfortunately went uncaptured). After only a few tenths of a mile on trafficky Route 7, I veered onto 507. Although I could have taken it all the way to Centralia, there's an excellent bike trail that was smooth and quite empty on Monday in the middle of the day from Yelm all the way through Tenino. From Tenino, it was another 15 miles or so to the Olympic Club Hotel in Centralia about 100 miles from Seattle.
I arrived around 7:30 PM or so, a little more than 10 hours after leaving my house. With ferry rides and a stop for lunch, I probably averaged a bit more than 12 miles an hour. Still, 100 miles in a day was a lot. The Olympic Club was the perfect place to stay - I got in, showered, and caught the 8:15 show of Knocked Up with beer & burger in hand. In bed by 11, I slept soundly.
After a reasonably quick breakfast in Centralia, I hit the road, and after my 100 mile day, I was a little reluctant to be back on the seat the next morning, but a few miles in, I didn't even notice. I did stop for lunch in Winlock, but somehow missed "The World's Largest Egg". From there, I continued south parallel to I-5 but far enough away that I didn't hear or see it much at all. Along the way, I hit Vader.
No Star Wars references in sight, and in a few minutes, I had passed the town to find a great view of Mt. Saint Helens to the east.
The biking was quite pleasant. Cars and trucks all were well-behaved and gave me plenty of space on the road, which was in decent shape by and large. The weather was perfect on the first two days, and only a little too hot on the third.
From Centralia to Longview is only about 50 miles, so I got in to town with time to spare. There's not a ton going on in Longview/Kelso, but there is some excellent swimming in the Cowlitz River.
I tried to track down a Portland map, but anything except chain big-box stores in strip malls is hard to come by in that neck of the woods. I settled for dinner and a beer before calling it an early night at the Town House Motel, which claims to be Longview's friendliest motel. It may be true, and it may even be the nicest motel in Longview, but it wasn't much to write home about.
After crossing the Lewis & Clark Bridge, I joined up with Route 30 and headed towards Portland, another 50 miles away. The ride down was lovely, and I had a great lunch at the Dari-Delish (photo here) in St. Helens, OR.
About 10 miles outside of downtown Portland, Route 30 becomes less pleasant to bike on - no shoulder, lots of trucks, and apparently, lots of crap on the road. About 5 miles from downtown, I got my first (and only) flat of the trip. I must've run over a piece of glass, 'cause my tire was slashed as well as the tube. Zinn had warned me about this, though, and I used a Clif Bar wrapper as a boot after installing my new tube. I rolled into town without further ado, and made my way to the White Eagle Rock 'n' Roll Hotel, another McMenamins establishment. You can't beat a comfy bed within 10 minutes bike of downtown Portland for only $40 a night.
Sunset from the Pearl District:
A wacky light bulb store on Mississippi:
I didn't take any other pictures, but it really was a great trip. There's something very satisfying about traveling such a (relatively) large distance under your own power, and also about traveling so slowly. Definitely more bike touring in my future.