Distance traveled: 323.0 km
Cumulative distance: 1,258.3 km
Maximum speed: 114 kph
Moving average: 78 kph
Temperature range: 14.8 - 26.2
Editor's note: it is taking 75 seconds to upload one picture. You lose.
No update tonight because there is no cell service at the campground (at least where I am situated). However, I am out for a robust walk (a little more robust than I was anticipating!) and I was checking my phone to call the park to get airlifted and discovered I have three bars here. I'll be saved!
In there interim, here is one picture from my walk.
My hostel camp was a success. My host Jimmy was quite
gracious about having me move in without his prior knowledge. I woke up about
7:00 am and shortly afterwards, I heard him heading out to his big corrugated
metal shed so I just called out “Good morning Jimmy!” so that he would know
that I was awake. But the night before when I went out just before turning out
my light, I noticed that there was a light on inside the shed. I’m out in the
middle of nowhere, I don’t know anybody and nobody knows where I am (unless you
checked Spotwalla) and I couldn’t help but wonder if that is where Jimmy kept
the college co-eds. That happened to a friend of a friend of mine.
I had initially resisted Jimmy’s offer to take a shower but
on second thought, I decided this might be an opportunity and while I didn’t
want to put Jimmy out, especially because of my being unexpected, it was his
“business” so I thought I would avail myself. I went into the house to clean up
and he told me that pressure tank is out of order so there is no water
pressure. And thus, no shower. He had put out a basin of water for me to wash
my face. So much for that idea. We’ll see where the next shower shows itself.
He did invite me to eat some breakfast, which was a bonus.
He had “won” four dozen two-days-from-expiring eggs at the Tribal elders dinner
the night before so there were plenty of eggs in inventory. He had cooked his
eggs already so I just cooked three eggs in the grease that he had already
used. He also offered me toast, which I declined. I didn’t want to eat all his
precious rations aside from which, Jimmy is not much of a house keeper; I don’t
think the dish towel has ever been washed so cooking food in his kitchen was a
bit of a leap of faith. There was still food stuck to the fork that I ended up
taking from the drawer.
I don’t think Jimmy has too much money but he is clearly not
destitute. He had just paid somebody $500 to bury the electrical line to his
house. But part of the price to stay is to get a lecture that is politically
oriented, amongst other things and he freely acknowledged (warned) me of that
when we first met.
The last thing at the Rainforest Hostel is to do my chores.
I had said to him that in my youth when I hosteled, it had always been an
expectation that the hosteler had to make a contribution of chores to help keep
the place going and he said that was the expectation here, too, so I helped him
stack firewood in his wood shed. It was pretty light work for me but Jimmy is
(a spry) 80 so I think he appreciated
it. He also instructed me to take some wood into the house. There was some wood
that was rotting a little and full of bugs so he didn’t want it in the wood
bins because the bugs would get into the other wood. So he had me put it on the
woodpile in his living room.
It pains me to say this but today’s ride was pretty dull.
The first hour and a half was through endless forest with only two brief views
of the ocean. I stopped to take a couple of pictures but these are nowhere near
the standard from the other day. I rode through a city called Aberdeen and it
only heightened my pain as it was absolutely butt ugly, save for one redeeming
feature: a billboard advertising the International Mermaid Museum.
With cell service I was able to target a campground and now
that the weekend is done, I figure I shouldn’t have too much trouble. I also
pick one fairly close so I should get there about 3:30 pm. As it happens, the
Fort Stevens State Park campground does have vacancy but only for motorhomes requiring
power and water. For $44. Which I have to pay in cash because my Canadian
credit cards won’t work. Whatever. I’m tired of riding and I don’t want to risk
being unable to find a place later. And there is no cell service.
So here I am, in amongst all the trailers and motorhomes, with
only a sand pad to set up my tent, which I decide is probably a good thing
since it won’t be so wet in the morning. After I set up my tent and get my
clothes for tomorrow organized (it’s a clean clothes day!) I decide to go for a
walk to the beach. I started out walking in my motorcycle boots but it occurs
to me that I’ll regret even a short walk in those boots so I go back to the
campsite to change into runners. This will be better on the beach at any rate.
Russel Battery, an old military installation with bunkers and some artillery with some parts dating back to the civil war. However, the walk seems to be extraordinarily long. I walk about two more miles and come to a sign that say it is 2.2 miles away, so I keep walking. In a little while, I discover the aforementioned cell service then keep walking After about another mile, I come to a sign that says 1.1 miles to the battery and 1.4 miles to the campground. Meanwhile, the shadows are starting to get longer. I come to a fork in the road and NO INDICATION which is the right path. I knew that the battery is not on the same path as the campground so I am starting to think I could be out here in the dark trying to find my way. I pick a way, then second guess myself and go down the other path, then start thinking about how dark these woods are getting so I decide to call for directions. I was thinking how lucky to have cell service here. I find the ranger’s office and describe my situation, that I am out for a walk and it is getting dark (it’s 7:00 p.m.) and I need to know which path to take. As I am describing my surroundings, and I have a good landmark which is a bunker that was at the intersection,
