Greg on the Go

Today was going to be interesting. I wanted to get a feel for how I would respond after a long day of pedaling yesterday. After all, I’m no spring chicken. But first things first. I pedaled into Sequim about 10 mikes from camp hoping to find a machine shop where I could get a new bracket manufactured. Having no luck, I went into a builders supply store to ask for any suggestions. The staff at the store ended up helping me make a new bracket with materials and equipment they had in the store. These types of acts of kindness will restore your faith in humanity. That all took some time so I ended up having lunch in Sequim too. About 1:30 I set out for some serious pedaling. I enjoyed another segment of the Olympic Discovery trail for about 10 miles. After that it was Hwy 101 and other roads to Port Townsend and the ferry over to Coupeville. After the ferry test, I still had 12 miles to get to Fort Ebey State Park. The county roads getting to the park were STEEP especially after another long day. Once there, I found the hiker-biker camp ground to be empty. I am sensing a trend here.

Fueled with a big bowl of oatmeal I set out on a “real” day of cycling. I pedaled the very scenic hwy 112 along the coast toward Port Angeles. The road had some rolling terrain and one hill posted at 9%. My gearing seemed to handle that OK. Just before PA, I picked up the Olympic Discovery Trail. What a fantastic bike-ped facility. Everything was going so well….. until a semi major mechanical! My bike suddenly came to a grinding halt. Literally. Seems the homemade bracket I fabricated to attach my rear rack failed due to fatigue. The rack pivoted and abruptly hit the ground and rubbing against the rear wheel. I “fixed” it by tying it to my frame with some cord I am carrying. I eventually got to the Dungeness County Park to camp. The hiker-biker camp sites were empty and I had the pick of the best site.

Here is a photo of my typical camping setup.

I am on the road! As I alluded earlier, I am starting off pretty slow as I get used to pedaling this heavy bike.

After staying in Forks at the Dew Drop Inn (I am not making that up BTW) we drove out to Rialto Beach across from La Push on the coast. When I say “we”, I mean Carl Stivers and myself. I owe a lot to Carl for driving me out to the beginning point and to his wife Maureen for letting him! Plus, they gave me cookies for the road. Mmm.

The ride today was short. It was overcast this morning and about 53 F. But no rain. Only 28 miles. I am staying at the Bear Creek RV Park just past the US 101 and hwy 113 junction. And the sun came out this afternoon. So after one short day, So far, So Good.

T minus one day. Everything is ready to go. Here is a photo of my fully loaded bike.

My home on wheels for the next 3 months or so.

just for your information, YES the bike weighs a lot!

T minus two days. I am going to be driving to Forks Washington on Tuesday. The pedaling begins on Wednesday morning. I expect to start off slow.

This is a test post