Friday, October 30, 2009

Day Two Hundred Thirty-one, 091017 - Blyn, WA

Day Two Hundred Thirty-one, Date Saturday, October 17, 2009
Time in Saddle: ??
Distance for the Day: ?? miles From Seattle To Blyn(?), WA
Accumulated Trip Distance: ?? miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 456’/??, Highest: ?? Accumulated: ??
Speeds: Avg: ?? mph, Max: ?? mph
Weather: Cool, overcast
Expenditures: $

Sorry – no pictures (again). See note at the bottom of this post for why.

I spent most of the morning repacking my trike, getting it ready to hit the road. We said our final and fond farewells, and I took off from Joe and Joanna’s at 11:20am. I almost immediately missed a turn, but just as quickly corrected, and got on route. After just a few minutes, I stopped at a gas station with an air pump to try to re-set my two front tires to get rid of the ‘pinched bead’ problem by over-inflating them; it worked on the left tire, the right tire was still slightly pinched. I would have to try doing it again with soapy water someplace else. Schwalbe tires are apparently notorious for this problem. I also searched a couple of places for my favorite brand of trailmix (Planters Nut & Chocolate, or Sweet & Nutty), before finding it at a RiteAid (and they were on sale!) I looked for a Subway, but didn’t find one before getting to the ferry (from Edmonds across Puget Sound to Kingston - $7 for a bicycle), so I made the mistake of getting a small, overpriced lunch of hot dog, soda, fries, and ice cream sandwich for $15(!) Of course, not long after getting into Kingston, I passed a Subway. I hate it when that happens, and it has happened quite a few times on this trip. The land was somewhat hilly, and I gradually went from sea level to as high as 600’ ASL, with plenty of downs as well as ups, but it was very scenic. I saw a number of decent stealth camp possibilities along the way, so rode until just before sunset with confidence I could find one when I needed it, and indeed, did find one – a side road not far from the main road, with a barred empty lot that my trike (without flagpole) *just* squeezed under. I inserted into this spot at 6:08pm, found a level spot, and set up my tent by 6:45pm. I gave Joe a call to let him know about where I was, and that I had encountered only a little bit of sprinkle before the day became mostly sunny. The sky at sunset was getting cloudier, but there were still plenty of blue patches, though there were patches of fog on the hills all around. The temperature was cool, but not the freezing cold I experienced while still east of the Cascades. I then hopped in with Fritos Chili chips, orange soda, and my new Stephen King book, “The Green Mile,” which the homeless guy in Cambridge, MA recommended. I munched and drank and read until about 8pm, before going to sleep. The sound of traffic was faint and light, and when I woke up at 10:30pm to drink the rest of my pop, it was pretty much gone.

(Note: I lost my fanny pack, and with it, my voice recorder – so all my stats between this day and Oct 21st were lost. I will be able to reconstruct some of the info, and will do so at my earliest opportunity.) (I also lost my camera, and the few pictures I had on it of today and tomorrow. A bummer, for sure – but survive-able.)

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