Soggy Day

Flat count: 1 near Rainier due to a sharp piece of metal.
Total mileage as of right now in South Bend: 162

Yesterday was a pretty rough day. I had camped by the Columbia River on Puget Island and it had rained all night. I slept quite badly so I was really dragging. I rode into Cathlamet and had eggs for breakfast and some tea. Theresa, I drink English Breakfast black tea with milk, when I can get it. I picked up my tea habit when I was biking in Scotland and needed something to warm up during the soggy weather. I could get tea everywhere and they always served it with milk.

I kept going, not feeling all that happy, and then it started misting. Then a head wind kicked in. Then, I had to climb over the coast range and, of course, by then, the mist had turned to a driving rain... with a headwind. Icky! I had to put on a bunch of layers for the coast down to Grey's River where I stopped for some hot soup.

The rest of the day was more hills, rain, and wind. I finally got into Bay Center where I met Mary from Scotland and Peter and Pat from Vancouver, all on bike trips. Mary is heading to San Diego and Peter and Pat are going to Portland.

The day wasn't all bad. I saw lots of birds, including some vultures, and several deer and the forest was pretty in the mist. I'm also getting my touring legs back and the miles pass by more easily now. It was also nice to camp with fellow cyclists!

I will be changing my route and will ride up the east coast of the Olympic Penninsula because it's supposed to rain for a few more days and the west coast will be really wet.

I'm planning on making it to Montessano or Elma today

I thought I would include a section on different aspects of cycle touring so I'll start with one of the two most difficult things to deal with.

RAIN
I don't pay particular attention to the different types of rain until I'm out in it and then I obsess over it.
All of the following come in both light and heavy forms.
Mist: Tiny drops of fog that take a while to soak into clothing.
Sprinkles: Larger drops that are transient. Either it will stop or it will become rain. Sprinkling has me worriedly scanning the sky to try to read the clouds as to what is coming.
Drizzle: Large drops that aren't heavy enough to be called rain. Lasts a while.
Showers: Bursts of rain that last for less than an hour.
Rain: Endless grey sky with no breaks in sight. Big drops that soak clothing within 10-15 minutes. Lasts for hours. Miserable especially when my shoes get soaked.
Pissing Rain: Ridiculously heavy rain that hurts when it pelts my face. Can fade to rain for short periods of time but returns many times a day. It causes me to develop a special hatred for the shiny, clean, warm and dry people driving by in their huge, decadently comfortable RVs especially when they smile and wave. I resist the urge to flip them off.
Driving Rain: Pissing rain combined with a headwind. The pinnacle of misery.
Snorkle Rain: Rain on the windward side of Hawaii. At least it's warm.
Expetives are added to the above terms based on how many days it's been raining and how tired, cold, and grouchy I am.

Other Forms of Rain
Vog: Fog and gases that vent from Kilauea and cover the entire Big Island of Hawaii in a haze. The sulfuric acid made my eyes burn a little. If clothing and/or bike parts start dissolving, it's best to get out of there.
Snow: Yikes, there is half an inch of snow on my panniers. I need to get off this mountain!
Hail: Helmets are a good thing!
Thunderstorms: I count the time between thunder and lightning. If it's close, I dress warm, lay the bike down in a ditch and hunker down a ways away with a tarp over my head.

Next time: Wind
-- Post From My iPhone