Brinnnon (A) to Shelton (B) to Aberdeen (C)
September 2 - Tuesday - This is when a bike trip really feels like we are playing hooky......the day after Labor Day and many people are back at work or school. This was the view from our motel room looking east over Hood Canal.
Breakfast at the Halfway House.......same place as dinner last night which was very good, especially the marionberry cobbler! Donna was tempted to ask for some for breakfast too. We ran into our waitress from yesterday's lunch in Quilcene who informed us that Vicky, our waitress this morning, would be quite good, which she was. It's a small world!
The Dosewallips River looking west towards the Olympic Mountains. Just after this we had our first sound of the day as a rooster crowed just as we passed his perch.
This season's new construction started just outside of Brinnon. We had to wait for the pilot car for awhile.
Looking east from the bridge while we waited for the pilot car.
They were done paving and were working on driveways and shoulder rock. Once all the backed-up cars had passed we had all the new, very smooth pavement to ourselves. The wads of traffic went by about every 20 minutes most of the morning with lots of quiet road inbetween. It was warmer than yesterday and it was mostly gradual grades.........just about perfect.
And the scenery was pretty darn nice too!
The birds seemed quite happy with these perches.
And we thought we were in Washington??
We stopped for a break at this roadside farmstand/BBQ place. The proprietor told us that Miss BBQ Pig is in a lot of photos. Who were we to resist her charms!
The end of the day found us in Shelton, home of Simpson Timber Company, which heavily influenced development of the town.
We opted to stay at a motel in the older part of town which gave us the opportunity to go to the museum and check out the historical displays along the main street.
There is a walking tour that takes you by several of the classic, older homes and important buildings. It also took us close to the library so we made a quick email and internet stop. It was a very nice library. On the way back from dinner we crossed paths with a young local who told us that the sidewalks are rolled up pretty early. OK by us even though we only did 42 miles today. Watched Dirty Harry #2 - Magnum Force.....Clint looks a little older.
September 3 - Wednesday - Headed out of town. Downtown Shelton is at sea level so of course the only way out was up......right after breakfast. This sign was a good excuse to stop and let the blood find the legs again. We had to be on the freeway for a few miles until we reached Kamilche. From there we took State Highway 108 which had light traffic and a great shoulder with wide open blue sky above. This took us out of Puget Sound and into the country that drains into Gray's Harbor.
From McCleary we took the local road that parallels Highway 8. It had been improved since the guide book was written, had very little traffic and gradual, rolling hills which made for a very pleasant time. Somewhere along this section we passed the 400 mile mark. This espresso stand was the perfect break spot as the banana nut bread was fresh from the oven and still warm. Look at all that sunshine too!
We were really glad to see this sign!
The ground off asphalt went all the way into town. We don't normally resort to the sidewalk but this time it seemed like the most prudent route.
There is a nice motel across the road so this is decision time.....do we go farther or call it a day? Given the wind and the road........let's call it a day. We pulled in just as 3 other cyclist from Santa Barbara did as well. They started in Port Angeles on Sunday, had come down the west side of the Olympic Peninsula and were headed to Astoria where they were joining a tour group to ride down the rest of the Pacific Coast. They reported that the weather had actually been pretty decent though they didn't see nearly as much water as we did.
There was a trail along the Chehalis River that led from the motel to the park where this sculpture is located.
September 2 - Tuesday - This is when a bike trip really feels like we are playing hooky......the day after Labor Day and many people are back at work or school. This was the view from our motel room looking east over Hood Canal. 
Breakfast at the Halfway House.......same place as dinner last night which was very good, especially the marionberry cobbler! Donna was tempted to ask for some for breakfast too. We ran into our waitress from yesterday's lunch in Quilcene who informed us that Vicky, our waitress this morning, would be quite good, which she was. It's a small world!
The Dosewallips River looking west towards the Olympic Mountains. Just after this we had our first sound of the day as a rooster crowed just as we passed his perch.
This season's new construction started just outside of Brinnon. We had to wait for the pilot car for awhile. 
Looking east from the bridge while we waited for the pilot car. They were done paving and were working on driveways and shoulder rock. Once all the backed-up cars had passed we had all the new, very smooth pavement to ourselves. The wads of traffic went by about every 20 minutes most of the morning with lots of quiet road inbetween. It was warmer than yesterday and it was mostly gradual grades.........just about perfect. And the scenery was pretty darn nice too!
The birds seemed quite happy with these perches.
And we thought we were in Washington??
One last shot of Hood Canal. Not far from here the road heads away from Puget Sound and heads uphill gradually. Our second sound of the day was the bubbling creek that provided music for the climb.
We stopped for a break at this roadside farmstand/BBQ place. The proprietor told us that Miss BBQ Pig is in a lot of photos. Who were we to resist her charms!
The end of the day found us in Shelton, home of Simpson Timber Company, which heavily influenced development of the town. 
We opted to stay at a motel in the older part of town which gave us the opportunity to go to the museum and check out the historical displays along the main street.
There is a walking tour that takes you by several of the classic, older homes and important buildings. It also took us close to the library so we made a quick email and internet stop. It was a very nice library. On the way back from dinner we crossed paths with a young local who told us that the sidewalks are rolled up pretty early. OK by us even though we only did 42 miles today. Watched Dirty Harry #2 - Magnum Force.....Clint looks a little older.
September 3 - Wednesday - Headed out of town. Downtown Shelton is at sea level so of course the only way out was up......right after breakfast. This sign was a good excuse to stop and let the blood find the legs again. We had to be on the freeway for a few miles until we reached Kamilche. From there we took State Highway 108 which had light traffic and a great shoulder with wide open blue sky above. This took us out of Puget Sound and into the country that drains into Gray's Harbor.
From McCleary we took the local road that parallels Highway 8. It had been improved since the guide book was written, had very little traffic and gradual, rolling hills which made for a very pleasant time. Somewhere along this section we passed the 400 mile mark. This espresso stand was the perfect break spot as the banana nut bread was fresh from the oven and still warm. Look at all that sunshine too!
Nice wide shoulder but covered with our nemesis - rough chip sealed rock #%&!#, which started just west of Elma. So we practiced bike handling.....how long can you maintain a really straight line and not ride off into the grass. Turned out that this was preparation for what was ahead. We stopped for lunch in Montesano, after which we had to rejoin Highway 8. They had just ground off the asphalt in preparation for repaving so then we had to make sure we stayed on the shoulder. And then there was the headwind that kicked up about 2:00.
We were really glad to see this sign!
The ground off asphalt went all the way into town. We don't normally resort to the sidewalk but this time it seemed like the most prudent route.
There is a nice motel across the road so this is decision time.....do we go farther or call it a day? Given the wind and the road........let's call it a day. We pulled in just as 3 other cyclist from Santa Barbara did as well. They started in Port Angeles on Sunday, had come down the west side of the Olympic Peninsula and were headed to Astoria where they were joining a tour group to ride down the rest of the Pacific Coast. They reported that the weather had actually been pretty decent though they didn't see nearly as much water as we did.
There was a trail along the Chehalis River that led from the motel to the park where this sculpture is located.
The view across the river.
Looking west. The bridge behind Doug is on our route tomorrow. But tonight we get to do laundry, soak in a hot tub, eat ice cream, and watch Dirty Harry #3, the Enforcer. We also are still trying to figure out the Amtrak bus from Astoria. It doesn't look like there is any way for us to purchase a ticket in Astoria, a slight logistical oversight. Sooooo we might end up having to ride all the way back to Portland after all.
So what could be so interesting at this spot?
Welcome to the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation. This reservation is tiny but they have a pretty big casino.
We decided to stop for lunch.
The first of many old cars and hotrods that are on their way to Long Beach for the Rod Run Weekend. Makes us wonder a little about finding a place to stay/camp the next couple of days.
We pulled into South Bend just after 4:00 with almost 60 miles in for the day and decided that was good enough...........almost. Doug insisted that we tootle around town for a mile or so to make it an even 60 after we checked into the motel. We stopped for dinner at Riverview Oyster and BBQ Restaurant and ordered pizza. Imagine our surprise when the chef/owner passed our table with said pizza in hand and went outside with it. There he inserted it into a 55 gallon barrel BBQ and cooked it. It was delicious!
The road made up for the flat yesterday with 6 miles of mostly uphill starting right outside of town. We passed the 500 mile mark about here, a Weyerhouser plantation. The sign says we are leaving America's first tree farm. It isn't so obvious right here but we saw lots of evidence of the damage caused by last winter's Big Wind in the forest along the road most of the morning.
We saw just about every type of classic car and hotrod imaginable. Thus our sound of the day was the rumble of glasspack mufflers. We went into the Pelicano Restaurant fairly early so we got a very nice window table.
