West Coast Day 10 - Shelton, WA to Centralia, WA

65 miles
October 15, 2006

Today I have the usual breakfast, but double it up – two biscuits with gravy, and three pancakes. The biscuits are bigger than normal, and it’s a lot to put down. The waitress is impressed.

“Have a good day! Try to stay dry!”

It rains all day long. I set out in wool socks, rain pants, jacket, t-shirt, and rig a shower cap over my helmet. It’s quite a sight. Before going home, Mel & Troy gave me the shower cap to protect my leather Brooks saddle. I think I’ve found a better use for it, though it looks like a UFO has landed on my head.

All is silent along the Washington back roads through the falling mist. Few vehicles pass, and I leave my tail light on as a precaution. Occasionally a car sprays me with a wave of roadway dirt and water. Drops rattle on the shower cap and cover my glasses, which also develop fog on the lenses, rendering a hazy view of today’s world. It’s peaceful and hypnotic, so I lose myself in my own thoughts as the bike automatically weaves itself through the damp countryside.

There was one climb to start the day, but the rest is flat and catering to this meditation. The sun breaks for a brief half hour, and I snap a photo over a river in the rare light. It’s the only picture I take today. The late afternoon grows even darker, and at five pm, the hour feels much later than it really is. The temperature has hovered around 50 degrees all day long. The rain increases in the evening, and feels even more damp and cold. I check into a motel room along the interstate in Centralia. Life is good.