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Not too many pictures today, it was more of a heads-down century ride.
Arose early again and packed up camp for the last time this trip. Ate a
hearty breakfast and headed out into the fog and clouds. Bruce and I rode
together again and we lost the rest of our small group when we stopped for
Red Bull and a bathroom break. As we headed west the mist increased and it
got chillier. Part of the route we the same as the ALAW Trek Clean Air route
and it was fun to remember that ride. We turned south at Westport and the
fog/mist got so thick it was like a light rain, and I switched to my rain
jacket. When we crossed the line between Grays Harbor County and Pacific
County we lost the smooth roads as the latter featured very rough chip seal,
which generated much cursing. The mist gradually cleared and I quickly dried
out, and as it warmed I changed back to arm warmers and vest. Today's
lunch stop was in Raymond at a very scenic city park that featured a
boardwalk over a finger off Willapa Bay. I dropped my warm clothes off with
one of the staff vehicles as the weather looked fine for the rest of the
day, and Bruce and I headed off for the second half of the day. We rode
along the coast past tide flats and little inlets, with mostly favorable
winds and friendly roads (just a few rollers, no big hills). We arrived in
Ilwaco around 2:30 pm and gathered our bags. We took showers in the Ilwaco
High School locker room, and packed our bags for the trip home. Bruce is
leaving this afternoon for home with his cousin who is coming through on his
way from California for a Sherman family reunion. I am riding home after
dinner tonight with Nadine so I can be home with my kids tomorrow. We were
treated to a BBQ'd salmon (fresh caught!) dinner with corn, salad, and
cheesecake for dessert. The dinner was wonderful and we sat in the high
school stadium stands and told Big Ride stories to all that would listen.
After dinner Nadine and I unloaded the RAW gear from her truck and loaded my
stuff, then we headed out for the drive home. It was long and I was very
tired, but a few stops for caffeine replenishment helped, and we arrived at
Nadine's house (and my ride home) around 11:30 pm. A quick transfer of gear,
and I was off for the drive home, where I arrived at around 12:30 am. I only
unloaded what I needed to before heading to bed; I'll clean up everything
tomorrow. This was a great trip with wonderful friends, and superb support
from the RAW and ARES staff. I'll surely do RAW again, maybe next time on
the tandem with Liam.
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