The Olympic Peninsula

The first four days of touring have been a success! We landed in Seattle on Tuesday, drove to Manchester State Park, then biked to Sequim Bay State Park, Lake Pleasant RV Park in Beaver, Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, and now we’re in Hoquiam, Washington. We’re making our way around the Olympic Peninsula on highway 101.

We’ve seen plenty of other touring cyclists in the past few days. I guess this is a pretty popular route and I can see why. The views have just been spectacular! I’ve never been out west and I thought the Green and White Mountains were pretty cool, but they just don’t compare to the views out here.

We also saw a bald eagle today on Lake Crescent, which is the first one I’ve ever seen! My mom spotted it as it quickly swooped by us. I didn’t have time to take a picture, but I’ll definitely remember it. After all, the bald eagle is a symbol for our country.
The people we’ve met along the way have been very nice. People have gone out of their way to help us with directions, answer questions, or just be friendly. We had some very nice neighbors at our campground last night.

Jim, Jo, and their dog Bella

They trained sled dogs in Alaska and Jim even did the Iditarod! It was pretty amazing hearing about their stories, including one about encountering an angry moose during the race. Jo is also a blogger who writes stories of what happens just off the road. You can check it out at justofftheroad.us. Jim also does some beautiful photography, which you can visit at jimwoodphotos.com.

Also, did I mention the drivers here? I can understand why drivers in Massachusetts are called massholes. The drivers here will wait until it’s clear to go around us when we’re biking. At one point today when my dad and I took a break, two drivers stopped to ask if we were okay because they thought we were hurt or something. We assured them we were fine and just taking a break.

The weather has been pretty good as well. Although it’s been in the 80’s, it’s much drier heat than Vermont or Massachusetts. Although I know I’m sweating, it just evaporates and doesn’t stay on my skin. My clothes aren’t soaked at the end of the day with sweat. If I were biking in the 80’s in Vermont or Massachusetts it would be MUCH MUCH harder because of the humidity.

That’s all for now. Happy trails!