July, 2016 Start > LaPush (Rialto Beach) End > Bellingham Distance > 210 miles Time > 5 Days "Life in bags on wheels" It's taken years of coaxing from Jeff to convince me to do a bike tour for a summer adventure. Not sure why I resisted but the thought of being hunched over climbing a hill didn't seem appealing. Especially in hot or nasty weather. What did I know? All I could understand was, what it would be like from inside a car, as I drove by riders cranking away. But slowly that sluffed away and interest built for a terrestrial trip this year. Our hopes were dashed last year by heavy smoke from forest fires near North Cascade Highway. This summer we selected the Olympic Discovery Trail as a starting point. We rode west to east ending at Jeff's house in Bellingham. I found the experience incredible. It yielded a lens, only by cranking pedals I would be able to understand. Flirting with narrow shoulders, dodging commercial trucks and traffic, capturing colorful people and experiences along the way left memorable impressions. I learned (and encourage everyone) when behind a steering wheel to be patient, generous and provide room to safely pass cyclists. I quickly found that shoulder space on a road, doesn't mean it is safe to consistently ride in that zone. Debris, glass and hazards can quickly take a tire and cause particular risk at vulnerable moments. Add that to no shoulder space, fast moving vehicles, blind curves, nasty ditches next to the painted line and my learning curve quickly accelerated! Cyclists place a lot of faith in humanity. It can be a delicate balance at times. In all we saw the best and worst in some folks. Because this was my first tour, learning to ride a bike loaded with gear was a quick curve. Nimble-ness goes away. Ripping down a hill at 30 mph had my full attention and quickly reminded me I was traveling faster than I wanted to hit pavement. Much like skiing I found myself present tense in the moment. I found long stretches that offered time to chill, think and enjoy the surroundings. Our trip started with Jeff's son Sam, dropping us off on the coast at Rialto Beach in LaPush. Day one we rode about 35 miles to Klahowya Campground. Day two we turned 72 miles and pulled in to Sequim State Park. Day three landed us at Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island and our final night out was Bay View State Park. The Olympic Discovery Trail is work in progress. It is a network of paths that include railroad routes, highways, neighborhoods, towns and trail systems. At times we found ourselves piecing this jigsaw puzzle together with maps and a smart phone. We had amazing weather the entire trip and avoided any real mishaps and flats. The actual ODT trail leading through Sequim is awesome. It flows over multiple bridges, riverways and rolls for miles through a dedicated pathway off the highway. Eventually it connects back to the highway and leads into another trail system that flows into Port Townsend. Once on Whidbey Island the highway was much more comfortable. Shoulders are generous and drivers are great. Rolling though the Skagit Valley was beautiful. Crops were beginning to burst and colorful places along the way painted picturesque scenes. We cycled through Fidalgo Island and pointed towards Bellingham. We slipped through the small towns of Bow and Edison and made a stop at the bakery in Edison (required!). We made our way to Bellingham with a stop at Lake Samish along the way, climbed the final leg back to Jeff's house where refreshing beverages and a shower awaited. It was a great trip and I'm in awe the amount of distance one can cover by bike and be self supported. Much like sea kayaking, pulling out, resting, waiting for optimum travel time is part of the equation. Suggested stops: Log Cabin Resort alongside Lake Crescent. A great spot to time out. Also The Breadfarm bakery in Edison - mighty fine! On the way to the coast, we stopped by Bike Garage in Port Angeles where I bought clips and shoes. The owner Tom was awesome. The setup he put me in made a huge difference and now I get it. This is a great shop and highly recommended if you need anything. Gear wise... Jeff and I had two very different setups for our steeds. He was on a road bike and I was on a mountain bike. Both handled the trip fine. I finally became comfortable with my system and found boundaries for speed and stability. I love my bag set up and how minimal a bike tour is compared to a sea kayak trip for gear. The future of the ODT looks promising as it continues to develop and evolve. Looking back, I like the west to east direction for the peninsula portion. The traffic seemed less compared to westbound. Also, check in with Tom at Bike Garage for details of the route. We made changes due to his knowledge that wasn't available online. Getting the latest is helpful for realtime onsite planning. Roll on! Lastly > BE NICE TO BICYCLISTS! The karma will come back :)