Wow! We finally got everything (everything!) located, bagged in giant ziplocks and stuffed into the bob bag at about 1:30 in the morning. It looks like some disgusting German sausage. The bob and contents weigh 60 pounds. The dale with it's bags and I weigh 250. That's a total of 310. I wondered if I'd make it out of the driveway.
I decided to make myself a good breakfast since I'll either be eating out or eating freeze dried crap for the next couple of weeks. Made another couple of trips to the store and unpacked and repacked the back a couple of times. It was about 9:30 when I finally headed out.
It was a little wobbly hauling bob that loaded, but I eventually got used to it. I aimed for Bremerton going down Bethel-Burley Road to Port Orchard. I was supposed to connect with the Adventure Cycling Pacific Coast route around the traffic hellhole of Gorst. I couldn't figure a safe way to cross the highway, so I went a few more miles into Bremerton where I could take a real exit. The A-C route was pretty hilly, but peaceful. I followed it into Silverdale where I stopped for Taco Bell. I thought I was on the same road when I left, but I always get turned around in Silverdale. I climbed an obnoxious hill and went about 5 miles before giving up and going back into town. I tried again and got on another wrong road and decided to keep going and try to find a crossroad later. It took a long time to find anything in reality that corresponded to the map. I decided the night before, at a church stewardship committee meeting, that I'd give some money to the church for every mile I rode. I thought this would be a tricky way of ensuring that I'd make it, safely. Now I'm wondering if God isn't upping the mileage to increase the donation. I asked him to help me find the way to the right road. The word "Scandia" was on the map near a winding little cutoff that eventually connected with the route. When I saw the Scandia Church, I knew the next road would be the right one. It was beautiful, winding past old gardens and old gardeners and hardly a car. All my worries disappeared by the time I got to Clear Creek Road and the right route. It was also a nice road and I soon reached my goal for the day, Kitsap Memorial Park. 53 miles at 3:00, 3900 feet elevation gain, including screwups. I thought about continuing on towards Port Townsend, another 25 miles or so, but decided not to push it. I set up camp and fell asleep looking at the trees and clouds through my mesh skylight.
An hour later I got up and showered and headed off hunting and gathering. There was supposed to be a grocery and restaurant nearby. But there was really only a gas station, espresso stand and nasty bar. I asked the espresso guy if there were any restaurants around. He said, "No. Well, there's the Yarn Barn restaurant, but their hours are wierd and you may need reservations." I found it about a mile off the highway. The door was open, but there was no one there. I finally found someone on the patio who said they open in a half hour and I was welcome to walk through the gardens.
The gardens were very cool, all sort of flowers, rusty radiators, old chairs, benches, etc. The inside is full of old tables and chairs, pianos, hutches, etc. A cd was playing that turned out to be Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Lightning Hopkins, etc. I felt at home. A couple of squadrons of hummingbirds were fighting for their place at the feeder. I checked out the menu board, pan fried oysters, salmon, pork tenderloins, and, my choice, carrot ginger lovage (soup), filet mignon on portobello mushroom (covered with a goat cheese sauce) with sugar peas and grilled red potatos, followed by almond cream with raspberry sauce and accompanied by Evening in Missoula tea. I'm really roughing it. (I found out it's really Molly Ward's Gardens, 27462 Big Valley Rd (360)779-4471 - from the Northwest Best Places book. Lisa, we will be coming here soon!)
Waddled back to camp and passed out about 9:30.
Stats: 54.5 total miles, avg speed 12.2, max 36.6, bike time 4:28, altimeter read (since inception) 336.4 for 3900 feet today.