Pacific Coast Riding Day 4, Elma to Long Beach, WA

84 miles, 2800' of elevation gain, temp range 33 degrees to 75 degrees with morning fog followed by glorious sunshine.
   It was our longest day so far but not as hilly. It started out relatively flat but the fog was quite heavy and it was cold. Visibility was not great but we had wonderful shoulders along the entire ride. I think Woman Tours must have arranged for street sweepers as they were that clean.
   Most of the ride was along rivers, sloughs and now we are at a beach side hotel having a great time. Most of us are tired but the warm sunshine is definitely lifting everyone's energy level. I imagine we will be leaving our windows open so we can listen to the pounding surf all night. Well, they do call it the Pacific Coast ride for a reason.
   Traffic has been relatively light as it is well past tourist season and a good choice of dates. So if your not here why not?
  

Pacific Coast Riding Day 3, Bremerton to Elma, WA

69 miles, 2,800' of elevation gain, temp range 52 - 62 overcast but dry
   The overcast skies were a good thing as it  kept the morning temps warmer than they had been. Within 2 miles of the start hotel, there was a climb of over 20% which no one even attempted. Once past that irritant, the ride became quite beautiful with lots of water views and homes well out of my price range. As it was early Saturday morning, the traffic was really light. As the day went on, we were on such quiet roads, vehicles were never much of a problem.
   We were rolling along next to a lake, when we had to make a left onto Trails Road with a warning of a steep climb. Some of the riders ahead of me made the mistake of stopping at the bottom of the hill. Whatever little momentum I had I was not willing to give up so I just got on the hill and went for it. I am currently using the Garmin 800 which gives me navigation but also gives me the % of incline. The bottom of the hill started at 9% went to 12 then to 15 to 18 and then I wasn't going fast enough to get an accurate reading. If I sat the front wheel was losing traction but if I stood the  back wheel did likewise so I had to try to keep an equal amount of weight on each wheel. Not easy. I was pushing and pulling on the pedals as much as possible and pulling on the handlebars to the point that several finger cramped. I was way beyond the F word before the mile climb.Eventually, I did get to the top. I was one of the few that didn't walk and was happy that I made it.
   Rode along Mason Lake as well as many other fresh water lakes. We did find a cute coffee house and had a latte while taking in the sights.
   As it turned out, the hotel didn't have enough double rooms so I'm in a single. What a great treat.
   I use Ride with GPS to map out the next day's ride and download onto my Garmin. It has worked out great for me as I don't have to deal with paper directions and it beeps at me if I start to go the wrong way. Didn't really need it on the Southern Tier ride as it was pretty straight forward, but this ride has many turns and sometimes the signs are missing.
   Tomorrow should be good weather.
  

Pacific Coast Riding Day 2, Port Townsend to Bremerton

55 miles, 3,400' of elevation gain, bright sunny day
   We had striking views today as it was picture perfect riding day. A little cool to start with as it was 40 degrees for the first couple of hours, but no on minded as the climbing warmed us up. Pretty much rural roads, with deer and views of the water and coastline.
  We stopped for a latte at a delightful little drive through and sat just chatting it up and enjoying ourselves. The ride today felt better than yesterday. We rolled into Bremerton where we will have our first rest day. Woman Tours decided to take the early rest day at a hotel adjacent to ferry and many of us are going into Seattle. I am going to see friends for the day and eat some seafood at Pike's Market.

Pacific Coast Riding Day 1, Bellingham to Port Townsend

75 miles, 3,700' of elevation gain, foggy
   Unfortunately, we had a good deal of fog for most of the ride. I'm sure the views would have been quite impressive with the San Juan Islands well within sight but alas we struggled with less than a mile of visibility.
   No, the ride is not flat. The hills are not long but we had several climbs well over 10% with a couple over 15%. We did arrive in time to make the 3 pm ferry and arrived in Port Townsend in beautiful weather so enjoyed the sights during the crossing. We spent the night in Fort Worden where we were assigned the officers housing. A little dated but really charming with all of us having our own room. No wifi but no one cared as we were outside taking in the sights. Our chef made an amazing meal and the 33 of us were happy even if it was a long day for some of our group as they got lost. Thank you Garmin 800.

Pacific Coast Day 1, Bellingham

Well, I've arrived in Bellingham, WA for the beginning of the Woman Tours Pacific Coast Ride. I immediately found the best restaurant in town for dinner, D'ANNA  which makes all its own pasta, sausages and Spumoni. This morning walked into the downtown to go to Mt Bakery coffee shop. The place that the locals go to and had their famous Eggs Benedict. What can I say. I've had enough calories for at least three days of riding.
The bikes, husband and Holmes all made the travel well. The smoke in Montana and Washington was really bad but no smoke here on the coast. Bellingham is where the Alaska State Ferry starts its journey northward and the town reflects the many people who come through for the cruise season. Over 40,000 people with endless coffee houses and eateries.
The weather is amazingly good today as it was yesterday when I arrived. Hope it stays this way.