What a gorgeous day!
Okay, a bit chilly perhaps (30F to start out), but come on now. A sunny day in the Pacific Northwest in December? And I'm going to stay inside? I think not.
I've come to realize I am just 1,000K ... 5 rides ... away from 10,000 K for the year. This wasn't a goal. And I don't want to make it a goal per se ... but it would be kinda neat. The catch is there aren't any more Brevets nearby and the Permanents have to be ones I haven't ridden before to count. That limits me to a handful of possibilities ... #202 Olympia - Brinnon - Olympia seems like the choice.
I leave Top Foods at 7 AM, a bit concerned about the possibility of ice, but it turns out to not be an issue. It is a pretty ride along Delphi Rd.
After the first seven or eight miles the ride is along US-101 and the Hood Canal to Brinnon, a small group of houses & businesses. From there it turns around and goes back on 101 to the end at Top Foods. The first/last 15 miles or so of 101 is riding on the shoulder of a divided highway, similar to interstate riding. The ride between Potlatch and Shelton/Olympia is pretty disappointing ... not just the road, but the trash. Not the highlight of the ride, to be sure. I guess it is a necessary evil to be endoured in order to enjoy the ride along the Hood Canal, which is beautiful today ... crisp blue sky and sparkling waters.
I'm getting slightly ahead of myself however, as before I get there I run into a "ROAD CLOSED" sign, with a detour sign right below. This is a few miles north of Potlatch and it is a relatively short detour ... only a couple of miles. As part of it is along a nice wooded road that I hadn't ridden on before, I'm enjoying the detour ... putting aside the lack of shoulders and being forced off the road by a couple of trucks that pass me by.
It is a pretty ride ... the portion along the canal anyway. All things considered, I don't think this is a Permanent that I'd go out of my way to ride again.
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