Day 93: Three Months on the Road

Today marks three months on the road. It is also the penultimate day of biking. It feels like ages ago that I dipped my rear tire in the Atlantic with my mom. So much has happened, I’ve met so many people, seen so many landscapes. It’s perhaps been the longest three months of my life, but in a good way.

Stats Update

• Miles biked: 3977 (+1297)
• Flat tires: 6ish (there was a bad patch job in there that I’m not sure how to count) (+0)
• Jars of peanut butter eaten: 10 (+4)
• States crossed: 12 (+2, and the final one tomorrow)
• Books read: 8 (+1, but I’m close to finishing a long one)
• Post cards written: 46 (+10, but I’ve acquired a handful that need writing)
• Nights stayed:
  • Friends/Family: 33 (+8)
  • Camping: 39 (+14)
  • Warm Showers: 7 (+4)
  • Hotel: 14 (+6)

Out of the Mountains

We got up this morning and had breakfast and didn’t pack up - how luxurious. MJ opted to read and hang out by the campground, while I went on a hike of the Thunder Knob Trail.

I biked a short way to the trailhead and then started walking into the woods. The first section was through what felt like an old river bed or maybe the aftermath of a flood - there were river rocks all over and a lot of tree damage. I crossed a rickety bridge and then was in dense, lush forest. The trail switchbacked its way over a couple hills and ridges and landed at Thunder Knob. The view over the lake and mountains was killer. The lake looked extra bright in the morning light. I had the trail all to myself the whole way up, which was so nice. On the way back I did pass a few groups of hikers.

I biked back to the campsite where I found MJ packing up to go hang out on a dock with picnic tables jutting out into the creek and read. I had a snack and packed up as well. Then we were off.

The road today was less bad than the end of yesterday. It was still a bjt gravely and rough, but not piles of loose gravel all over the place gravely. The traffic was also quieter as it’s a Monday and the further we got to the edge of the park the quieter it got. We finally left the road construction behind us when we left the boundary of the park.

We stopped in Newhalem to check out the gift shop/visitor center and get some food at the general store. We learned the dams we’ve been biking by the past couple days provide a ton of electricity for the Seattle area. This is also where we got cell service for the first time in a couple days so we caught up on the world and I caught up on blog posts. We’re both trying to eat down our food supply as we near the end, so I got some odds and ends (including a chocolate milk of course) to supplement my crisp bread and cheese.

From Newhalem we biked along canopied, tree lined roads to Rockport. The riding was really nice between the trees and the mountains still to the sides of us. It was also gently rolling downhill, which mostly counteracted the headwind that had kicked up after Diablo Lake.

The campground for tonight is right along a river and the tent sites are right on the banks. We both took much needed showers after days of heat and climbing and hiking and dusty construction zones and more primitive camping. Then we got our tents pitched and settled a bit and headed across the road to the pub in town. We had a couple beers and burgers and played some rounds of rummy. An excellent last dinner on the road.

Tomorrow, we go to the Pacific 🌊.