77 miles, 8hrs 20mins (incl. food stops)
Another absolutely glorious day today with the temperature creeping up to 20C made for a beautiful 77 miles in the sun. Today's route took me along highway 101 on Washington's north-west corner, through Sequim and Port Angeles to the banks of Lake Crescent in the heart of the Olympic National Park. Sitting here at a totally calm and peaceful campsite (more on that later) it's pretty darn easy to see why it's a National Park. The scenery is just so, so big and I felt like I could almost hear David Attenbourgh's voice-over announcing the arrival of spring.
The only downside on the day, and a not insignificant one is my left knee was playing up. It had been giving me a bit of trouble in training but nothing major. Today was a different matter though, really quite painful necessitating a lot of one-legged cycling in the last few miles.
When I finally arrived at the campsite it turned out to be closed, despite every website I read saying it was open year-round. Alas, I actually ain't that fussed as it means I'm the only one here, making the setting even more idyllic. I also, obviously, had my pick of the camping sites so chose the one giving the view above, with Storm King in the distance, out my tent. Pretty awesome. Only downside is that, being the only one here doesn't exactly help my odds if any hungry bears do stumble through camp. And there are bear-proof food storage bins here so they are about, as are mountain lions. Oh great.
Tomorrow was meant to be a rest day, but with a shorter stage planned and a great forecast (and no running water/toilets here) I might just bash on with stage 3, providing the knee has improved.
Anyway, I'm turning in for the night, hugging my can of bear spray and looking forward to the sunrise over the mountains. Hopefully.
Sounds like a great day's riding - pity about the knee though. I'd guess it'll sort itself out, just twinging away at the strain of getting used to luggng the full bike and kit combo, and will soon toughen up. I'd suggest the obvious, plenty of ibuprofen, plenty of massage (get those fingers and thumbs stuck right into the sore bit), and don't overdo the first week - ie if tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, have a rest and let your knee have a chance to calm down - even if the campsite is not up and running...
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