Great day! I thought I was relaxing – I can hardly believe how many miles I did! Broke camp wet at 8:30 during a short break in the rain. My first night or rain was fine – no leaks. It’s hard on the bike tho – chain & other parts begin to rust. Must remember to lube before riding tomorrow.

Starting off in full rain gear, legs felt tender & I determined to take it easy. I just puttered along. Stopped to learn about fishing vessels, jetties, longshore currents, and forest management techniques. Loved every minute of time off 101 today. Just pooped along, no exertion (almost).

Caught up to a couple of northbound Germans, Mike and another Forker, who were riding even more leisurely than me. They’d been touring Utah, Ariz., Nev., CA, now going to Seattle. I followed them to Lincoln City, where they stopped for food.

Then came one of the best treats of the trip so far: an old section of a previous 101 that twists and climbs through a lush forest of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock. Mossy, overgrown, silent, no traffic. I rode through by myself, very slowly, feeling like I’d stumbled onto the secret road into the heart of an Elvish kingdom. I hated for it to come to an end.

The next detour went through a strange land of dunes, bare sand and thick forest. Sometimes the dunes spread out, open, right from the road, and sometimes the hemlocks formed a tight tunnel over the road. After another slow 1000’ climb, it was fun going 35 mph down the curvy road through the forest-tunnels.

At camp I talk with a hippie named Marty about how we craft our own lifestyle while touring – him having a heavy but luxurious all-weather camp setup. Pulls a custom-made trailer. Then the second Forker wandered over (having pulled into camp after me) to look at my bike. They are kids just out of the German, army, paying for their tour with unemployment checks before continuing their education. Case in point. They’re having a ball.