Going Coastal 101: Day 3: Lake Sylvia (Montessano) to Twin Harbors State Park

Today we broke camp at about 11:00 and biked down out of Lake Sylvia to Montessano to rejoin Highway 12 (yuck!). Along the way Sander found Salmonberries (like raspberries or blackberries but orange or pink and a little more tart).

Our ride along 12 was again harrowing - narrow bridges and high traffic. But, I found a sign along that brightened my day - if only we can get to Aberdeen before the Star Wars store closes. But, our first mission was to find the only bike shop along the route so far and get lunch.

Aberdeen - we took the exit for Aberdeen and backtracked about two miles into Hoquiam where we found the only bike shop in town. It is well stocked but only one mechanic (and owner). Ever since Sanders' flat tire, his rear wheel had been wobbly. So, we asked him to fix it and then went to Orioles Cafe for lunch. I had the patty melt and Sander had a burger (my patty melt was waaay too big and I regretted eating it later). Well, by the time we got served our meal and returened to the bike shop it was nearly 5:00 and the bike shop guy hadn't even started yet! So, we wandered around this end of town. First off, Aberdeen is a pretty depressed community - the logging industry has dried up here and many of the buildings and homes are run down. Also, I noticed, they have almost no trees! Sander speculated it was because it is usually foggy and people want as much sun as they can get.

Well, finally at 6:00 Sander's wheel was finished and we headed off towards Hwy 101 to Twin Harbors. We stopped at the Star Wars store but it was closed. Bummer, it looked really cool - most stuff I've seen in one place ever (yes, the "crying" photo is staged). We had another 20 miles to go (about 2 hours) so we had to get moving.

We rolled into Twin Harbors and set up camp. We also met two other cyclists going to Portland - the first of several cyclists we'd meet on the trip. Sander and I took a jaunt to the seaside to see the Pacific. It was the most eerie environment I have ever been in - bluish grey sky blending into the ocean, a huge beach, and a light mist all around. We also saw a sign with a quote from Aldo Leopold just before entering the beach (see above). With the cold and mist we decided it was time to go to bed and went back for a nights sleep.