Days – 8 and 9 Making the cut and filling in the missing pieces.

These two days saw me navigating Tacoma and then Seattle. It was shockingly easy. I am not saying with a paper map I would have glided through the two cities but with gps and the robust community trail system the only time I was in traffic was to stop at REI.

The miles were mostly flat for the majority of Sunday. Monday saw significant grades as the Cascades became the main obstacle. By the end of the second day I was 10 miles in on the Cascade to Palouse rail to trail. This will take me all the way to the Idaho boarder. It was hot and in a few places too steep to pedal but now I am on a gravel trail that maxes out at 3% grade.

I made 46 and 52 miles respectively. Again all trail and it felt good. It felt like I expected. I was beat at the end of the day but happy the whole time. Except for the bridge that was out. Did I backtrack 500 vertical and several miles? Let’s just say it did not fall when the guy in front of me crossed it.

There was little in the way of activity along the way except logistics. There was an REI on my way Sunday so I took stock of what I had and what I needed going forward. This also ment what did I have that I didn’t need?

What got cut aka what I didn’t need? For some reason I brought a full size golf towel but no personal towel. I am sure my camp towel is sitting on the floor of my house wondering why it did not go on the trip. I also made the executive decision the full length pants are unnecessary. I have long tights and goretex pants and no plans to attend any dinner parties. They are out. So too are my golf shorts and belt. There is no need for them now that Chambers Bay is behind up. I am keeping the polo shirt as it is my townie look and golf attire. A couple souvenirs from Chambers Bay also made it into the mail home box. These were sent to my folks in KC so if I need them they can mail them back or I can pick them up when I roll through.

On the get list was a camp towel, more chamois butter, and new gloves. I have been particularly vigilant about saddle sores. My routine is ample Chamois butter (friction fighting body glide for your nether regions) when putting on my bike shorts in the morning. Then giving that area a good wipe down at night followed by lots and lots of Gold Bond powder. So far so good. But I needed more butter. It does not seem like the type of thing I will find out in eastern washington at a c-store.

As for bear spray. Again this is a bird in the hand situation. I really don’t think I will needed it at all and I won’t be in Grizzly country until Montana. I just don’t want to be looking for it and not be able to find it later in the trip. Also I don’t think you can fly with it. To be honest now that I have it I am more concerned about accidental discharge than bears.

Lastly new gloves. The ones I have are great for my typical one hour or less ride but they lack any padding and it has taken a toll on my hands and wrists.

These are so much better. Light color on back of hands to keep the sun from super heating my digits and just enough padding to make a world of difference without being blocky or difficult to do tasks in. They are also touch screen compatible wich makes fooling with the computer easier.

Net loss 2lbs or more. If you are wondering about net loss on me, so am I? When I get a chance I will let you know. One thing for sure I do not weigh as much as when I started a week ago.