Day 6 Report - Shelton to Centralia

Total Miles 63.8
Average Speed 14.5mph
Total Ascent 377m

Centralia sounds as if it should be a continent doesn't it?

My longest day so far in terms of milage but apart from the usual morning "loosener" climbs this was pretty flat and good for getting into rhythm (I'd like to say time trial mode but this is not easy with a load). Morning "looseners" were a firm fixture on our LEJOG trip last year - remember them Gav? Before any toilet references come in again (sorry Mike!) I'll explain... Usually big towns are situated by rivers etc at the bottom of valleys for shelter etc etc. So we usually finish a day with a nice warm down descent into town for lodging. But this means there is normally a "loosener" morning climb back up.

However, I really need to start this report before I got on the bike. Over a couple or three pints in the excellent Grove Street Brewhouse last night my beer drinking chums recommended a particular diner for breakfast - Nita's. This is no ordinary diner. It has been there for many a long year and the eponymous Nita is 93 years old. I had to try breakfast at Nita's and I didn't regret it. I was told on entering that pancakes were her speciality so I had eggs, hash browns and a side order of a pancake (they're quite big!). (Slight aside - in the US, it seems scrambled eggs are really an omelette - can someone confirm or deny my thinking here please?). The pancake was indeed spectacular. Very light and soaked up the maple syrup a treat. Thanks for the recommendation guys!

Ok, so on to the cycling. I knew this was to be a longer day so I set off at a relatively early 9:30. It's difficult to get away much earlier than this as you need a big breakfast and time for it to digest a bit.

It was overcast and so (see pic catch-up I got to wear my new okleys. I also had the pock rock on initially (pock rock = Alura pocket rocket waterproof jacket) as it was on the chilly side. At my first stop I swapped this for a base layer under my jersey as the pock rock is quite tremendous at what it is designed for, but breathable it is not.

On my way out of Shelton I worked out that this area is really about trees and logging. I've seen nothing but trees since I got into Washington state - they have a lot of them. My walk back from Nita's was disturbed by a train honking - laden with logs. There were loggin lorries at a couple of points when I had to take a busier road. And from my lunch seat (in Oakville - the clue is in the name) there was a big pile of logs across the road. Maybe Seattle would have something to say but my own experience so far is that this state is all about the outdoors - and what a great outdoors it is too.

On my morning ride I did have to laugh at myself on remembering a short conversation I'd had a few days ago. People over here have been tremendous so far. So friendly. In Bellingham the Motel person was asking about my bike and what it was made of. So I said "It's Aluminium" - blank look for a second, then "Oh Aluminum". I now feel guilty for saying "We say tomato, you say tomayto"
(Sorry). From now on it will be "When in Rome..." - my bike is made from Aluminum.

On the way to lunch I had to stop at a level crossing for the first time. You have to be careful as sometimes there is no fance/gate. Thankfully they do have a loud horn that cannot be missed (especially as I have a no music policy while cycling).

So by lunchtime I'd completed a slightly barnstorming performance of 44.3 miles at 14.1mph with 335m climb. Always good to break the back of the day in the morning shift.

During the afternoon I had to switch back to my full black bright oakleys as the sun was up and it was getting warmer. The 20 odd miles into centralia were quite flat and fast. The most notable event was passing a school about 10 miles out - not for the school, but for the (I lost count) double figures at least number of school buses. Must be a big school!

I'm tempted to do a bit of a summary so far but I'll leave that until after tomorrow for a full 7 day, week long reflection.

Ok, I'm off to take my washed clothes out of the drier (hope they've not shrunk - I had it on the cold and delicate settings) and then find an enormous steak for dinner.

Tomorrow is a slightly shorter ride - I'll explain why tomorrow...