We woke up well rested in Beth Ann’s A-frame camper around 6 a.m. and headed out on the Olympic Discovery Trail (which passes through her backyard!). I struggled to keep my tent from falling off of my rear rack, and began to regret bungee cording everything on instead of investing in proper touring gear.
Our first stop was in Port Angeles — did you know if something happenes to DC, the capital moves to Port Angeles? (I didn’t know it either). We exited the ODT in Port Angeles, and headed west on the 101. There were some big uphills, but they were all very manageable apart from my tent flying off of my bike every 5 miles.
We climbed up the 101 until we stopped at a nice ice cream /coffee place just before Lake Crescent. I don’t remember the name of the place, but it stands out so you won’t miss it. (Hint: look for the emu farm.)
We finally made it to the Lake Crescent entrance, where we were forced to take the 101 all the way around the lake because the ODT was closed for construction. It was a breathtaking view, yet a horrifying stretch. We ended up doing sprint intervals to be able to make it to the pullouts and dodge the RVs. We celebrating surviving this section by taking a swim in the lake.
*Important to note that we went on a Sunday when logging trucks aren’t so active (this would’ve been a COMPLETE nightmare otherwise).*
After we felt sufficiently refreshed, we scaled a steep hill coming out of Lake Crescent until we rejoined the ODT and took it all the way to Forks. Beware- the trail includes rural and unused side roads, not a soul in sight. Make sure you bring everything you need (water) with you. Western Washington also has some interesting characters, so don’t be too trusting of everyone you meet. Gun activity (hunting?) seemed to be common even in broad daylight so make sure you’re visible and stay on the trail!
Upon arrival in Forks, we ate amazing Mexican food and then tried to camp in an old logging road. We saw some suspicious activity and got spooked by some bumps in the night, so we ended up getting a motel room. In the end, it was a good decision because apparently we had almost camped in a pretty rough area of town.
After reflecting on the day, we realized we had ridden 100 miles. (We got lost on the ODT because of the closures further north, and this added a TON of miles to our trip.) We basically were on the bike for 11+ hours (with breaks).
That girl on a bike 