New grocery store in my neighborhood

Gifts from Canada

Speak, memories!

Done ‘n’ dusted

Bike corral at David Lam park

A welcome sight.

Sky train from Moody Centre

No one says you need to ride only the bike. Upper 80s is unpleasant and exhausting. $2.15 senior fare well worth it. Such a civilized place.

Lunch stop Fort Langley

The Canada I appreciate.

Zero Road

The border from the BC side.

Border guards with time on their hands

Uneventful crossing

Breakfast break before the border

Lynden barn

Very sweet rural flat quiet roads.

Smoky conditions brought beauty

Morning ride out from
B'ham. Maybe 8am?

Bellingham end of Day 1 RSVP

No time to take photos. Riding it was enough of a challenge. Electrolytes saved me, as did packing my own quality food. Did maybe 68 miles of riding plus 2 sags. I needed to reserve some energy for day 2. Very very tired and chafed by bedtime at 9p st Morning Glory inn & suites.

5am start of RSVP via light rail

Oh dark thirty

Green beans too!

Late summer's consolation. As organic as you can grow.

Oatmeal cookies for RSVP

Monday’s circuit on Spruce RR

The ODT ride mapped by Wahoo ELEMNT.

The “jackpot” tree on the Graves Creek trail

Nope!

Resting up on Wednesday before RSVP in a few days

Last summer roses to enjoy while checking the logistics of this weekend's 180+ mile event. I'm feeling a little anxious. Feel the fear and do it anyway of course!
I'm caught up on laundry from the BCRT week on the Olympic peninsula, and getting ready to wash, clean and lube my bikes. Summer is fleeting though. Rain last night and barely light at 6am these days.

Summing up my BCRT at Graves Creek

Tough trip but rewarding. Hard worthwhile work for hikers who care.

A present from outgoing Enchanted valley hikers

Breakfast in Port Angeles

Site B24 at Fairholme CG

These people should be discouraged from leaving their house. All this was strewn around the site and the camp hosts are AWOL. Note to self. Skip this campground in the future. The speedway and air brakes all night on Hwy 101 along Lake Crescent also jarring

ODT at its best

A deep dreamlike tunnel of trees with few root heaves or pavement cracks. Lots of sword, deer and maiden hair ferns. Also quite a fast downhill from 101 TH and the dappled shade makes the bumps hard to see.

Close to the TH on Hwy 101

Such a manicured trail.

Nice view of forested slopes of ONP

Mellow jaunt

Headed west back through Dailey-Rankin

Most hikers don't do much of the trail beyond McPhee.

Lots of rules

The gunshots pretty much sums it up. Obviously written by a committee.

McPhee tunnel

This one is close to Devil's Punchbowl, destination for most hikers coming from east. All paved!

Dailey-Rankin Tunnel on ODT

No lights needed

Nice uncrowded view of Lake Crescent on a perfect late summer’s day

Spruce Railroad section of ODT

After some stealth camping at an ONP trailhead due to campgrounds full up and down the Olympic coast, time to ride 20 miles round trip on this primped and pruned trail.

Clam chowder and fish ‘n’ chips at Kalaloch lodge

Probably 1,500 calories but after hard sweaty dirty work in the national park I'm worth it.

Nature can’t be improved upon

On Sunday’s drive out

Across the park road about 2 miles inside the park boundary.

Avocado of the forest

Dee Dee used a katana saw to "limb" the last tree we got to. Ran out of time so it'll stay there another winter.

The “easier” dry avalanche chute

Won't last of course

Keith explains the creation of a wasp’s nest

Fortunately unoccupied

Leave well enough alone

The puncheon is rotting away but unlikely the NPS wants to invest time and money into the primitive trails when hikers appear content with well trodden routes. It's a loss.

The first hiker seen on this difficult trail

While working out the next day's sawyering we got a pleasant surprise: a big loop hiking couple, and a genial solo guy.
This is the start of logging out the Success Creek campground.

Before we accidentally uncovered a wasp nest

No one stung and the tree left for another day. Surrounded by ripe huckleberries sadly.

A two day project

Such a rude tree to fall and smash into the trail. Difficult to safely cut it out and roll it over the edge. Lots of dangerous "bind" in the trunk that complicates sawing.

First fruit of the forest

Youth on Age

Plus a trailhead daily briefing.

Hiking to the worksite at 8am on Thursday

The magical early morning sunshine in the rainforest.

A trail sign full of memories

I know I've been up Enchanted Valley twice and did the massive loop to Lacrosse Lake via O'Neil Pass in September 2001. For this crew, however, it's up and down x4 the Graves Creek primitive trail to Sundown Lake, a route I know I'd thought about doing back in another lifetime.

WTA Back country work trip up Graves Creek 8/15-20

Hot weather at home and hot on the Olympic Peninsula, even among the tall trees at Graves Creek campground. I only used the fly on Friday night, so stargazing the whole time.

Nisqually Diner

It's 88 degrees!

Testing midpoint on the magnolia bluff Sunday constitutional.

Sunday local ride before the forecasted heat

The Ballard Locks packed with bus loads of tourists. The blackberries on magnolia bluff are ready to pick. It's hot but I rode the last 2 miles home up 32nd with ease! Gives me confidence about RSVP in a couple of weeks.