Bicycling, Uncategorized

Warm Showers 2012

Gallery

As the winter wet and cold settles in on the Pacific Northwest, we bring another bicycle touring season to a close.  In addition, we are currently sans shower, in the fifth week of a major bathroom remodel, so we put away the “Welcome Cyclists” mat at the beginning of October this year.

2012 was a banner year for Warm Showers guests — we hosted 18 cyclists in all, up from 13 last year.  Because of scheduling or availability, we turned down nearly as many.  Once again, the Pacific Coast Route proved to be the big draw for cyclists from all over the world.  We had guests from Seattle, Korea, Nova Scotia, Yukon, British Columbia, Australia, New Zealand, Idaho, California, and Germany.  Riders were mostly north to south, but we had two groups cycling from south to north.

We live close to the Adventure Cycling Association’s Pacific Coast Route, which starts in Vancouver, BC and passes through Whidbey Island, Port Townsend, Bremerton, Shelton, Elma, Centralia, and Cathlamet on the way to Astoria, but we also had many travelers who chose their own way, crossing to or from Victoria and Port Angeles and up or down US 101 along the Hood Canal.  Some rode the dangerous WA Highway 3 between Belfair and Shelton, and some rode the south shore drive all the way to US 101 rather than grinding up the hill to Mason Lake.  Some followed Cloquallum Road to or from Elma, and some chose to get to or from Centralia via Olympia.  A few kept westward at Elma and braved the 3.5-mile-long Megler Bridge at Astoria.  And some headed to Portland rather than Astoria.

We live halfway up a steep hill, so getting in and out of our neighborhood with a minimum of climbing is a tricky bit of navigation, so we often met travelers inbound to guide them to our house.  We also rode with guests in the morning to guide them on their way, especially the ones who were using auto maps instead of the bicycle route maps.  We also provided printed Google maps for alternate routing.

Sarah, on a quick solo trip from Seattle to Santa Barbara, CA.  This is at the Buck’s Prairie Store, halfway to Elma.
Lang, from Korea, on the second half of an Anchorage to Los Angeles tour, after wintering over in Vancouver to replace a stolen bike.
Becca and Kate, from Nova Scotia, northbound from San Francisco to Victoria. They elected to seek out a Warm Showers host in Bremerton rather than camp in the rain along the Hood Canal, so I rode with them a few miles to point them in the right direction.
Justin and Ritchie, bicycle racers from Cal Poly, on an ambitious speed run from the Canadian border to home.
Gordon and Steve, 70-something recumbent riders, intending to ride from Bellingham to Eureka, but abandoned in Tumwater due to heat and hills, after enjoying a couple days of relatively level riding through Elma to Rochester
Areef, from Vancouver, and Don, from northern California, who weren’t traveling together, but booked at the same Warm Showers stops a couple nights.  Areef was headed for the Oregon coast, Don for Portland to join an ACA tour.
Ben and Lauren, Harvard grad students from Idaho, traveling north, San Francisco to Seattle. This was their last day on the road.
Julia, from Australia, riding from Victoria to Hood River, Oregon for a wedding, on a year-long biking sabbatical to visit relatives in North America.  I led her out to Hwy 3 to Olympia.
Jayshil, from New Zealand, on tour from Vancouver to Los Angeles.
Marty and Pierrette, four months into a 3-year wander, after selling everything in the Yukon.  They, too, headed for Olympia to shave 25km off the ride to Centralia.  Follow their travels at twotravelingturtles.wordpress.com
Yvonne and Danika, from Germany, on a one-year tour from Yukon to Panama.
Yvonne and Danika, from Germany, on a one-year tour from Yukon to Panama.  They were using auto maps and major highways, so I led them to Cloquallum Road to head them toward Elma on back roads.