Making Wrong Turns (even with a map!)

After last week's ride where I didn't know where I was, I opted to take a map with me today. Fat lotta good it did! I rode up to Steilacoom, but instead of going all the way down to the last road before the ferry dock, I turned on Sequalish (it was on the Pierce Co. Bicycle map). After I got up to the top of the hill, I pulled out the map to see what street I would turn on to get to Military Rd. Funny thing about this bicycle map. It doesn't label all the streets! So, I didn't know what street to turn on to get to Military. It only showed a turn. Well, apparently, I didn't pick the right one. Oh, I got to Military Rd...eventually. But, not the way I wanted to go! After riding Military until it becomes Washington Blvd. then following Gravelly Lake Rd. back to the freeway, I got on I-5 then got off at the next exit which is Thorn Lane. My plan was to ride Perimeter Rd. between McChord and Ft. Lewis to Hwy 7 and make a nice big loop AND go on some roads I'd never been on (hence another reason to take the map). I crossed back over the freeway and ride for a mile or so and come to a Ft. Lewis gate. I stopped and, once again, pulled out the map. I was on Murry Rd. at 150th. I needed to turn onto 150th which would take me to Perimeter Rd. where I would turn right and eventually get to Hwy 7 (so I thought). 150th did take me to Perimeter, but turning right was wrong. After a couple of miles or so of going toward what I thought was Hwy 7, I came to yet another Ft. Lewis gate, the Rainier Gate, to be exact. I pull up where the MPs are doing 100% ID checks (waiting my turn in line). The nice young man asks if I have a decal on my bike (uh, no). Do I have one on my helmet? (again, no) Well, then I'll have to show my ID (no problem, I have my driver's license!). I pull off so I can get my license out of my trunk bag. I give him my license and he asks if I have a "gate pass" (yeah...no). Well, he can't let me ride through then. I ask if this is Perimeter Rd. because I have a Pierce Co. bike map that shows Perimeter Rd. running all the way to Hwy 7. The MP says yes, but this is the Ft. Lewis Rainier Gate. I tell him I don't want to go to Ft. Lewis. I want to go to Spanaway and Hwy 7. I get out my map. The other young man, who was eating his lunch, looks at my map and comments about "the button-hook" (???). Then he shows me, on their map, where I am and where I need to go (clearly NOT through Ft. Lewis). As I said, turning right was wrong. I should have turned left off 150th. That being straightened out, I asked if I could use their potty shack. They, graciously, said, "Yes", but warned me of it's condition. Apparently, the OTHER gates have nice BUILDINGS with FLUSH toilets, but THEY get a SANI-CAN. I told them, as far as I was concerned, I didn't care. I'd been in some pretty bad potty shacks. I told them about my "Potty Shack Rating Scale" (1-10 10 being a brand new, in the shade, fully stocked potty shack--it's very hard to rate a 10). Well, this one wasn't bad at all. In fact, I gave it a 9! It even had a sink! Anyway, after abit more chatting, I turned Stella around (the MP couldn't give me back my license until I was turned around), put my license away and bid them farewell. The rest of the ride was uneventful. After I got to Hwy 7, I was on roads I've been on for the STP, so nothing new there. Today's total (with wrong turns and all): 76 miles.

Wind Wind Wind (and I have no idea where I am)!

For today's ride I thought I would go to Eatonville. I've only done that ride once roundtrip and once from Eatonville to home (the last day of Kyle's and my 17 day trip). It's a nice ride and has, when not too cloudy, great views of Mt. Rainier. As I was riding, I noticed there was abit of a headwind. I thought, "No problem! I'll have a tailwind on the way back!" So, I continued and got to Eatonville about 12:30.
I had lunch at Subway (told the gal there I have eaten there 3 times, but never driven there). While I was eating I thought about the ride back and how it would be nice to go a different way. When I crossed Hwy 7, I saw the sign to Pioneer Farm pointing to the left. On Hwy 161 there is also a sign to Pioneer Farm on Ohop Valley Rd. Hmmmmm...wouldn't that mean that I could turn on Ohop Valley and end up on Hwy 7? I decided to give that a shot. When I came out of Subway, I was immediatly suspicious that the wind had changed direction (and increased in force). Oh yeah! When I turned onto Ohop Valley, the wind blasted me in the face! At least I was going downhill. I rode past Pioneer Farm (remembered the fieldtrip I taken there with Mr. Brainerd's class)and came to a stop sign. Did it say what road this was? No. I figured I needed to turn right so I did. The road immediately looped back toward the direction I had just come AND started climbing. I just kept going, hoping I was on Hwy 7. After I came up out of the valley I started seeing mailboxes. Here's a piece of advice: If you don't know what road you are on, look at the mailboxes. Sometimes they will have the street name on them. That's what I did. Did they say Hwy 7? No. They said Mt. Hwy. What the heck is Mt. Hwy??? Oh how I wished I had my Pierce Co. map with me! Well, too late to turn back now! I knew (okay, hoped) I was headed in the right direction. At one point the road curved and there was a sign that said "Olympia--Tacoma" and pointed to stay on the road I was on. That made me feel better. At least at some point I would get back to Olympia.
After a few more uphills and downhills with the wind blowing first from the side then the front (oh, and it was raining too), I could see a flashing light up ahead. Then I saw a sign the said "Hwy 702 Jct". Hallaluia!!! I was right where I wanted to be! Whew! The rest of the ride was just "Head down and pedal". Fortunately, there is more downhill than up going back. I stopped at DQ for a cone then finished the last 13 miles in the wind, but no rain. Total miles today: 69

Three County Ride in Reverse (Sort of)

Did not expect to wake up to sunshine this morning! Quickly decided a ride was in order. Headed out to do the previous Three County Ride that I did in February (or was it January?)except going the opposite direction. Although the sun was shining, the wind was also blowing, supposedly from the SW. It made for a pretty strong headwind at times. I just told myself it would be a tailwind on the way back. When I did the ride before, I did not take Summit Lake Rd. This time I did. It is a nice diversion from Hwy 8 and all the traffic. There can be some nasty traffic on Summit Lake Rd., but not on a Wed. in March. Got back onto 8 at the other end of Summit Lake Rd. Did Mox-Chehalis Rd. like before. Also a nice diversion from Hwy. 8. Rolled into McCleary in time for lunch at Subway, of course. After lunch, I headed out of town on Hwy 108. I was hoping to get to Hurley Waldrip Rd. with a minimum of log trucks passing me as there is limited shoulder on a good chunk of 108. Only saw 1 log truck, and it was going the other direction! Yea! Last time I came from Kamilche Point Rd. This time I turned onto Hurley Waldrip. So, instead of Oyster Bay and Kamilche (Old Pacific Hwy), I did Summit Lake and Hurley Waldrip Rds. Also, I came through downtown instead of Tumwater Hill. Nothing spectacular on today's ride, but a good one nonetheless. Total miles: 60.5

An Attempt at Uncharted Territory

The plan for today's ride was to ride to where Tono Rd. comes into Big Hanaford Rd. and go left on BH. As I rolled up to the intersection and looked to my left, what to my wondering eyes do I see? A DEAD END sign. Dang, I hate dead end roads! BUT, I decided to ride it to the end anyway. In a previous post (How a 45 mile ride became 65--or something like that), I mentioned that I came out onto Big Hanaford Rd. from the forest service road. Well, less than a mile beyond that point, the road ended at the TransAlta property. However, one cool thing I saw, as I was riding on this dead end road, was a herd of elk. They were running along in a pasture. I got a picture, but they are a ways off. Here it is anyway.

On the way back, before I reached Tono Rd., I was trying to decide whether to continue on Big Hanaford past the steam plant or go back up Tono (the very hilly option). I looked down at my front tire and noticed it looked low. When I got to a wide spot in the road, I stopped and felt the tire. Sure enough it was squishy. I had checked both tires before I left. The front was not squishy then. So, I changed the tube. Ironically (or luckily), when I left the house this morning, I got about 1/2 mile down the road and realized I didn't have my bike pump. Yesterday, I had put a new rear tire on Stella as the sidewall had blown out on the old one. I hadn't changed the front tire (I have now!)Anyway, I turned around and picked up the pump. Good thing! After I changed the flat, I decided it was Tono Rd. (hills and all). When I got to Tenino, I stopped at Subway for some lunch. It was only about 1:00 so I figured I could ride to Rainier on the trail and take the road back. When I got to Rainier, I calculated that it would be another 18 miles if I continued to Yelm on the trail and took the road back from there. I had plenty of time, so that's what I did. The ride ended up being 74 miles of which only 2 were uncharted territory! Still, a good day in the saddle (flat tire and all)!