The threat of rain was with us much of the day.  We started about 8 am with drizzle and a beautiful rainbow.  Another quick climb early, before our legs are warmed up.  Low lying clouds surrounded the hills and pine trees.

About mile 10 we entered a construction zone and were escorted by guide car on an unpaved portion of the road.  The surface was moderately firm and we appreciated that they let us ride as a group, without any cars behind us.  Earlier we had seen a number of large trailer trucks and found out they were carrying gravel for this road project.

At mile 14 we had our first sag stop in Bucks Prairie, and it started to rain – only lasted for a mile, but it was typical of the day: rain jacket on, rain jacket off.  I finally just left the rain covers on my front and rear packs so I didn’t have to deal with them all day.

At mile 26, we stopped for some warm soup at Miller House in Elma.  The hostess was most kind and the local senior citizens were fascinated by us all.

At mile 28 and again at mile 42 we crossed the Chehalis River and entered the Chehalis Reservation. Naturally they have a casino, the Lucky Eagle, which was over 1/2 mile off the road, so we did not visit. We did have a sag stop in the gas station parking lot.

We had expected storms, possibly thunderstorms, as we neared Centralia, but instead we were greeted by cool sunshine.  I made a stop at the Outlet Malls to purchase some added clothes for warmth – I confess I am not properly prepared for these cooler temperatures.

Though the intermittent drizzle was a nuisance, the hardest part of the day was the pavement – it would seem that most of the roads we are riding have been paved with chip-seal, a more bumpy surface that is hard on the hands, arms, shoulders and really saps the energy.  Sometimes the shoulder will have a smoother surface remaining from the original pavement and I look forward to riding that.

63.71 miles – 11.62 mph, 2434.4 ft of ascent (the numbers on my handlebar Garmin differ from those recorded in Relive, but you get the general idea.)

Relive:  https://www.relive.cc/view/1192295233

Forgot:  Roommate last night was Marilee from near Syracuse, NY. She was our SAG support today. Several years ago she hiked from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim in one day (WOW).

Tonight’s roommate is Susan from Santa Cruz.  We biked together on the Atlantic Coast tour.