Decided to begin cycling the Washington Coast today.

My back is feeling much better. Stretches and heating pad does wonders. 22 miler and about 1000 ft of elevation. A nice distance after a short layoff. I was a bit nervous not knowing the roads and how the drivers are out here. It is all highway riding but it didn’t feel much different than riding in Hillsboro, Oregon or Highway 202 out to Astoria, Oregon. All the drivers were pretty respectful. Only had one logging truck where I had to slow to stay in the shoulder that was about to run out. No big deal — kind of expected for big trucks like that. Overall a great experience and I quickly felt comfortable. Still unsure about riding these roads on the weekend — my guess is much more traffic with visitors.  The traffic today, a weekday, is relatively low — about 2-3 vehicles per mile. Discovered the little town of Seabrook. Whereas Copalis Beach is a working class town, Seabrook is the upscale country club town.

Beautiful commercial and residential buildings with a picture perfect town hall. Seems like the entire town was built in the past 10 years — all very new. I would like to go back for a beer or a meal.  I met a nice young woman in Seabrook who thought I was lost and looking for a mountain bike trail.  Mountain bikes are definitely the bike of choice for this rugged coastal area.  She then noticed my skinny tires and realized no off-pavement rides for me.  But she did give me a recommendation for a hike that climbs to the top of a ridge for a nice panoramic view of the area.