Day 3

Port Angeles to Port Ludlow

We got up about 5:30 AM and sorted through all of our gear and packed it. Then it was down to the lobby for a hotel breakfast of powdered eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, orange juice, and coffee.

We’ve hit the road right at the oceanfront in Port Angeles , following the Olympic discovery Trail to the east for about 20 or 25 miles. These were some great miles to gauge how Jeff was recovered – paved bike trail with rolling Hills. Thankfully, he felt pretty good.

Then it was back up into the mountains again. And the rain hit and did not let up the rest of the day. The first challenge was a 1350 foot ascent up gravel forest roads, then down to the town of Quilcene. We were hoping to go to QuillBillie’s, a restaurant that really caters to the XWA riders, but they were closed today. We fueled up at the local grocery store with some chocolate milk and sandwiches, then hit the road for another climb. It was awesome as we were heading on to a timber road to find a couple gallons of water and a tub marked XWA. We opened it up and grab some homemade banana chocolate chip muffins (we ended up having them at dinner). Thank you to another trail angel.

We dropped down off the ridge, then climbed another one – all on forest roads. But in the case of this last big ridge, the road petered out and we actually had to maneuver our bikes through a barrier and over a log and up a steep embankment to then find the road, barely traceable. We continued to climb to the top of the ridge, then meander along for some miles before dropping down to our destination of the night, Port Ludlow. We’re staying at a little RV park, which at least lets us charge our devices. Thankfully there was a break in the rain and we were able to set up the tents  quickly. Our riding gear is soaked, but at least the tents and sleeping bags are dry.

Another good day of about 67 miles and about 4700 feet of climbing.