Forks -> Hoh -> Quinault Lake 100 miles

I'm gonna pull this timber before the sun goes down, get it cross the river before the bars go down. Drag it on down that dusty road, come on Jerry let's dump this load.

I said Timber Hoh, timber, whoa this timbers gotta roll. I said Timber Hoh, timber, whoa this timbers gotta roll.

My old Jerry was an Arkansas mule, been everywhere and he ain't no fool. Weighed nine hundred and twenty two, done everything a poor mule could do.

I said Timber Hoh, timber, whoa this timbers gotta roll. I said Timber Hoh, timber, whoa this timbers gotta roll.

These lyrics entertained me during my ride today as I made a 36 mile detour into the Hoh Rainforest. It was well worth it. It was some truly incredible scenery that I haven't seen anywhere else in the country. Also, it being a rainforest it made for some very changing weather conditions. Rain jacket on, gloves on, sleeves on, then the sun would come out before a big climb. Take it all off. Only for the rain to return and bundle up again. To give you an idea of the rain we're talking about, annual rain for the following: Phoenix-7in., Seattle-34in., Hoh Rain Forest-142in. Yikes.

I got a sweet picture of a slug in the rain forest.

Then a couple hours later I finally hit the Pacific Ocean, 101 South and my home for the rest of my summer cycling. Which is bittersweet. Sweet because the scenery is outstanding, and a prevailing wind should blow out of the northwest. But bitter if I have to deal with this pavement any longer. Let me explain.

All pavement is NOT created equal. For a motorist, different types of pavement, as long as they are void of potholes, appear the same. For a cyclist, such is not the case. We are constantly in search of fine pavement. Canada had top notch smooth pavement, delightful. Washington, not the case. In an attempt to save a couple pennies, some roads, instead of being completely resurfaced are 'chipsealed'. Basically you take a smooth road and turn in gritty. For a road bike tire this wreaks havoc. You end up wasting a lot of energy just bouncing along the pavement. A picture is included which shows the smooth vs chipseal pavement. All I have to say is I hope it goes away soon.

Spent about an hour last night with my nephew piercing a banana with bird feathers and throwing it off the stairs to make the banana fly. Then throwing logs in the lake this morning. It sure is fun to be a kid agin.

This is my office.

"But I want to throw a big log."

Slug. Hoh Rain Forest.

Figure A: On the left, smooth. On the right, rough.

142 inches of rain a year. That's a lot of rain.

36 mile detour, very different scenery and well worth it.