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WASHINGTON (the return)
DAY 21 continued - June 1, 2001
204 miles
Total miles: 5299
I crossed the long bridge over the Columbia River and was finally in my home state once more. 20 miles later it started to rain lightly so I pulled into a rest area and put on the rain gear. This was a good thing because by the time I got back on the road it was raining much harder. I-5 was pretty well populated with traffic and I made my way into the far left lane, both for safety and to make better time. Most of the trucks on the road tend to stay in the right couple of lanes, and riding behind trucks in the rain is an exercise in poor visibility. At least in a car you have windshield wipers. But my helmet visor was misting up quickly and I was glad for the built-in squeegees on my wet-weather gloves.
I pulled off in Longview for gas and realized I was getting much colder so I slipped on my fleece jacket under the rain suit. This helped somewhat but by the end of the ride I was wishing for long underwear (one of the few things I brought that I never ended up using).
I finally reached Seattle just before 2 pm, the end of one of my shortest days of riding, but also the wettest and most trafficky stretch of the entire trip. In some ways this was good. First because I always had in mind that the end of the day would bring me home. Secondly, and more important, because I was having a serious case of not wanting the trip to end. It meant returning to the responsibilities and uncertainties of everyday life. Life on the road is very simple. Go, see, find places to eat and sleep. Everything I need is with me. Of course there are responsibilities - staying safe, gas, lodging - but these are immediate and easily dealt with. Returning to Seattle means returning to mail and bills, obligations and the ever-present question "okay, now what am I going to do with my life?"
I think I'll just have to take another trip.
[Oh yeah - here's a picture of the silver suit. That's Jesus Mike's bike, by the way.]