Tour De La Dead V2

83 miles

We spent the night far back behind a pond in the local park. I've been a little discouraged the past couple of days, ignoring the fact that this would be difficult, and I was only on day 2. I need to remember to treat this as a spiritual journey, not just a vacation, but also to enjoy it. Last night, I dreamt that I quit the trip early and went back home to friends and family. I felt terrible and refused to feel that way in real life.

We left the park and rode on the back roads of Elma to the countryside of southern Washington. It was really beautiful, with lots of wildlife and scenic views of farms and forests. We met a couple named Matt and Susan through Warm Showers. They invited us to spend the night at their house, 5 miles north of Castle Rock, and we quickly accepted.

We passed through a town called Centralia. I remember reading in my dad's journal that he went through that town too. We got burgers and shakes at Bill's and Bea's. After Centralia, we had to do a lot of hill climbing to avoid Route 101. We eventually reached Imboden Road, a narrow road with no cars and lots of farm animals. It was very scenic riding.

We arrived at Castle Rock, which had a nice bike path, and then made our way to Matt and Susan's house. They gave us our own room and bathroom. We cleaned up, had Mexican food, talked for a while, and then went to bed.