old men going up

we got into eureka on july 9th and the flavor of a trump rally was strong. there were noisy pick-ups and american flags, along with occasional lawn signs and window decals with derogatory comments about the current president.

“merika”

the liquor store parking lot was packed and i could only guess it was because eurekans can never have enough 12-packs of twisted tea heading into the work week.

our overnight brought us to the city “campground” behind the eureka town hall. there was no water and no toilet and the campground was effectively a lawn with a couple of picnic tables. without rain, the lawn had become a urine mat for a week’s worth of campers.

a bike packer was in “camp” when we arrived and he told us about a nice sitting spot in the river and also, the gollum-like homeless person who was forbidden by the city to enter city property.

every small town has its gollum.

once my tent was set up, i sauntered over to the stream and eased my way into full submersion. my core temperature plummeted and rejuvenation was instant.

in the morning, i rode to the post office to off-load gear i didn’t want and to pick up a general delivery package from an old buddy, from washington days. paddy wilson, he of the infamous “mcrory’s incident” in seattle in the late 70’s. the box i sent smelled like feet and ass. the box paddy sent was full of bikepack goodness: jerky, trail mix, nuts, and fruit.

a truly incredible gesture and such a gift. thank you paddy!!! ❤️❤️

once back with my bounty, i peed on the lawn one last time and scott and i headed out of town under another unforgiving sun. our climb to get us over the whitefish divide involved 2,200 feet of “up”, atop a road that varied from smooth tarmac to an 8-10% slope over nasty crushed rock.

we are still in “ramping up” mode and a 40-miler after yesterday’s trek was good for both of us. we stopped at tuchuk campground, found a spot and soaked in the alpine goodness of a mountain stream.

the heat was given it’s what-for by an intense storm overnight, with lightning and copious rainfall.

i mean holy shit, there was lightning.

anyone who camps knows what rain does to the camping spirit but, both of our tents held up well and our personal gear remained dry, everything else was wet and with morning’s arrival of drizzle and an overcast sky, the prospect for drying gear before packing wasn’t an option and so we loaded up and spun towards whitefish.