Day #73 (7/18/24) – Bike Across America

I slept like a rock and didn’t wake up until 6:00. Which was great, because I had a short day of riding. I slowly got ready and was biking around 7:30.

I continued on the rail trail that went through North Bend. The trail was very nice.

About three miles into my ride, the rail trail ended at a set of stairs. Who puts a set of stairs on a bike trail? There was no signage. Komoot told me to go down the stairs.

If anyone ever needed further evidence that I’m an idiot, I’m about to give you some.

I basically have all day to bike 50 miles (4 to 5 hours of biking). It’s not even 8:00am, and Elizabeth doesn’t arrive until 9:00pm. I also have lots of experience with taking my bike up and down stairs at several of the hotels that I have stayed at during this adventure. So, I know that the best way to go down stairs is to take off the panniers and carry them down first. Then roll the bike down the stairs using the hand brakes to keep it under control.

But what does impatient Jim do? He just can’t take a few extra minutes to do it right, he decides to just get a good grip on the bike and roll it down the stairs with the panniers still attached. The bike quickly gets away from me, as it is too heavy for me to control it. I’m able to steer the bike into the railing and get my arm over the railing to keep me and the bike from tumbling down the stairs. The landing on the stairs also stopped our momentum.

Fortunately, the only damage was bent handlebars. They were easy to straighten out. But it could have been much worse. I really cursed myself out for that bad decision. I can be such an idiot sometimes!!

I was then biking on a series of quiet roads and bike trails. Then on one trail I saw this sign.

I spoke with a couple who was walking on the trail, and they said that a bridge was out and had been for a couple of years. They didn’t know of a detour. I was able to find a few roads that would let me get to the other side, so I decided to take the roads. I was also thinking that Komoot should have known about that bridge.

When I got back on the trail, I immediately noticed huge clumps of cut grass on the trail. I biked through them, but it continued to get worse. I quickly realized that it wasn’t cut grass, but hay bales that a road maintenance crew had put in the trail before spreading them out. I had to walk my bike through the section. Then, I had to take a few minutes to pick the hay out of my bike’s drivetrain.

At the start of the day, I was really hoping for an easy, uneventful day of biking on a bunch of bike trails. But, I guess you don’t always get what you want. Fortunately, the rest of the day was uneventful.

I biked on a couple of nice gravel trails.

Then was on paved trails the rest of the day. The first trail went along Lake Sammamish.

Then, after a connector trail, I was biking next to the Sammamish River.

I stopped to get some lunch while on that trail. I was at the hotel by 1:30. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s flight is delayed for weather in Charlotte, so I won’t see her until late tonight.

For the day, I biked 53 miles and climbed 1,800 feet.

Tomorrow is a rest day for me. It’s been nine straight days of biking, and I’m looking forward to a day off the bike. Elizabeth and I will visit with her Aunt and Uncle who live nearby.

I only have two more days of biking to get to the Pacific Ocean. Most of those miles will be on the Olympic Discovery Trail. 155 miles to go!! God willing, I’ll finish on Sunday.