Arlington, Washington to Monroe, to Snohomish, Washington Sept 9

45 miles in four hours....September 9.....I got my stents out at about 12:30 in the afternoon, and I was on the bike by about three. I expected all the pain to be gone when the doc pulled those things out, but that wasn't to be. I hit a few bumps during the ride and bounced the kidneys enough that I groaned out loud, and I had some aches, but generally.....I'm ready to go, chomping at the bit, and all that stuff. Today was a test ride that had to happen. I have done NOTHING for ten days, and felt weak, tired and crappy the whole time. Well, my legs passed the audition I suppose, but they felt really weak and beat up, like I haven't been out of bed for ten days. They will bounce back, I figure.

The ride went out a few miles on side roads from the casino, where I picked up a bike path, the Centennial Trail, which is an extensive trail from Snohomish to way more north than I have been. The trail followed an old railroad through the town of Arlington, and on down for about 20 miles. It was a typical bike trail in that it had no scenery, as I rode through thick cedar forests with wild blackberry undercover, mixed with other green plushness. The shade made it sort of cool, but the humidity kept me sweating. I noticed many similarities to trails I've ridden in Wheeling, Morgantown, and Washington County in the canopy, undercover, humidity, and cool temps. The tall cedars and blackberry bushes gave it a sense of uniqueness however. I also rode over streams where many people were salmon fishing, because they must be running right NOW. 

As the trail emptied out into Snohomish, I asked a couple of people directions to get me onto US 2. If you remember that far back, that's the rode I rode into the Seattle area on August 29. I jumped on that and rode seven miles to the McDonald's where Pam picked me up that evening. From there I connected the dots to the roads where I would have been riding if we had camped right there, so as to not miss a mile in the chain of this trip. I rode back up a two lane called Monroe-Snohomish Road, to get me back to Snohomish, which is where I would have been had there been no kidney interruptions. From there, I called Pam to come and get me, because darkness was setting in fast and early, and my legs were cooked anyhow. She took me home (to homemade macaroni and cheese), on Washington Rt. 9, which is the way I would have come had there been no Centennial Trail. Rt. 9 was way more rolling, but a great biking road nonetheless with nice shoulders new pavement, and just enough civilization so it wasn't like a strip mall for twenty miles.

Salmon fishing!  The pinks or humpbacks are coming upstream and everyone is trying to catch them.  If they catch silvers, Coho or Chinok, they must release them - unless they are Indian, they may keep them!!!

Had to sit and wait for the train from the lumber mill.