Starting tour ride in rain

[shootingstar]

Holiday Inn (and new one) has never looked better and drier tonight here in Marysville, WA. I didn't bring another pair of shoes except for flips-flops for hotel. Shoes are wet enough that I'm concerned for tomorrow..

103 kms. of cycling today. Vancouver piece no rain, dark but lovely, Saanich piece after getting off ferry at Vancouver, started to sprinkle and stopped after a few kms. I wore my rain pants (not totally waterproof) and similar jacket.

Then I changed my clothing into shorts, thinking it would be rainless or hardly. Anacortes onward for lst 15 kms. was no rain, fantastic tailwind in big chunks...and then later intermittedly rain, blend of drizzle, then steady downpour for 15 kms., stop and restart. This U.S. part was 80 kms. and didn't start until 2:00 pm since other earlier parts blended 2 ferries and a local bus after we cycled mid-point to a bus stop at 5:30 am.

I was NOT wearing my raingear at all. In cycling shorts, etc. It wasn't too cold but my fingers were numb for last 50 kms...I had great difficulty flipping my gears. So I opted for an easy gear ..it was flat with some hills here and there.

Blend of headwind and fantastic tailwinds also.

Problem with being continuousy drenched and dirty, is that one doesn't stop to enjoy the lovely stuff. Instead it's obsession to destination. We were cycling on the Old Pacific Hwy. parallel to the busy I-5. It was a dream being on the old hwy...so peaceful. It was the part of Washington I wanted to experience.