by Liz

We don’t think Aberdeen deserves its nickname – discovered yesterday evening as we googled what to do here – as the hellhole of the Pacific Northwest but visitor attractions don’t abound. Yesterday we passed signs to the museum and were keen to visit and find out about the history of the area but it burned down last year. So our first rest day has included lots of rest. 

After a lazy start, some laundry and catching up with close family, this afternoon we headed out to find the harbour viewing tower 2.5 miles away. Having dragged our heavy bikes up a flight of 16 steep steps to get them into the apartment yesterday we weren’t about to ride there. So we walked through the residential streets and enjoyed the colourful weatherboarded houses along the way. As we got closer the pavement and crossings petered out – they definitely weren’t planning for anyone to go there on foot. The harbour was pretty to the south and industrial to the east. 

If we’d had time to do more research we might have stayed at Quinault for two nights and explored the rainforest and hills but they were just names on a map. However it’s been a lovely sunny day and we’re staying in a pretty blue building up high, overlooking the park and town so it’s actually been a good place to rest up. I’ve finished the remains of my torn up book and Philip is cleaning the bikes. We polished off the classy out-of-date biscuits a couple of days ago – I miss them, see poignant photo of the last two – so from now on we’re on the hunt for some American cookies. Tomorrow we expect to reach the Pacific west coast. It will be our last night in Washington state, which has made an incredibly beautiful start to the trip. 

Additional notes

Rest day in Aberdeen, Grays Harbour county, WA.

Weather: Sunny, blue sky. Strong, cold wind.

Things we did: Thinking back over the past week, wanting the trip to have more meaning than just cycling 2,000 miles. Laundry. The sofas recline and Philip had a nap at 11 while I finished my book, ‘A Town called Solace’. Video call with Cathy to talk about my mother and about preparations to join us. She’s covering our home responsibilities brilliantly while we are here. Chatted with Helen who is moving house soon. After lunch we set out for the viewing platform by the harbour about 2.5 miles away. The water was sparkly over the estuary, and there was an industrial estate to the east with what looked like an oil refinery. I listened to some music on the way back. We had tea and fish-shaped cheese snacks which we found we didn’t like too much. Philip rested and I wrote the blog. We watched a News Quiz – the only TV we watched for the whole trip. Philip cleaned the bikes.

Breakfast: Fruit and yogurt. Scrambled eggs at 10.30am.

Lunch spot: At the apartment.

Dinner: Free dinner – leftover seafood pasta.

Plants: Bright, cheery azaleas in front gardens.

Things we saw: Vividly coloured weatherboarded homes, some smart, some run down.

People we spoke to or saw: No one.

Incidents: I offered Philip my book when I finished it – as a joke as most of it has been torn off and recycled along the way. Tension in the camp. I felt pretty done in today. We couldn’t visit the museum here as it burned down last year. We didn’t take the bikes to the harbour as it was a big effort to get them inside (Aberdeen doesn’t feel overly safe) but it was too far to walk on a rest day. As we got closer to the harbour the pavements ran out and we were walking on the highway. On the way back I let Philip go ahead as I was struggling. Our legs aren’t really used to walking any more, they just want to cycle. The rules of the road here are totally baffling to me and I nearly got run over crossing a road.

Accommodation: Our light, airy apartment with a view over Aberdeen.

Today’s sound: The train blares from below in the town.

Today’s smell: Smell of freshly laundered clothes. Delicious!

Special moments: It was nice not having to do anything in a hurry, not that we normally hurry but we do usually have to keep things moving along. Taffa was at my mother’s and turned on the nest box camera to find the blue tits are nesting! A sweet message from my mother’s carer, Jennifer: ‘When do you do all the writing, you’re just a star after 51 miles of biking’. I intended to do daily kind acts on this trip but I just don’t have the bandwidth, so I suggested that we give each other a meaty appreciation each day instead. We started this evening.

Positive experience from my journal: Liking the space here for our rest day, the sunlight flooding in, the comfort and convenience.

Appreciation from my journal: Thinking up the idea of giving each other appreciations we can keep. Being understanding that we were both a bit off today.

Blog comments from Mara and Juliet. Mara: ‘Much enjoying reading the travel blogs and great photos. Wow, you are covering impressive miles, glad you’ve both had a rest day as those bikes look heavy to ride, even with more than just leg power. Hope you find some local cookies soon’. Juliet: ‘The blog is fantastic and much appreciated. 400 miles. That’s an achievement too!’

Social media comment from Barbara Ferris.