#2 On The Trail

You just can't believe everything you read on the internet.  (Except this WA2ID e-chronicle, of course.)

Online descriptions of The Centennial Trail suggest that it is a 39-mile path dedicated to cyclists and walkers.  It's not.  The Trail is comprised of 3 classes of patch-work pathway, only one of which is not shared with automobiles.  The longest stretch of dedicated bikeway is just short of 14 miles long.  A surprise.  "Ouch!"

Online descriptions of the State Park campsites adjoining The Centennial Trail left me dreaming of perfect summertime idles in the Pacific Northwest.  Pitch a tent. Build a campfire. Prepare fresh food on a sizzling charcoal grill. Enjoy the peace, the quiet, the splendor of Nature. Hop on a bike.  Right.

Well, not quite.  It is true that tenting reservations along The Centennial Trail can be booked at two different campgrounds through Washington's State Parks online reservations system. But... only one of those campgrounds is at a Trailhead. It's at the Nine Mile Recreation Area, so it's technically not even inside the famously beautiful Riverside State Park. But lucky me; I was able to reserve one of just three tent sites there.

Did I say 'lucky?'  Well... maybe not so lucky.  Because Recreation Areas aren't for peaceful contemplation of Nature.  They're all about recreation. Think motorboats. Jet skis. Party-hearty day-trippers.  Late night revelers. None of this recreational cacophony is avoidable because the 3 tent sites are sandwiched with no privacy in between a noisy boat launch ramp and the equally noisy barnyard belonging to an adjacent property owner.  Between 5am and 6am each morning, hapless tenters will awake to the nearby intermingling sounds of crowing roosters and idling diesel pick-ups trailering boats to the launch point.

Apart from its proximity to the starting point for The Centennial Trail, my campsite offered very little to love. There was, however, a truly wonderful swimming area roped off from wayward boats. I took full advantage. Water temperature was delightful; low-70Fs, I'm guessing.  But on the Things-Get-Even-Worse side?  As I prepared my dinner on the night of my arrival, I was advised by the very mild-mannered and very apologetic Volunteer Campground Host that my charcoal grill was not allowed.  In fact, no fires were allowed, even campfires in the fire rings. "Who wants to go camping when you can't build a campfire?" he mused.  Right.

So...  what to do?
Breathe.
Lean into it.
Be grateful.
And celebrate the fine art of Creative Flexibility.

I knew that I had to leave the campsite. But I knew that I didn't want to leave first thing in the morning. Because first thing in the morning, I'd be able to wake up, breakfast and jump on my bike to enjoy a ride on the immediately accessible 10 miles of paths & very lightly traveled roads through Riverside Park. Twenty miles round trip.  So that's what I did.  A mostly easy ride with mostly rewarding vistas of virgin forest intermingled with some stretches of gently-flowing river and some stretches of white-water.   It was a beautiful day, highlighted by some delightful conversations with other bikers, hikers and even one fisherman.  (Not a single bite, but just so happy to be... out there!)

Hours anon... I'm back to my Nine Mile campsite.  I swam & sunned and prepped a Creatively Cold dinner. And I resolved to pack up and leave in the morning so that I could reposition myself elsewhere along The Centennial Trail for proper access to the two other 'high value' sections of the Trail that I'd identified.

So that's what I did.  Without having taken even a single photo of my tent-site-from-hell.