11/10/2015
I had heard that Washington received a large amount of rainfall. The weather I encountered for much of the state supported those rumors. Before leaving Rainier I consumed a quick breakfast. Generous portions of peanut butter and Nutella were swathed over two hearty slices of bread. My legs were eager to return to the trail. Perhaps my body just wanted to be set in motion. I had learned that the best way to get through the difficult days was to remember that everything was only temporary. The rain would eventually replace the sun and the cold would dissipate. And so, I did what I had done for every day for the past four hundred and twenty some days. I ran forward and didn’t look back.
The trail continued to the town of Tonino. Trees of autumn kept me company along the way and they shielded me from the little drops of water that fell from the sky. I didn’t focus on my surroundings on this day. Instead I focused on how good my body felt. It felt like I had been running for only minutes when Crystal found me. She pulled up with the kind of news that jolted my body with energy. She said, “We have a hotel for the evening.” The Lakeview Inn in Centralia agreed to host us for the evening. Crystal made sure I ate a couple of egg sandwiches before unleashing me back on the road.
From Bucoda I stayed on the road 507 until I reached the outskirts of Centralia. I enjoyed running without the worry of getting off course but I eventually needed to consult the map on my phone to take me to the hotel. Each day of this season was shorter than the prior. I found myself picking up my pace to ensure I had plenty of light to guide me to each destination. I found myself at the Inn and greeting the dark skinned Raj at the front desk. He got us into our warm room within minutes. When I stepped into our lodging I understood why it was called Lakeview Inn. I never expected a place that was so affordable to provide scenery and comfort.
Over the course of the evening, one of the tires on the trailer lost a few dozen pounds of air. Crystal noticed the mangled wheel when she went to the library. I had already cleared several miles when word reached my phone. The tire had been resilient considering we had discovered the nail several months ago. It was a thin, shiny, metal rod that was lodged inside and bent. We had kept the nail in the tire as a plug to get as much wear out of the tire as possible. I was just thankful the sun was out. The air was the coldest I had experienced. My coat stayed zipped despite my heated body. I ran up hills and into the countryside. The trees and ferns continued for miles. A couple of dogs had found their way through a fence and they came at me out of nowhere. I had convinced the first one to go home by barking back in his face but I didn’t notice the oversized sheepdog that approached me from the other side. The beasts weren’t even afraid of oncoming traffic. Eventually I yelled, “Go Home!” and I pointed in the direction I wanted them to run.
Crystal found me the tiny town of Winlock. She told me we were staying at the Mt. St. Helen’s KOA in Castlerock. I hydrated generously and ate a few pieces of fruit. I wanted a sugar boost. From there I took the Winlock-Vader road the rest of the way. I pushed my muscles and took advantage of my speed. My lungs gulped gallons of fresh air and pumped it through my body.
When we reached the KOA we met Ingrid. She was so friendly and she called a few of the residents with kids to meet me at the office. The two girls were super cute and avid readers. I was very excited to sign a couple books for them. Ingrid gave us the best spot in the park. It sat high above and we had a beautiful view of the sunset. Crystal and I blasted our tiny ceramic heater. It took a while to warm the entire trailer but it eventually did the job.
That evening my stomach growled like a lion. Crystal knew just what to make me for dinner. I was given a large dose of spicy tofu and mounds of rice. It was a good combination of protein and carbohydrates and it would provide me with a good dose of energy to start the next day.
Ingrid had offered to let us stay another day. I think Crystal erupted with joy on the inside at the news. She didn’t have to scramble around and figure out the best place for us to lay our heads. At least one of us would have a light day. What seemed like an easy run for me as well turned out to be false. The minimal mileage was supplemented with steep hills and speeding drivers. We split the day right in the middle. When I reached Castlerock, we considered calling the day but when we glanced the weather report we decided the best course of action was to get to the city of Kelso.
While in the town of Castlerock we went to look for a lunch donation. We had left the trailer and our supplies at the resort. Our first attempt at rounding up something to eat ended in more hunger. The manager of a pizza shop gave Crystal a nervous stuttering reply that no owner could be reached or found. My eyes must have been lying to me because I saw a girl take our flyer to someone in the dining area. We were no strangers to rejection but I did find it strange that the manager found it necessary to make up a story. It didn’t matter though because the Subway in the same plaza were overjoyed to help us on our way. They donated two footlong subs with chips, drinks, and cookies. The fact that the employees were so enthused about our cause made the food taste even more delicious. The lettuce crunched and the cheese was flavorful. My eyes closed in delight when I polished off the sweet chocolate chip cookie. It gave a boost to my legs on yet another cold day.
I ran from Castlerock to Kelso in a little over an hour. My legs pushed through a sore knee. When I reached the historic looking town I looked across the river and admired the last new state I would cross into on this journey. We would straddle the Washington/Oregon border for a couple more days. I wanted to savor the last few days because it felt like the end was rushing at me. The adventure had been so amazing and I guess I was reluctant to see it end.
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