Ride on, Highway Cat !!: BLACK DOG

Day 4, Cape Disappointment - Montesano WA
Dist., 125 km., 19.3 km/hr Avg. 54.1 km/hr max., Saddle 6:27, Hr. 112 Bpm., 3143 cal.
July 19, 2012
Cloudy, cool start to the day, again. Sign... Don't get me wrong, perfect cycling weather, but HWC needs some vitamin D. The first part of the day was easy as I was leaving the coast. My environmental eye candy had become sour. I missed the vistas along the ocean right off the bat. Sob. As the terrain flattened, so did the excitement. Boring and uneventful was the order of the day, until around "Bone River Park" or "Bruceport" that is...
My quiet, nothing ride had suddenly become the victim of an assault. First there was the sound of screaming 7 year old, or maybe 8 year old girls, then after a 5 second delay (Kinda like waiting for the thunder after the lightning), a BLACK BEAST charged full gallop, out of the only driveway seen in a while. A quick shoulder check revealed the image that I was dreading, but knew would be there. This Black Hell Hound was driving with the enthusiasm of a fully stoked steam freight train. Lucky for me, I had a full tank of fuel and was able to pull out the 12lb. Hammer. As I accelerated from my comfortable 19 km/hr avg. speed to 30 km/hr., I soon felt the adrenalin build, and my speed increased beyond a sustainable level. Thinking that the hound was most certainly dropped, I glanced into my mirror to find disappointment indeed. That Evil bastard was still there. Crap ! With the Panic Button depressed, I reached into my "Suitcase of Courage" (Phil Liggett) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Liggett and pulled out my 32 lb. Hammer. After what seemed to be an eternity, I decided to take another look in my mirror. The Black Dog did not fill the optical plane that I was focused on. I was relieved, but decided to Hammer for a while until the "town"South Bend" came to view. Just to be sure.
After the town Raymond, the weather changed. It got toasty, and hills entered the cycling composition.
My feet were burning from the swelling that can happen in hot or unfamiliar conditions. I had to swap the newish bike shoes for sandals. "AAAAhhhh ! Christ that was painful.
Rolled into Montesano eager to rest. Dialled in the "Monte Square Motel" 73 feet from the 24 hour gas station. Perfect. The room was unusually enormous, strange, but OK by me.
I walked over to the local grocer for supplies. After buying a few more things than I probably need, I left and got ready for a night of luxury when I found that a key item was not in the bag. As I walked back into the store towards "Elmo", he turned to face me and state loudly that I forgot something. Funny how he put everything else in the bag except my cold Gatorade. Thanks for that Elmo, Goof.