August 19th, 2022 by Jon
When we woke up in the hotel, we stayed in bed for a while, with the AC running well enough to make the room feel like an icebox. I slept so well. When we finally got up, we headed over to Bridgeside for breakfast. It’s a large diner right next to the hotel we stayed at, and they have an agreement with the hotel to offer a breakfast menu for guests instead of a continental breakfast. We ordered our food and grabbed a huge booth right next to some massive windows with views of the bridge and the Columbia River. We were right on the cliff’s edge, and it was super cool to see.
Our food came fairly quickly. I had the pancake breakfast, and Singsong had the eggs, ham, and hash browns. I also had a milkshake, which I thought would be small since it was only $5, but it ended up being 20oz. I still managed to eat everything and drink my shake, but it was quite filling. I haven’t lost any more weight in a while, and I swear it’s because of the copious amount of ice cream that I eat while in town. We left feeling quite full and we headed back to the hotel. Biscuit and Stealth talked about finding a camp spot, but then we lay down in the beds again, and all 4 of us didn’t move until about noon, when we had to check out. It felt great to have time to relax.
When we left the hotel, we headed over to the park where PCT days were happening. The camping area was nearby, across a bridge on Thunder Island. Biscuit and Stealth went to set up their stuff while Singsong and I sat and chilled on the grass near the entrance. The booths didn’t open until 1:00, so we were kind of just killing time until then. We ran into a friend of ours, Frostbite, whom we hadn’t seen in ages, and really enjoyed catching up with her for a while before the festival opened. When it did, we went inside and started meandering around, checking out the various booths and outdoor gear vendors. Many of them had their gear for sale, cool raffles to enter, swag to give out, and other fun activities. After a while, we grabbed some food and drinks before it got really busy, and we sat at a picnic table with Biscuit, Wilco, and Stealth. We sat and ate for a bit and enjoyed the people watching for a while.
Eventually, our friends from Seattle, Luis and Tina, came and found us. They just moved down to the area and came to say hello for the afternoon, and brought their 13-month-old with them. It was great to see them, hang out for the afternoon, and catch up. We spent as long as we could together before they had to go before their kid got cranky from not having a nap. We said our goodbyes, then found some other trail friends, Canoe and Wrong Number, whom we also hadn’t seen in forever, and got to catch up with them. We stayed for a long time, moving about and seeing friends, before finally heading out to the nearby brewery to see Missile! He was back from a wedding in Boston and ready to get back on trail and do Washington together. We enjoyed catching up quickly, but then Singsong and I decided to head out.
We walked over the Bridge of the Gods in the evening, and it was as good a feeling as I’ve hyped it up in my head for the last 5 years. It felt magical walking into Washington. We’ve come so far, and now we’re back in my home state. The bridge itself is really old, and it’s a metal grate you walk on with no pedestrian lane or anything. The cars just sorta give you as wide a berth as you can, and while you walk, you can see the river far below you. When we got to the other side, we met Theresa, a family friend. She welcomed us to Washington and then drove us to a local restaurant in Stevenson to grab food with her and her husband, Rick, who was saving us a table. We enjoyed some great town food and local beer before heading back to their property, where they offered to host us for the night. Rick and Theresa own and operate Carson Ridge Luxury Cabins, which are very cool, and if you’re reading this, you should definitely check them out. Unfortunately, all the cabins were booked, but they let us crash in their loft for the evening after feeding us dessert. Their hospitality was incredible, and we were so grateful.
We went to bed and plan on having a slow morning tomorrow before heading out around noon.
