I pre-rode the 600k course on Monday and Tuesday, mimicking the hours, but not the days that the riders will experience on the day of ride. The route has just two sustained climbs, but lots of rollers make up for the absence of big climbs. The most significant factor on my ride was the wind. It was at times a gentle friend, but more often then not, a force to be reckoned with. The course covers miles and miles of quiet, backcountry roads through bucolic and sylvan landscapes. The road surfaces were surprisingly smooth. I would say that there is only about 15 miles of truly annoying chip seal, and that comes relatively early in the ride. Food and water stops seemed adequately placed, if small town gas station mini-marts can be made to suit your needs. For the most part traffic was extremely light, with the exception of stretches of US-101 and US-12. Overall, I found the course a pleasure to ride; however, the required effort was deceptively more than I expected.

Tumwater to Vader, miles 057 (093 km)
The roads were nearly abandoned as I set out in the pre-dawn twilight from the Motel 6 parking lot. The fall temperature was cool so I stopped a short while later to add another layer. The flat roads passed quickly as I pedaled through Littlerock and Rochester with a gentle breeze at my back. The first hill does not come until mile 20, and it is no surprise as hill is part of the road name, and likewise, five miles later. In both cases, the descent is steeper than the ascent. The small river valleys provided beautiful farm setting scenery, and the clock was moving slowly relative to the ground that I was covering. This was a great way to start a ride! The terrain began to roll some around mile 45, but smoothed out again as I approached the first control.

Vader to Raymond, miles 57112 (93180 km)
Four miles from Vader, I turned to climb Wildwood Hill. The grade approached 810%, but most of the elevation gain is achieved in little over a mile. After turning towards Pe Ell, the road surface turned to large aggregate chip seal. Blecch! It was a gradual, steady climb to this forest products town. The road continued up out of town into the heart of Weyerhaeusers Twin Harbors Tree Farm. Finally, the worst of the chip seal ended. It did return for part of the long descent to the coast, but there was often a small strip of smooth asphalt on the shoulder that was somehow spared from being tarred. The headwind grew on the way down to Raymond.

Raymond to Long Beach, miles 112156 (180251 km)
This part of the course follows a scenic but lonely stretch of US-101. There was often a wide shoulder, and occasionally I would get distant views of the ocean across Willipa Bay. The wind seemed confused as it blew its way around headlands, at times at my back, at times in my face, but always present. A paceline would have been nice. After the junction with SR-4, the fog line became the shoulder as the highway twisted around blind corners. The sun was low in the western sky, and I was certain that the dancing light and shadows had made me invisible to approaching motorists.

Long Beach to Kelso, miles 156238 (251383 km)
I rode most of this section in the dark, so my observations are limited. In my experience, shoreline roads are often not flat, and SR-4 was no exception. The highway climbed up from and descended back to the Columbia River several times. The most notable climb was the 3 mile, 5% climb up K-M Mountain at mile 196. The roads were deserted over the final 40 miles to the overnight control, and the misty fog in the lowlands made the nighttime temperatures appear colder than they were.

Kelso to Toutle, miles 238260 (383418 km)
The first 10 miles of this leg followed the STP course up the Westside Highway until the turn off to Castle Rock. The road climbed in a stair step fashion to Silver Lake and on towards Toutle. I was able to catch glimpses of Mt St Helens through the morning haze.

Toutle to Morton, miles 260311 (418500 km)
The hills continued to roll as I pedaled toward the penultimate control. Spencer Road was flat, quiet, and scenic followed by a short, steep rise to US-12. I experienced the heaviest traffic of the ride over this section. The highway had just been paved, but was not yet striped. The six mile climb over the ridge between Mossyrock and Morton came as a surprise.

Morton to Tumwater, miles 311377 (500606 km)
The decent down the Tilton River valley leaving Morton was a welcome (albeit short-lived) respite from the rolling hills. Back up on the ridge, the wind began to blow strongly as a low pressure system moved in. Even more than yesterday I yearned for a paceline. Instead, I gritted my teeth, muttered curses at the wind, and envisioned the finish line. Once in Centralia, the miles began to roll by quickly, and it seemed that I was back in Tumwater in no time.