Having Sherman Pass behind us, we have completed the four major mountain passes in Washington! Yah baby!
There will be more elevation but nothing like these until Glacier.
Whining Alert:
Yesterday the struggle was real for me. My body was achy and beat up by the heavy bike, I couldn’t find my dang brush anywhere and my rear light was missing.
There are three safety non-negotiables in a long distance bike ride and I’d lost one of them.
- Helmet
- Helmet rear view mirror
- Blinking red helmet light
I found the light (and the brush which didn’t make a diff with my hair), cozied up with some butt cream and took a couple Advil and today I felt like a new person.
#whiningover
Tom rode his “even-heavier-than-mine” bike down the steep dirt road from our Warm Shower host. Check out the vid of me trying to get my bike down as it’s getting away from me going down the steep grade.
Believe me, Tom would be in Montana right now if he didn’t have to wait for me.
Early in the day we hopped on a nice, although short, bike path through the woods and away from traffic. Then all of a sudden, party over. The long, slow accent began.
A thirteen mile climb might seem awful but we are getting stronger! Each pass has been so different in terms of scenery, grade, traffic, etc. Today we encountered the logging and mining trucks. Determined to maintain good relations with the truckers, our hands were a-wavin’ to them all morning.
We reached the top before noon, had a snack of peanut butter crackers, fresh broccoli and Cliff Bars and were off toward Colville for a Bar B Q sammie and some coleslaw.
Again the pics don’t do Washington justice. What a gem she is. I’m eager to get to our first state line but will never forget the people who helped launch our journey, those who’ve helped us along the way, and the awe and wonder in God’s great gift of creation. All truly remarkable.
We also came across an interesting undergarment on the side of the road, did our first bit of “grocery shopping” in a real store for provisions for the next couple days and found our first bike hostel where we met David and Dan, also Northern Tier thru-bikers.
Tom did a sun dance in gratitude for our perfect weather and I donned fresh cycling clothing for benefit of Tom. Life is good! Geronimo! Let’s go east!
Keep Calm and Pedal On 