Coastin' to the Coast

Yesterday, we went something like 62 miles into Sedro-Wooley, Washington. Nearly all the ride was alongside a turquoise river on a road that was a tunnel of green. It was something of a rainforest, with plenty of ferns, mosses, and undergrowth that we haven't seen since back east. The weather was cool all day, which was soooo refreshing after all the central washington triple digit days. It was a great ride for the almost-end-of-the-trip. We had a pretty massive dinner fail at the end of the day. The first place we tried had a ridiculously expensive salad bar, the next place didn't actually cook the pizza, and the subway we finally got to didn't have the sub I was gonna get (and didn't hear dad ask for something to drink). Little things, but when you're hungry at the end of a ride, it just isn't ok.

First sight of the Sound


Scummy bit of the bay

Today, we went through Burlington to ship some things and look for duffels to hold our panniers on the plane before going the rest of the 37 miles into Anacortes. The ride wasn't all that beautiful, for the area seems to be split into heavily-gated houses on the shore and scummy industry. The first few bays we passed were pretty gunked up or occupied by refineries. We did hit some bike paths - one was pretty nice and one had a gate that you couldn't get a loaded bike through. If there is one thing to say for Anacortes, though, it's that they have some amazing blackberries. Thick, juicy, and sweet = great snack for passing bikers. The San Juan Ferry Terminal was our terminus, so no great finishing pics (sorry). We got some food there, got some shots of the Pacific, and then started getting things wrapped up. My bicycle is now at a bike shop where it will wait to be disassembled and shipped to Madison. The hotel's a bit lonely without the bikes. While I'm happy that we've made it across, I'm not as thrilled as Dad is. I think I'd rather keep biking, just because it's so simple and so fun. Having to switch back to the whole "real world" thing is gonna suck, especially with the move coming up. If I can handle 4400+ miles, I'll be ok. There may be some summary post whenever I feel like it/get around to it.

Final Climb in the Cascades

8.4.09
We got up and out of Winthrop (a pretty cool western-y downtown with a super awesome chaco'd out pizza place) early and did some gradual climbing 15 miles into Mazama, which is even more chaco'd. We grabbed some food and drink from the gas station there which also doubles as a coffee shop and an outfitters (complete with really good outdoor clothes). There seemed to be a lot of cascade guides just chillin', and we had met a past transam cyclist who was from Mazama (and who offered us a place to stay). We left second breakfast around 8 and started the long climb up the east Cascades to Washington Pass. Ya know you're in for a good hill when before the climb even starts there's a sign warning people to turn off the A/C lest their radiator boils over. The east side managed to be incredibly dry even with the tons of creeks, and it sorta reminded me of a Teton/Current Creek Pass combination (though I can't say I know much about it, dad says that it looked like Yosimite). Twas quite a grandiose climb anyway, and the closer we got to the top, the more growth there was. Dad bonked during the climb, and while I was a little tired, I puttered happily to the top. We devoured some cheese and canadian bacon at the rest area up top, checked out the overlook (with views of the road we had been climbing hundreds of feet below), and continued down and then back up to Rainy Pass (a lower pass and the point where we crossed the PCT). The far side of rainy was completely different than the eastern part of the mountains. It was lush and green with a couple tons of creeks and awesome cascades (the tumbling creek kind and the off-the-sheer-face kind) that carved out their own mini-canyons. The east also had a plethora of yellow, white, and reddish wildflowers that just made the road nice. The descent was the most treacherous we've had, not because of the roads but because of the head/sidewinds. Near the top, a sign had warned us of severe crosswinds for the next 27 miles and the stuff definately kept me on my toes. Coming down, we started hitting dammed lake after dammed lake (the dams being part of a hydroelectric system that feeds Seatle and also the main thing that kept our road from being considered part of the National Park). The lakes were awesome, though. They're mostly glacier melt and had the color of a super-chlorinated pool or some Bermudan beach. Diablo was one of the cooler ones, since it had some beautiful snowy and super-green peaks surrounding it. We passed more dams, falls, and psycho winds, and went through our first and last tunnels. The last 10 miles (of 80) took some effort, but a sugar cube I had snagged from Mazama did help. We got to Newhalem, grabbed some supplemental food, and then went into the North Cascades National Park for some camping. This was probably the longest we've been on a bike time-wise: we were up pretty darned early and didn't get to the park until dinnertime.

Seriously, Mr. Weather? We're gonna have to talk.

Today was pretty short. Hot and hilly, but short. 47 miles over Loup Loup Pass (which is kinda a cool name) in 90 degree weather. It was hot this morning when we started and hot as we climbed. At the top of the pass, it felt pretty good, but then we went back down into a hot valley. I actually feel pretty good, but Dad's not liking the heat today. We've stopped in Winthrop (15 miles from the base of our Cascade climbs tomorrow) and may actually camp in the mountains tomorrow. Woot. Only a few more days left :(

Desert

I don't think I would recommend bicycling 26 miles (out of 70) in 100+ degree heat. Just isn't all that fun. Woke up to some comfortable temperatures, ate a tasty breakfast, and started up Wauconda Pass. Less of a climb than Sherman, and I'm ok with that. We started higher up, it was a lower pass, the grades were more variable and gentle, and temperatures were ok. Got to the top after 18 miles and had an awesome downhill from there. Made it to Tonashet for lunch, and temperatures had made it to 100F. Blerg. We decided to push on to Omak (another 26 miles). On this side of the pass, everything's been super-deserty, though it doesn't seem like thee residents are willing to deal with that. Lots of people had their sprinklers on full bore during the heat of the day in an attempt to keep their lawns nice and green (even if their lawns are surrounded by dust and sagebrush). It's gonna take most of the evening to rehydrate, so I'm gonna start working on that. Salty chips sound great right now, too.

An Addendum

We got a ginormous dinner (steak, salad, potato salad, beans, onions & mushrooms, corn, bread, fruit, cheesecake), showers, and a chance to watch the horses being run out to pasture at the guest ranch we've come to for the night. Company is good, and I'm watching the moon rise above the skinny pines and a dust-colored mountain. The sun's faded from the right side of the hill and things are calming down. My lower legs are still a little sore, but life is amazing right now.

Hot Damn

The past two days have been short, hot, dry, and exhausting. Yesterday was something like a 53-er in to Kettle Falls. We're back to the skinny tree and sagebrush type environment, and starting the morning off with a 1000 foot climb is always excellent (especially if you're trying to beat the heat in to the next town). Twasn't too bad, but we really haven't had to climb for a while. Warm up for the 4 passes we're getting into now. We got in before noon, thankfully, and spent the rest of the afternoon hangin' out, eating, getting maps from the nice ranger at the new visitor center, and resting up.





This morning, we started a 3500+(?) foot climb up Sherman Pass - one of the worst we'll have in Washington. And after 25 miles of unbroken 6% grade, I am worn out. The last 5 miles of the climb, I really didn't have anything left. It's the first climb in a really really long time that my legs have been sore on. Got a picture with a bunch of motorcyclists at the top, and after some canadian bacon and orange, the 15 mile downhill felt wonderful. It's well into the 90s and we're hiding out in a library since the place we're staying doesn't want us there yet. This means that my tired legs get to go 3 miles in even more grueling heat and headwinds when we decide to go anyways. Yee haw. Pictures'll come when I get on the not-library computer.