Wauconda Pass
Just another nice scene near wauconda pass
I tried so hard to get a picture that captured the beauty of the purple flowers in this golden field... I just stood there and soaked it in for about 10 minutes. The picture does not come near doing it justice.
This is a closeup of the purple flowers. What are they????
Big fields of this gold stuff...what is it?
Possibly a rattler? {dead}
Conquerer of Loup Loup Pass!
Just a lovely scene near Tonasket, WA
This guy is NOT going to have his mailbox smashed. Rebar, crowned with chainsaw
Day 4 - June 23rd - Winthrop, WA
Today was a much needed rest day, most of which I spent doing just that. Took a brief tour of this touristy little town and bought some better sunglasses at the bike shop. My friend Gay, who lives in nearby Mazama, took me to dinner at the Sun Mountain Lodge. I’ve known about this place for many years but never been there before. It’s about 10 miles straight up the mountainside from Winthrop, with a fabulous view. It’s open year round and I’d really like to stay there sometime in the winter.
The speed of the current in the Methow River here is unbelievable right now. A little scarey.
Tomorrow we go over Loup Loup pass. Its sure to be easy compared to yesterday!
Day 5 - June 24th - Omak, WA
48 miles, 3200 feet cumulative elevation gain
80 degrees and sunshine - perfect biking weater
And easy it was!
To fuel the climb most of us first stopped in Twisp,at the Cinnamon Twisp, for , you guessed it, a cinnamon twisp. And a latte.
Just past Twisp we began climbing up out of the Methow valley. The air is just perfumed here, with wild roses, fresh cut hay, and lots of unidentified wildflowers. An 11 mile fairy reasonable climb got us to Loup Loup pass, followed by an exhilarating long, fast, curvy downhill. That was so much fun I really wanted to get a lift back to the top and do it again!
Winding back roads through orchards brought us into Okanogan, for a lunch stop. Just a short, downhill ride from there to Omak, and happy hour on the lawn in the sunshine.
I am always amazed by the change in climate and vegetation once you’re east of the Cascades. We’re out of the rain now and into sage desert and big dry, treeless hills, anywhere that isn’t irrigated. And the rest of it, now that we’re in the Okanogan valley, is orchards.
The rubber band connecting me to home has broken.
Day 6 - June 25rh - Republic, WA
69 miles, 4200 feet cumulative elevation gain
75 and sunshine - perfect biking weather!
What a perfect day! We started with 30 miles through rolling hay fields and orchards, with big rocky, sparsely-treed hills all around. Then a stop in Tonasket, hoping for a latte but had to make do with one of those canned iced mocha things instead, enough fuel to get a good start up towards Wauconda pass. This was another day that I was very thankful for my low gears; we had about 20 miles or so of climbing, but none as steep as going up to Washington Pass a few days ago, and the scenery was so spectacular I hardly noticed the effort. Well, OK, I noticed it a little bit.
Day 5 - June 24th - Omak, WA
48 miles, 3200 feet cumulative elevation gain
80 degrees and sunshine - perfect biking weater
And easy it was!
To fuel the climb most of us first stopped in Twisp,at the Cinnamon Twisp, for , you guessed it, a cinnamon twisp. And a latte.
Just past Twisp we began climbing up out of the Methow valley. The air is just perfumed here, with wild roses, fresh cut hay, and lots of unidentified wildflowers. An 11 mile fairy reasonable climb got us to Loup Loup pass, followed by an exhilarating long, fast, curvy downhill. That was so much fun I really wanted to get a lift back to the top and do it again!
Winding back roads through orchards brought us into Okanogan, for a lunch stop. Just a short, downhill ride from there to Omak, and happy hour on the lawn in the sunshine.
I am always amazed by the change in climate and vegetation once you’re east of the Cascades. We’re out of the rain now and into sage desert and big dry, treeless hills, anywhere that isn’t irrigated. And the rest of it, now that we’re in the Okanogan valley, is orchards.
The rubber band connecting me to home has broken.
Day 6 - June 25rh - Republic, WA
69 miles, 4200 feet cumulative elevation gain
75 and sunshine - perfect biking weather!
What a perfect day! We started with 30 miles through rolling hay fields and orchards, with big rocky, sparsely-treed hills all around. Then a stop in Tonasket, hoping for a latte but had to make do with one of those canned iced mocha things instead, enough fuel to get a good start up towards Wauconda pass. This was another day that I was very thankful for my low gears; we had about 20 miles or so of climbing, but none as steep as going up to Washington Pass a few days ago, and the scenery was so spectacular I hardly noticed the effort. Well, OK, I noticed it a little bit.
This is the 2nd pass in two days, and tomorrow we have a 3rd, Sherman Pass, which I've never even heard of before. After that I think we flatten out for awhile.
I know I am one of the slowest uphill riders on this trip; I accept that and really have no desire to go faster. Still, it was a bit depressing to have this guy on a fully loaded touring bike, carrying, he said, 80 pounds, pass me. He and a couple of friends are doing a loop from Vancouver through Sand Point, Idaho.
It’s fun to see so many fully-loaded touring cyclists on this route, which is Adventure Cycling’s Northern Tier. Yesterday I talked to a couple of young guys bound for Ohio.
I could try for more description of this beautiful area but I think the pictures will do it better.
I know I am one of the slowest uphill riders on this trip; I accept that and really have no desire to go faster. Still, it was a bit depressing to have this guy on a fully loaded touring bike, carrying, he said, 80 pounds, pass me. He and a couple of friends are doing a loop from Vancouver through Sand Point, Idaho.
It’s fun to see so many fully-loaded touring cyclists on this route, which is Adventure Cycling’s Northern Tier. Yesterday I talked to a couple of young guys bound for Ohio.
I could try for more description of this beautiful area but I think the pictures will do it better.
There are a bunch of Harleys here in town and some of the guys are staying at our hotel. Tonight after dinner, as I was walking back to my room, I nodded at this guy, he asked how I was doing, I said fine, how are you. He said "My butt hurts. Will you rub it for me?" I said no. Do you suppose that line has worked for him in the past?
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