46: Beating the heat

A couple of words about the sun up here: it comes early, and stays late. In between, at least during this heat spell, it is blistering hot. I heard the birds start waking and calling this morning before dawn, and Roger and I both walked down to the bathroom in the near-dark. But NOT dark. We went back to the tent and slept a bit more, and when we woke for good about 6:00 am he said it had been 4:30 when we got up the first time. We easily could have gotten up and prepared to ride, and that is what we plan to do tomorrow, when we have another pass to climb. Get out early, when it's cool. And last night, we were sitting out after 9:30 and could easily see to chat. It's a little while yet to the summer solstice - can't wait to see how long the day will be then! (And we may be just a little north of where we are now by that time.)

Loved this field - would have loved to see it from above!

But this morning, we took our time, doing a little bike work, chatting with our neighbor, and rearranging the packs and stuff sacks yet another time. (We are seeking the "perfect balance" point between front and rear packs, top and bottom layers, and right and left side of the bike. Maybe we will find it by the time we reach Redlands next fall!)

By the time the sun came over the top of the nearby tree and we lost our shade, it was HOT. I wet my jersey to cool off while we finished packing, and Roger just mopped the sweat from his brow constantly. We had a leisurely breakfast, then got serious about our ride just about 10 am. By this time, it was QUITE hot, and we wet our arm and leg coolers, filled our water bottles and headed out.

Playing in the sprinkler!

It was not a long ride, but with the heat, we were both a bit fidgety on the bike. At one point, we stopped at a field where the sprinklers were watering the hay, and stood on the side of the road to catch the drops as they arced by. 

This is apple country, so the orchards were pretty to see.  Some of the landscape reminded me of our own craggy outcroppings of rock and dry brush. When we finally came to the hill above Tonasket, it was a pretty sight, with the orchards and hills framing the town. 

By the way, these towns we are staying in have perhaps 2000 to 5000 people. Some have been even smaller, with a couple hundred residents. I always wonder what it would be like to have grown up in such a small town. But I was a big-city kid, and so that's something I can never know. 

Tonasket, by the way, has a great little natural foods market, where we had a good lunch. You'll see the sign on the way into town - just turn left at the Ace Hardware store!!

And the Junction has a convenience store, gas station, car wash, laundry, and 8 rooms. Talk about full service! Very nice place to stay. So cool, inside, we just stayed indoors to get out of the heat.

The day's report:  Omak to Tonasket, 31 miles/2101 to date

Tonasket groves

45: Loup Loup was a lulu!

Leaving Winthrop this morning - taking a final look back down the valley to those impressive peaks. This is a town I would like to visit again.

Winthrop, in the Methow Valley, is a sweet spot in Washington

As we travel east from the coast, we have four passes to summit (actually, five, but Rainy and Washington count as one). Yesterday's travel over Rainy Pass and Washington Pass was just the start. Today we went over Loup Loup. 

We are headed to the dry side of the state, for sure

It wasn't actually too bad of a climb. For our friends in Redlands, it's about like climbing to Angelus Oaks. In fact it was a lot like climbing to Angelus Oaks on a day like we've just had in Redlands where the temperatures reach over a hundred. So after we made the summit we were descending down into the towns of Okanogan and Omak, where my Garmin read 105 degrees. Of course, it's in the sun, and it's behind Roger, who throws off a lot of heat, so I'm usually reading about 10 degrees higher than he is. But still, it was hot!

Wildflowers under the burned pines

On the way up the climb we enjoyed viewing lots of wild flowers that have taken advantage of a recent fire to colonize the forest floor. There were lupines, asters, something that looked like penstemon, and lots of yarrow. They were just beautiful, and it goes to show that even with the terrible destruction of fire, there is new growth.

The descent from the summit was one of the sweetest we've had yet. I love when I see those downward-facing truck signs on the road. This one announced seven miles of 6%! That is heaven to a cyclist. It was a bit curvy and pretty, too -  but not too technical, with none of those drop offs that make me nervous. So I really enjoyed the ride down. However, there is one vicious little tilt-up that comes halfway through the descent. We saw it looming ahead and Roger said,  'you've got to be kidding.' Well actually he said something a bit different but this is a G-rated blog! From 35 mph to 11% uphill in a few yards. No lie!

Steve and Christy at the summit of Loup Loup

We had been hopscotching the climb with a couple of tourists that we met early in the day. Steve and Christy are going to do the entire Northern Tier, and we enjoyed visiting with them as we passed them or they passed us along the morning's climb. They told us about a turnoff to a lake about 10 miles into the descent, and said they planned to stop there.

Although we did not ever see them at the lake, both Roger and I enjoyed a chance to jump in the cool water and get some relief from the heat before continuing down the hill. They had told us that they were planning to go a little further than we were today, so if you're out there,  Steve and Christy, let us know if you made it! It was so crazy hot by the time we hit Omak, that we were a little concerned for you.

Definitely on the dry side of the state!

The cherry orchards are completely covered with nettin

A late lunch at the Mexican restaurant, the chance to do some laundry, and some cheese, bread and wine at the picnic table while we visited with another touring cyclist, Panama Bill, ended our evening. He had been there a few days because he had a problem with his tent, and REI was shipping him a new one. I LOVE that store!  

Bill was hanging out in Omak, waiting for a new tent from REI

By now it's cooling off. We have a very short day tomorrow. We'll just transfer about 25 or 30 miles to the town below the next summit. As long as this heat continues, we do not want to try to climb them mid-day.

The day's report:  Winthrop to Omak, 49 miles/2070 to date

By the way - if you are wondering "why are they visiting all these little towns that I've never heard of? What's the appeal of that?" - well, it goes like this: If you are crossing the country on a bike, you are not going to want to cover the route alongside the interstates. I mean, you can - but it's not much fun. So the small towns and little valleys and back roads that most folks driving from Seattle to Spokane would never see - we see those! There are maps, by companies like Adventure Cycling, that outline routes and provide information on services available: lodging, camping, where to get water, even.  And most cycle tourists are either using some version of those maps, or riding along on the main routes they suggest. So that is why we have been in Towns that Time Forgot.  Because that is what backcountry American looks like. And it is a very interesting journey!

44: Another hot one

We got a very early start today - when I turned my Garmin on, it said 5:45 - but that was not early enough to allow us to avoid the heat altogether. We did have several hours climbing in the cool of the early morning, and the road was nearly empty until about 9:30 or so. Then the traffic picked up again, but at least we were well on our way.

Selfie with Summit, and Snow
 

Pretty tired!

We had two passes to summit today: Rainy Pass at 4855 feet and Washington Pass at 5477. In between, there's a descent of about 300 feet, so all in all, we climbed over 5300 feet.  We have done a lot of summits, even with a loaded up tandem, and I have to say, this day was among the hardest. There was a lot of 7 and 8 percent grades in there, and once we hit 9:30 or so, the day was heating up. We got to the top of Washington Pass about 12:30 and it was very hot by then - mid-nineties - and it got even hotter as we came down the other side. Kind of like when we ride up to Angelus Oaks in the summer, and then descend down to the oven in Redlands!

I love the ferns on the walls

The scenery was spectacular all along the route. There were so many waterfalls and cascades, I lost track of them. (And anyone who knows me knows that I keep track of everything!) The peaks would come into view over the trees, and for a full 4 1/2 hours we were constantly within the sound of rushing water.

Just amazing peaks

The descent down to Mazama reminded us of the back side of Independence Pass.  Big, sweeping turns, crazy peaks all around. Just amazing!

And the Mazama Store is rather amazing also. Little grocery/camp store in the middle of almost nowhere, with the snazziest selection of high-priced goods and comestibles you could every imagine.  Not a box of Saltines, or Ritz Crackers, but about 20 different brands of snack crackers (including gluten-free). Wine, beer, fancy cheeses.  Fresh produce, including morel mushrooms! It's certainly worth a stop. We actually ran into our friends from Germany again and had a pleasant visit in the air-conditioned dining alcove.  Bliss!

This cider house RULES!

Lynn

When we reached our destination, we had to stop in at the Methow Valley Cider House. This was a treat for me, as I love cider. Who knew you could do a tasting flight of ciders? Lynn is the proprietor, and if you are in the area, you should try some. They don't make enough to distribute it outside the valley!

And last, we stayed at a nice little inn (River Run Inn) on the Methow River, where we had a nice cold soak for our legs. Then we borrowed their bikes for a short ride into town. I'm thinking I should keep it - since it matches my outfit!

Should I swap for this one?

The day's report: North Cascades NP to Winthrop, 64 miles/2021 to date

43: I think I know why they call them the Cascades . . .

I think I know why they call it North Cascades National Park. Notwithstanding the fact that it's in the Cascade Mountain range, there are so many waterfalls in this place! And yet the forest is dry as tinder. We rode all day through that hot piney scent, like incense, that a conifer forest gets when the temperature climbs. 

Drought and pine bark beetle damage. 

And it did climb! My Garmin was reading mid nineties while we were rolling. When we would stop and look at something, it climbed over a hundred. At one point it registered 108 degrees!

So the promised heatwave has arrived. Of course, after complaining about cold wet feet in the past several weeks, Roger and I could not wait to find a stream to plonk our tootsies into along the route.

Ahhh!

So nice in the water!

The peaks that we could see from the road are jagged, and some of them still have snow, but the hot weather this spring has caused the snow to melt very quickly this year. So while we could look to the peaks and see some snow, which was very inviting, on the road it was hot and very dry.

We stopped at the visitor center and I was saddened to observe that it's in need of repair. One of the sinks in the ladies' room was out of order. They couldn't show the film because of a problem with the projector. Several of the exhibits in the Learning Center were not operational. The whole thing just looked sad and barely hanging on. When we arrived at our camp site, we found that several bathrooms have been closed, and there are port-a-potties out front. Oh, well. I'm planning to slip my shorts on and go splash in the lake to cool off. And thankfully, we found a nice campsite that was near a working toilet. All is well! 

This National Park is unlike many, in that it has a National Recreation Area running through the middle of it. That's where the road is, of course, which means it doesn't have that pristine quality of some parks. It's relatively new; established in the late 1960s. The river running through it (I believe it's the Skagit) has three dams on it, and there are big high tension lines carrying the electricity to Seattle.  So most of your views have the lines in them.

One of the lakes created by the dams on the river

On either side of the NRA, there is wilderness, as expected in a national park.  But we can't really get to that on a bike. So I think you'd need to come when you could get into the backcountry if you really wanted to experience the best of what this park has to offer.

Our visit here has been impacted by the heat wave in Seattle.  It reminds me of heading up to Forest Falls when it gets really hot in Redlands.  Maybe it's just 15 degrees cooler, but that seems like a lot!  I feel like a lot of folks just headed to the mountains to beat the heat - the road was very busy. We are hopeful that we will leave some of the crowd behind as we climb the pass tomorrow. It's actually outside the park, so we'll see. 

Nice river views all morning long

Before we started gaining some altitude today, we rolled along the Skagit River for some time. Beautiful!  Thick moss drapes the trees, and when the light shines through from behind it's like an aura around the tree. I wish I were a better photographer, so I could have gotten a picture of it.

We met a young couple, Jan and Carolyn, from Germany, touring the US and Canada on their leave after having a child. This is the second couple from Europe we've met doing the same.  I'd like to know more about this policy. Seems pretty civilized to me! 

Jan, Carolyn and Laura

And then we talked for a while with Johnny, who was interested in our tour, the bike, etc. He thought we were really doing something special, and maybe we are. But he is raising six children, so I think he's the one with the most  excellent adventure! 

Tomorrow we want to get an early start and try to beat the heat at the summit. So it's an early night. Hard to go down when it's still so light outside. And when there is a really boisterous crew over at the next campsite.  Arrived late, already drunk. Proclaimed LOUDLY how drunk they were on the ride up. Laughed LOUDLY at each other's expense. Had some guy named Dan over there, I guess, because every time someone said his name (LOUDLY) someone would start singing "Danny Boy" LOUDLY and everyone would laugh, LOUDLY. Geesh.  Just in case one of them ever sees this post - Here's a news flash for you: when you are drunk, you are not nearly so clever or funny as you think you are. So keep it down!

The day's report:  Rockport to North Cascades National Park, 38.5 miles/1957 to date

42: Headed east at last

Jeff escorted us over to the ferry landing this morning, and we said fond farewells.  It's anyone's guess which of us will be back to Southern California first this fall!

The first 30 miles or so this morning were the easiest yet: we sat in plush comfort on the ferry back to Anacortes!  But look what lies ahead - the jagged peaks of the North Cascades.  

The Cascade Range from the ferry

Over the next few days, we will be climbing several summits as we cross through the North Cascades National Park. It seems we have timed this well, through no particular effort on our part. After weeks of cool and rainy weather, Washington is expecting temps in the 90s for the next few days.  Since we will be at higher elevations, we should get nice weather.

Being from the south (Houston, Texas), I don't think anything of hot weather.  It's part of my heritage.  So it's interesting to me to see that the weather advisory includes a warning not to go into the water to cool off this weekend.  Seems every year, people drown when they try to escape the heat in waters that are still too cold for swimming.  This is NOT a problem one would ever have on the Texas Gulf Coast! 

This should be steeper!

This was an odd ride.  We were approaching the mountain range, and went nearly 60 miles from the coast toward it. But we only gained about 400 feet in elevation. That's a very long slope up. Of course, it meant that today was not too tough, but it does sort of leave all the climbing for later!

It was pretty as we approached the mountains, and we did not have a lot of traffic on the roads. 

Those mountains are always in the background!

Our campground was in Rockport, (the second one you come to) and it was very nice.  The Skagit River was a great place to cool off our legs (Dana, do you remember dunking in the Umpqua River last year?)

The proprietor at the local watering hole had a great sense of humor, and when I asked if I could take her picture, she said no - but this is what she does . . . and she puts me behind the counter! So this is for you, Margie!

Kathy pulls a cold one

The day's report:  Friday Harbor to Rockport, 61 miles/1918 to date

Skagit River at campground

41: Living the island life

Another nice day on the island! As Jeff puts it, 'they're all nice days on the island!'

Scene from the island

We rook a little trip to the other side to see American Camp - the site of the American troops sent here to protect the settlers. Ostensibly, it was from attack by the Native Americans, but the real reason was to ward off the British, who were also on the island and claimed it as theirs. You see, the Treaty of Oregon had established the boundary between the US and Canada. But when it came to the islands, the ambiguous language ('the middle of the strait') created a problem: there are two straits surrounding the San Juans, and each nation's settlers claimed the strait that gave them the islands was the one that was intended.

Tensions escalated when a pig was shot by a farmer tired of it rooting in his potatoes. So the American troops came, and the British troops came, and for twelve years they lived in camps on opposite sides of the island, eventually becoming entwined in the life of the islanders, until King Wilhelm of Germany, who had been asked to arbitrate the issue, finally declared that the islands should belong to the Americans. And so the British troops left, with not another shot ever fired. The Pig War, as it's called, is part of the island history and a nice example of how to run a war: balls and parties, not bullets and platoons!

Bring me a Shrubbery! From the British Camp

The British had the nicer encampment, but given that this was all taking place during the American Civil War, I'm thinking the US soldiers were fortunate indeed to be stationed here, instead of being embroiled in the battles back east.

While we were at the camp, we got to see an eagle's nest with two fledglings. Mom flew in with dinner and they both popped up to have at it.  Though seeing an eagle has become almost a daily event up here, I still get a thrill every time we do, and often have Roger stop the bike so that I can get a better look. It was a particular thrill to see the young.

Part of the fun visiting the camps was traveling along with Mark and Nance, Jeff and Gail's friends and also new to the island. Jeff, Roger and Mark rode over to American Camp, which means Roger now has 13 more miles than I do!  

Roger with Mark on the tandem

Given the circumstances, I will probably never catch up, but that's okay - it's not a competition, it's an Excellent Adventure!

A trip to Lime Kiln unfortunately did not reveal any whales for us on this day, but we enjoyed seeing the light house and scenery nonetheless.

Lighthouse at Lime Kiln

We finished the day with a fabulous pot roast and mixed berry short cakes, plus a couple hands of bridge. 

Oh yum!

My, oh my - this team can cook! If you have received an invitation to visit, you really should get yourself up here. Jeff and Gail have a great house and more importantly, a great home up here, and they take great pleasure in sharing it with their friends. 

We are fortunate indeed to be among them.

Four spades!

Jeff and Gail in the kitchen

40: Chillaxin' on the island

Roche Harbor, San Juan Island

We had a very pleasant day seeing some of the sights on San Juan Island. Jeff and Gail took us over to the other side of the island, where the big boats come up to play. Man, that is something else!

Which one would you like? 

We enjoyed a nice local-ish brew and some great fish and chips at a local eatery, and had a couple of hours to play bridge. Yay! Our first games since leaving home. A cocktail hour get-together allowed us to meet some of Jeff and Gail's friends here in Friday Harbor.  They were an interesting and diverse group, hailing from California, Connecticut and Seattle. Only one was a native islander, but many had lived here for 30 or 40 years so that's close. Jeff and Gail are the only ones who leave for the winter, I believe.

It was gratifying to be indoors when the evening shower came along.

Just another day in paradise!