Newhaven, WA to Mount Vernon, WA
64.47 miles
4:05.30 hrs
31.8 max
15.7 avg
Today, I broke the 4000 mile marker on my trip and theoretically completed a cross country tour. I have not yet seen the ocean but I am only 15 miles away from touching my toes into the deep blue that they call the Pacific. I highly contemplated traveling the extra distance today just to jump in to the frigid waters, to feel the accomplishment of traveling ocean to ocean. Unfortunately, unless I want to be freezing cold and wet tomorrow during my ride to Vancouver, I will have to wait until I get up to Vancouver to jump in.
According to local weather forecasts it sounds like it is going to be raining all tomorrow, and for the next week. Fortunately, it was supposed to be raining today and I didn't feel a drop! Maybe the weather people can be wrong for the rest of the week?
Since I got to sleep really early last night I woke up on my own and felt pretty good. I was happy to find that the food that I hung up on the pavilion beams was still there and no little creatures appeared to have tampered with it. Much to my dismay I found out that I had consumed all of the coconut milk and therefore could not have cereal like I had been looking forward too all night long! So, I improvised and ate some dry granola with a bowl of chili... I know, not much of a substitute. Nonetheless, still good! I was very happy to get an early start this morning and thought to myself that it may be a good idea to try and get to bed that early every night so I am as productive every morning.
As I was doing my morning duties, I happened to walk down by the river with all the dead fish of which I had convinced myself, the previous night, they were poisoned. As I took a closer look, during a time when there was actual light, I noticed that all the fish were salmon. Upon further examination of the waters at my feet, I noticed hundreds of live salmon swimming around. Heck, I said to myself, if I would have known that there were salmon I would have tried to catch a few for dinner last night (and filled up my water bottles).
The views of the countryside leading out of the Northern Cascades were gorgeous. I no longer had to worry about any massive climbs, the roads were newly paved (or so they seemed) and I knew that I did not have far to travel to the coast! All these circumstances lead to a very nice day of riding (not to mention that it was not raining!). I also knew that I could take my time getting into town because the people I was staying with were not going to be home till 5pm and I had a comparatively early start!
The day went by pretty fast and allowed for many pitstops along the way: coffee at Cascades Organics, browsing at a local bike store and even a lunch break on a bridge where I watched the salmon frolic around in the current. Overall, a great day!
Not to mention the Moffitt's hospitality. It is always great to have some good company and conversation at the ends of a days ride. Not to mention treating me with one of my favorite meals in the whole world: fresh caught salmon! What a way to be welcomed to the coast! Thanks you two!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day 47 - Monday October 12th
Twisp, WA to Newhaven, WA
84.96 miles
6:25.24 hrs
38.4 max
13.2 avg
With the amount of climbing ahead of me today and the bitterness of the morning cold, it seemed as if today was going to last forever. Unlike yesterday, I knew what terrain was ahead of me and this allowed me to mentally prepare myself for it.
In the end, the day was not so bad. The scenery was gorgeous and with the smart purchase of handwarmers/toewarmers at the beginning of the day I did not feel like I was going to lose my fingers or toes on the long descents off the two passes. It did get very cold at the top of the passes and I would have been in some major trouble if I did not decide to splurge on the heating pouches.
Throughout most of the day I had the thought of a nice shower and warm bed to sleep in concluding my days journey. I was unhappily informed, about 20 miles outside of my final destination, that the town I was going to stop in that evening was not home to such a motel. This upset me thoroughly because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and I do not want to start the day out wet!
The man who gave me this information, a motorcyclist who pulled up beside me and continued to have a 5 min conversation as we glided alongside devil's lake, did locate a place for me to camp that night and gave me a great connection in Bellingham if I need it.
I stayed in a national park tonight, under a pavilion that would keep me out of the rain when it came overnight. I knew that this was not allowed but considering that there was one person on all of the campgrounds besides myself, what were they going to do? Kick me out? (what a rebel!) The camping was free, because there was no water and this unfortunately was not optimal given my low H2O situation! I was not overly worried due to the fact that there was fast and free flowing river no more than 20 yards from my camp site. After setting up camp I went down to the waters edge to find dead fish lining the shores. Not wanting to catch some deadly disease that would hospitalize me (my COBRA insurance has been "terminated" by the way) I decided to use my last water bottle sparingly instead of risk using a water filter.
After eating a great meal of chili, hanging up my food from a rafter on the outside of the pavilion and finishing my nightly routine I fell asleep very early (9pm). This early bed time was partially due to the fact that my mind was playing tricks on me about different animals that might attack me during the night, it was easier just to close my eyes. If it was not for the banks lined with fish I probably would have been a little more worried and maybe hung my food a couple campsites away.
84.96 miles
6:25.24 hrs
38.4 max
13.2 avg
With the amount of climbing ahead of me today and the bitterness of the morning cold, it seemed as if today was going to last forever. Unlike yesterday, I knew what terrain was ahead of me and this allowed me to mentally prepare myself for it.
In the end, the day was not so bad. The scenery was gorgeous and with the smart purchase of handwarmers/toewarmers at the beginning of the day I did not feel like I was going to lose my fingers or toes on the long descents off the two passes. It did get very cold at the top of the passes and I would have been in some major trouble if I did not decide to splurge on the heating pouches.
Throughout most of the day I had the thought of a nice shower and warm bed to sleep in concluding my days journey. I was unhappily informed, about 20 miles outside of my final destination, that the town I was going to stop in that evening was not home to such a motel. This upset me thoroughly because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and I do not want to start the day out wet!
The man who gave me this information, a motorcyclist who pulled up beside me and continued to have a 5 min conversation as we glided alongside devil's lake, did locate a place for me to camp that night and gave me a great connection in Bellingham if I need it.
I stayed in a national park tonight, under a pavilion that would keep me out of the rain when it came overnight. I knew that this was not allowed but considering that there was one person on all of the campgrounds besides myself, what were they going to do? Kick me out? (what a rebel!) The camping was free, because there was no water and this unfortunately was not optimal given my low H2O situation! I was not overly worried due to the fact that there was fast and free flowing river no more than 20 yards from my camp site. After setting up camp I went down to the waters edge to find dead fish lining the shores. Not wanting to catch some deadly disease that would hospitalize me (my COBRA insurance has been "terminated" by the way) I decided to use my last water bottle sparingly instead of risk using a water filter.
After eating a great meal of chili, hanging up my food from a rafter on the outside of the pavilion and finishing my nightly routine I fell asleep very early (9pm). This early bed time was partially due to the fact that my mind was playing tricks on me about different animals that might attack me during the night, it was easier just to close my eyes. If it was not for the banks lined with fish I probably would have been a little more worried and maybe hung my food a couple campsites away.
Day 46 - Sunday October 11th
Okanogan Family Fair to Twisp, WA
73.87 miles
5:49.24 hrs
36.6 max
12.6 avg
First off, this day was freakin' cold! Specifically at the end of my trip when I was rolling into Twisp well after sunset. I thought that today's ride was supposed to be downhill at first (13 miles) and then all flat from then on out. Boy, was I mistaken! Little did I know I had a 3100' climb near the end of my ride. I thought that I had plenty of time to dillydally around in Tonasket but I definitely paid for it later!
About 6 miles into climbing the 4000' pass I finally took out my map and realized what I had ahead of me and what time this would put me into Twisp. At this point though, there was no turning back. After going through the closest thing to hell that I have experienced on this trip, I decided to treat myself to a motel in Twisp. One redemption point of the night was that the grocery store I stopped at to pick up dinner had $1.99 10" peach pies that were delicious! I consumed half for dinner and half for breakfast. I also had other food as well, including a 1/2 off 2-lbs pre-cooked pork chop!
73.87 miles
5:49.24 hrs
36.6 max
12.6 avg
First off, this day was freakin' cold! Specifically at the end of my trip when I was rolling into Twisp well after sunset. I thought that today's ride was supposed to be downhill at first (13 miles) and then all flat from then on out. Boy, was I mistaken! Little did I know I had a 3100' climb near the end of my ride. I thought that I had plenty of time to dillydally around in Tonasket but I definitely paid for it later!
About 6 miles into climbing the 4000' pass I finally took out my map and realized what I had ahead of me and what time this would put me into Twisp. At this point though, there was no turning back. After going through the closest thing to hell that I have experienced on this trip, I decided to treat myself to a motel in Twisp. One redemption point of the night was that the grocery store I stopped at to pick up dinner had $1.99 10" peach pies that were delicious! I consumed half for dinner and half for breakfast. I also had other food as well, including a 1/2 off 2-lbs pre-cooked pork chop!
Saturday October 10th
At first I was only planning on staying at the fair for one night. It did not take much convincing to get me to stay an extra day! The combination of the need for a days rest, lack of sleep from the previous night and the cold temperatures in the morning made a convincing argument to spend another day with my new found friends.
Day 45 - Friday October 9th
Republic, WA to Okanogan Family Fair (13 miles East of Tanasket)
30.56 miles
2:41.34 hrs
35.8 max
11.3 avg
Not much to say about this day besides that the Okanogan Family Fair came a lot sooner into today's journey than expected. I thought that it was going to be in Tonasket, not 13 miles before Tonasket.
The people at the front gate of the fair liked the fact that I did not use any gas to get to the fair and they therefore waived the $40 camping cover. After locating the crew that I met the previous day, I quickly was assigned the name "Biker Dave". It was fun to spend the night in a fair atmosphere with live music, good food and good company!
30.56 miles
2:41.34 hrs
35.8 max
11.3 avg
Not much to say about this day besides that the Okanogan Family Fair came a lot sooner into today's journey than expected. I thought that it was going to be in Tonasket, not 13 miles before Tonasket.
The people at the front gate of the fair liked the fact that I did not use any gas to get to the fair and they therefore waived the $40 camping cover. After locating the crew that I met the previous day, I quickly was assigned the name "Biker Dave". It was fun to spend the night in a fair atmosphere with live music, good food and good company!
Day 44 - Thursday October 8th
Colville, WA to Republic, WA
61.00 miles
5:27.25 hrs
40.8 max
11.1 avg
Today was a great ride! I had a 5575' mountain that I thoroughly enjoyed climbing. While climbing I lost myself in thought and ascended 3/4 of the mountain, at a good rate, without even realizing it.
3 miles from the top of the climb I ran into a bus that was overheating. Post-inquiry of their troubles and destination, I had a bunch of people to hang out with (camp with) at the "family fair" in Tanasket, WA for the following couple days.
At the end of the day I was graciously granted a room at a local motel for $20. It is amazing how people will open up if you spend the time to converse and befriend them!
61.00 miles
5:27.25 hrs
40.8 max
11.1 avg
Today was a great ride! I had a 5575' mountain that I thoroughly enjoyed climbing. While climbing I lost myself in thought and ascended 3/4 of the mountain, at a good rate, without even realizing it.
3 miles from the top of the climb I ran into a bus that was overheating. Post-inquiry of their troubles and destination, I had a bunch of people to hang out with (camp with) at the "family fair" in Tanasket, WA for the following couple days.
At the end of the day I was graciously granted a room at a local motel for $20. It is amazing how people will open up if you spend the time to converse and befriend them!
Day 43 - Wednesday October 7th
Sandpoint, ID to Colville, WA
110.11 miles
7:33.39 hrs
35.5 max
14.5 avg
With a days rest under my belt, a new wheel, a new chain and a full belly I was ready to take the rest of the trip on with force! I had a few things to take care in town before I left and this lead to a late start, once again. The day was gorgeous and I was not worried about anything! I was heading towards the coast and was only one state away from completing an amazing feat in itself (cycling coast to coast).
I had a connection in Colville, WA from a dear friend and had a long way to to today. Of course with my late start and the recent loss of time via time zone change I had to accept the fact that I would be pulling into my final destination well after dark. It is now dark at 7pm and I was 20 miles, and a 2500 foot climb away from Emily's (friends contact's) house. As I climbed the mountain under the rubber of my tires I was spooked by a sudden ghostly white face looking at me from the ditch of the road. After collecting myself, I realized that the side of the roads were not fenced and there were random cows around many of the corners both in the ditches and on the road. At this point on my accent I was not using a headlight because there were no cars on the road and the stars and moon above were bright enough for me to see the road clearly. After a few of these scares from black cows with white faces, I decided to use my headlamp about half way up the accent.
Once I reached the top of the mountain, I was in awe of the stars and moon. The scenery must have been gorgeous during the day but there was no point in fretting over not seeing it because my experience that night was different than anything else I had seen thus far on the trip. It was so peaceful and meditative to be riding in such conditions. Not that you should meditate while riding a bike, in the cold and dark. If it was not so cold I would have loved to ride like that every night!
I pulled up to Emily's family's house cold, wet and with my legs feeling pretty worn out. It was about 8:30pm and was warmly welcomed by some great people! It was a pleasure to get to know the McBlair family. I appreciated the food and lodging they supplied immensely! They definitely went out of their way whenever they could to make sure I was in a good place. They also supplied me for some more potential connections for the rest of my trip. Many thank yous to the McBlair family!
110.11 miles
7:33.39 hrs
35.5 max
14.5 avg
With a days rest under my belt, a new wheel, a new chain and a full belly I was ready to take the rest of the trip on with force! I had a few things to take care in town before I left and this lead to a late start, once again. The day was gorgeous and I was not worried about anything! I was heading towards the coast and was only one state away from completing an amazing feat in itself (cycling coast to coast).
I had a connection in Colville, WA from a dear friend and had a long way to to today. Of course with my late start and the recent loss of time via time zone change I had to accept the fact that I would be pulling into my final destination well after dark. It is now dark at 7pm and I was 20 miles, and a 2500 foot climb away from Emily's (friends contact's) house. As I climbed the mountain under the rubber of my tires I was spooked by a sudden ghostly white face looking at me from the ditch of the road. After collecting myself, I realized that the side of the roads were not fenced and there were random cows around many of the corners both in the ditches and on the road. At this point on my accent I was not using a headlight because there were no cars on the road and the stars and moon above were bright enough for me to see the road clearly. After a few of these scares from black cows with white faces, I decided to use my headlamp about half way up the accent.
Once I reached the top of the mountain, I was in awe of the stars and moon. The scenery must have been gorgeous during the day but there was no point in fretting over not seeing it because my experience that night was different than anything else I had seen thus far on the trip. It was so peaceful and meditative to be riding in such conditions. Not that you should meditate while riding a bike, in the cold and dark. If it was not so cold I would have loved to ride like that every night!
I pulled up to Emily's family's house cold, wet and with my legs feeling pretty worn out. It was about 8:30pm and was warmly welcomed by some great people! It was a pleasure to get to know the McBlair family. I appreciated the food and lodging they supplied immensely! They definitely went out of their way whenever they could to make sure I was in a good place. They also supplied me for some more potential connections for the rest of my trip. Many thank yous to the McBlair family!
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