Day 4 & 5, Winthrop, WA - 92 miles

Today was one really tough day.  We knew it was going to be 91 miles and we knew there was going to be a lot of climbing and we knew it was early in the trip so we hadn't gotten in as good of shape as we would be, but it was tough.  We started out along the (what else) Skagit River along (what else) SR 20. The views of the Cascade Mountains with their peaks in the clouds were beautiful and the chill in the air was refreshing if you were dressed right.  At about mile 20 we started to climb.  It wasn't too bad at first but at mile 30 it was getting old.  At mile 40 it was older still – and it was getting steeper.  But just when we were getting really tired, we looked off to the left and there was the WomanTours trailer with a buffet lunch.  There were no stores and absolutely no place to stop so this was a very welcome sight. 

When we started out again, the sun was coming out, the tops of the mountains were visible, and the view was even more amazing than before.  But we were still climbing.  Because everyone climbs at different speeds, we really got spread out.  It makes it harder for the support crew to keep track of everyone but Cheryl, our SAG driver for the day did a great job.  At mile 53 I saw snow on the side of the road.  What an opportunity!  I made a pile of snowballs, hid behind some bushes at the side of the road and waited. Even though the sun was bright and strong, I was in shorts and a short-sleeved jersey sitting on a pile of snow with my sweat drying so I couldn't wait long.  Instead of pelting fellow riders with what had now become ice-balls (which probably wasn't a very good idea anyway), I stood in the middle of the deserted road and threw them into the air.  At mile 54, we reached the top of Rainy Pass at elevation 4855 feet.  Too bad this wasn't the end of our climb. Washington Pass at mile 60 was our high point for the day at 5477 feet.  Ellen and I rode our bikes an extra mile to the (closed) visitor's center, then hiked about a half mile for a wonderful view of the Cascades and our path down the other side.

After a minor celebration, we donned our coats for the chilly ride down.  What took about 5 hours to go up took about 45 minutes to go down. Then we had another hour of fairly flat riding but into a head wind.  After about 7.5 hours on the bike I pulled into Winthrop, too tired to blog (unlike last night when I just didn't have internet) but in time for dinner.

Today is a rest day meaning it's time to do laundry and clean the bikes.  And do computer stuff.  Check out the photo link at the top of this page for all of my bike photos and the statistics in the right column if you're so inclined.

Tomorrow is a shorter day, just 48 miles, into Omak.  Life is good.