I rode out of Bellingham on a dreary, overcast day around 3:00pm. Late, I know. It was a big day for me because I finally got to turn East! For the first time in 800 miles, I was riding toward my final destination. I made it as far as Concrete WA that night. I stayed at the airport on the recommendation of Mr. Myers in the pilot lounge but what started as an overnight stay turned into a three-night party because I met some very cool people who let me stay in their hanger. I passed the time looking at all of the great airplanes based there and helping my new pal Preston work on his 'Rat-rod.' It was pretty great. There was even a cub fly-in on my last day, complete with a STOL competition. Planes!!
So three days later the weather was finally clearing up which was great, as I really wanted a nice day to ride over the pass. I figured if I'm going to go to all that work, I might as well get some good views of the Mts out of it. And it was worth the wait! The scenery crossing the North Cascades was absolutely incredible! It was a slow and difficult ride going up, but honestly, I was expecting it to be worse. Maybe its just my awesome bike, but I was able to throw it in a low gear and chug over the top without too much huffing and puffing. Here are some of the best pics from the pass: (there are more on my photobucket site: http://s1113.photobucket.com/albums/k503/Gregasus/)
It was a great ride; I even met some other cyclists at an observation point and they gave me a PB and J sandwich, some strawberries and trail mix. And flying down the back side of those Mountains felt good...real good. I hardly had to pedal for 20 miles. The scenery changed pretty dramatically as I entered Eastern WA, and it felt good to be back in the east side. Nice and hot, beautiful sunny skies. I was pretty sick of the rain and clouds that are so common in the western half of the state. I spent the night in Winthrop, then left early the next morning for the 105 miles ride to Wenatchee.
And here I am in Wenatchee. Good old Wenatchee. Its been two weeks and two days since I arrived-- What have I been doing this entire time? Nothing! Well, not exactly nothing. There's been a great deal of laying around, usually by a pool and usually with a beer not more than an arms length away. I've also spent a great deal of time hanging out in coffee shops and the new brewery. Its been GREAT!! Seriously, very relaxing and I've really enjoyed hanging with my old Wenatchee friends and of course the family. But here I am again, spending far more time being lazy and comfortable than riding a bicycle across the country. Ive lost track of the number of times I've said to myself "I'll leave tomorrow" only to push it back another day or two or three. But seriously, I'll leave tomorrow. You wait and see, tomorrow is the big day.
or maybe the day after...
The complete Photo collection here: http://s1113.photobucket.com/albums/k503/Gregasus/
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