Distance: 50.6 miles (shortcut over the Flowery Trail and Dave's accident)
Packed up camp and set off up Flowery Trail Road from Chewalah to Usk - interested and slightly hesitant as to where this shortcut would take us. It had been recommended by Bob and Herb, two cyclists we met a few days ago, and a number of people in Colville.
On the one hand, as far as distance was concerned, the detour saved us a few miles and it was great to get another Pass in before heading on to flatter pastures on the way through Idaho and Western Montana. However, the gradient was horrendous, much steeper than anything we had experienced so far. Not great after the 4 days of hard climbs we had just endured. (Think the Pass is more gradual coming from East to West). We plodded on and eventually made it to the top.
From the summit we shot down into Usk, had a celebratory ice cream, and shot off towards Newport.
Final destination for the day was Sandpoint but on the way Dave was caught off-guard by a bump in the road in Priest River which jarred his front pannier rack into his spokes causing it to wrap around the front wheel axle. He managed to keep control of the bike but came to an abrupt stop on the other side of the road.
We got off the road and had a look at the damage. It was too bad to cycle on or fix on the spot - the pannier rack had completely bent out of shape and all of the spokes on one side were damaged.
The nearest bike shop was in Sandpoint, 25 miles away, so we tried to hail passing pick-ups for about half an hour to get a lift to Sandpoint. No luck, most of them stopped but weren't going to Sandpoint.
In a moment of desperation Dave jumped up and started waving down an oncoming pick up. Luckily the driver, Rick, was happy to help us out and offered to take us in for the night and accompany us to Sandpoint the following morning to try and get the bikes fixed.
We pulled up to an amazing wooden house on the river where Rick introduced us to his wife Cindi and their dog Oliver. Cindi got us some dinner and we had a few beers and a good chat in the garden before having a well needed shower and a good nights sleep.
Woke up and Dave shot up the road in search of breakfast. Left for Sherman Pass, the final Pass on our journey over the Rockies. Really good climb - fast and steady with well organised breaks.
Reached the summit to find Rangers completing rock-fall prevention work on the cliffs bordering the road. Cars were being let through every 20 minutes. Chatted to Ranger, Brenda, for a bit then she let us through to take photos.
The work meant our side of the road was clear all the way down - no need to worry about passing cars.
We descended into Kettle Falls and Lake Roosevelt. The lake and surrounding area was very scenic. Would have liked to stay longer to explore.
Climbed out of the valley and over to Colville where we had our first junk food for a few days in celebration of finishing the Cascades. McDonald's strawberry milkshakes were incredible and well deserved - great times were had by all. (see picture below).
We met Chip, Ironman completer, outside of McDonald's and talked about some of the local triathlon and cycling events.
Headed from Colville down the 395 to Chewelah, a detour off the ACA Northern Tier Route recommended by Bob and Herb yesterday and a number of locals today as a shortcut. A steeper climb but a few miles shorter.
Rolled into town and met Matt Russell who directed us to the local town park and campsite, $10 again.
Woke up reasonably early and set about packing up camp, cooking breakfast and giving the bikes a well needed clean and general check-up. Met Linda and Jim at the campsite and had a chat about our respective travels and their love of football (soccer as they call it over here). They kindly let us borrow an adjustable spanner to make some adjustments to the bikes.
Made up the distance from Riverside to Tonasket and continued on up Wauconda Pass for most of the day. At our stop off point for lunch in Tonasket we bumped into Bob and Herb, two cyclists making the Transamerica journey from East to West. They had started in Connecticut and joined the Northern Tier through to Washington.
The passes on Route 20 in the Cascades are closed early in the year due to snow which makes crossing from East to West along the Northern Tier hard for those wishing to do so earlier in the year.
Bob is raising money and awareness for Ostomy Awareness - for more information on the condition, Bob's progress and how to donate please visit www.ostomy.org.
The climb up to Wauconda Pass was variable with intermittent steep and gradual uphill gradients. At the time it seemed never-ending.
When we eventually made it to Wauconda we had a nice surprise at Wauconda Cafe and store. Bob and Herb had told us about its perfect position just before the summit - a welcome break on the long and arduous trek up from Tonasket. Owners Neil and Maddie were friendly and helpful, catering especially for cyclists with their menu and food products. Well worth a visit.
We made it to the summit in good time and shot straight down into Republic and our campsite for the night. Ferry Port Fairground, good facilities and a steal at $10 a night.
Sherman Pass, the last of the four passes we encounter in the Cascades, lies in store for tomorrow.
We were rudely awakened early this morning by a tick ticking sound and the intermittent spraying of water on our tents, a rather unusual alarm clock.
In the midst of the confusion we discovered that, whilst setting up in the pitch black, we'd had a bit of a nightmare and erected our tents beside the park sprinkler system. There wasn't much we could do so we tried to get back to sleep and eventually the sprinklers shut off.
In the morning we headed into Twisp to do some Laundry and have a spot of breakfast at one of the local cafés before setting off up Loup Loup pass. It was a good climb but a lot hotter, more consistent gradient-wise and shorter than Washington.
After a hot climb we were met by a treat at the top in the form of a Milky Way bar and met mountain biker Glen who worked for highway maintenance. He gave us some insight into the local roads and bike routes in the area.
Another great descent - steeper and faster than Washington.
Cycled over to Omak where we met Chay, ex-roadie for Ozzy Osbourne.., who doused us in copious amounts of mosquito spray and gave us some advice on camping. We found out why that night when we were eaten alive by thousands of bee sized mosquitos.
Ended up in Riverside rather than Taskonet due to setting off late but will make up the ground tomorrow on the way to Republic.
Distance: 73.9 miles (up and down some serious hills)
Woke to the sound of the pitter patter of rain on our tents and had an enjoyable time packing up camp for the first time in the wet. The view out over the mountains made up for it and we were soon loaded up and ready to go.
We headed down to pick up some water from the toilets at the scenic viewpoint we had camped near the night before only to find a simple drop and no sink. Fortunately, while discussing our predicament (we would have to cycle a mile or two back down the mountain to the nearest campsite), we were overheard by a passing visitor. He kindly showed us to his truck where he opened a cooler full of ice cold water bottles he hadn't used on his trip. Literally a life saver.
It rained all day. All the way up the 30+ miles to the summit of the Rainy (adeptly named) and Washington passes. It certainly was an experience. Several hours of gradual climbs in full waterproof gear. At some points the rain had begun to form rivers down the road.
At around 5,000 feet the rain tapered off and snow began to appear at the side of the road, at points over a metre high on both sides, and the temperature began to drop significantly.
The final push up to the summit was breathtaking, in more than one way, leaving us in a state of euphoria when we finally reached the green sign indicating the peak of the Pass.
We stopped to change into some warmer clothes for the descent (ended up wearing socks over my completely drenched cycling gloves) and descended at speeds up to 41mph for 35 miles down to Mazama.
We arrived in Twisp at 9pm to find our target camp site was under maintenance. It had been a long day so we flagged down a passing car to ask for directions to a possible alternative. It was occupied by a few high school kids, including Farley, who offered to pick up his truck and take us to the local park where we found solace on a patch of grass behind the local swimming pool where we set up camp. Special thanks to Farley for going so far out of his way to help us find a place to stay.
Our first morning of camping brought the harsh realities of the trip to life. Sleeping in a tent was not only sweaty and uncomfortable but we also had to deal with waking up hungry, needing the toilet in the middle of the night and hayfever so bad I looked like a zombie out of 28 days later. However, we soon shrugged this off, packed up camp for the first time, and continued towards the ever-towering Rockies.
The scenery was amazing. Thick evergreen forests lined both sides of the road and the snow capped Rockies were a constant reminder of the hard days of ascent we had ahead. We came across some lung-bursting climbs but we anticipate these are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
We decided against pushing on over Washington Pass that night and having passed all of the campsites before the climb decided to try and find a place to camp on the side of the road. We ended up pushing through some trees next to a scenic viewpoint to find a small clearing completely secluded from the road and with one side facing out across the mountains. It really was spectacular.
Loaded all the kit into panniers and attached to the bikes. Ate breakfast and checked out of the Anaco Inn.
Cycled from Anacortes town centre over to the start point at the San Juan ferry terminal. Took the archetypal back wheel in the Pacific photo and started off on our journey. Stopped for lunch on the way back and met Dutch, the eccentric patriotic ex militant, who told us tales of feeding drug dealers to the local crabs and how 'he doesn't put up with any shit on his island'.
Our journey took us to the foothills of the Rockies to a small town called Rockport and a picturesque campsite on the shores of the River Skagit. We met Mark from Marysville, a local electrician and amateur fisherman. He showed us his boat and kindly set us up with some Powerade and equipment we had forgotten.
Had fun setting up camp for the first time. Dave on the tents and me on the cooking. All in all a wonderful start to the trip.
Day of prep in Anacortes. Early start for continental breakfast buffet. Assembled the bikes. Both in good condition apart from some minor adjustments to brakes and front derailleur.
Headed over to Skagit Cycle to pick up a few bits and bobs for the bikes. Had a good chat with mechanic Andy about the local area and our route over the Cascades and out of Washington.
Went down to the offices of the Anacortes American to see if they wanted to cover our story. Took a picture of us and said they would look at posting it to their blog. Would be cool if they did, first local news story.
Did a bit of sightseeing in Anacortes. First taste of Taco Bell. Burritos with chips - surprised when they handed us a bag of Doritos each. Went down to the local marina before heading back to the motel. Saw some nice yachts.
Flight was great. Extra portions from the air hostesses were appreciated. No hold ups at customs. Shuttle up to Anacortes, a scenic coastal town in Northwest Washington. Met a few characters, clueless Mario at the airport, Kevin the jovial bus driver and enthusiastic fans and fellow passengers Cherie and Donna on the shuttle from Tacoma Airport.
Dropped our kit in the rooms and went off to explore the local area. Got as far as the first block before we spotted the Anchor Inn. Had to test the Love Actually 'British guy in America' theory... Back in bed asleep by ten.
Packed up camp and set off up Flowery Trail Road from Chewalah to Usk - interested and slightly hesitant as to where this shortcut would take us. It had been recommended by Bob and Herb, two cyclists we met a few days ago, and a number of people in Colville.
On the one hand, as far as distance was concerned, the detour saved us a few miles and it was great to get another Pass in before heading on to flatter pastures on the way through Idaho and Western Montana. However, the gradient was horrendous, much steeper than anything we had experienced so far. Not great after the 4 days of hard climbs we had just endured. (Think the Pass is more gradual coming from East to West). We plodded on and eventually made it to the top.
