MONDAY 20 JUNE

Day 5: Riverside - Republic

Distance: 60.4 miles (up Wauconda Pass)


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.