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Greg, weather web sites say Grand Coulee, Washington has an average high temperature of 88F in July and in August. 104F is not super rare, but is way above normal. I would cancel the tour if the weather was like today. High of 113F, highest temperature ever recorded in 150 years of records.
2 years agoI sure enjoyed your precious metal mining tour, Wayne. It was a very interesting trip through some country I knew nothing about -- until now.
Yes, I loved biking through the coulee country and I'm sure you will too. I hope you don't get the extreme heat. I experienced 104-degree temperatures both times I cycled through that area, once in July on my Seattle to Mpls. trip and again in August during the Dotted Lines tour. I just assumed that's what they get all the time.
I couldn't expand the loop to the north because of impossibly big mountain climbs between motels. I considered expanding the loop to the south but decided that 3 days of mostly flat irrigated farm valleys would be boring.
2 years agoI pedaled the Columbia river in that area before and liked it a lot. You pedaled a big part of it, too. Greg Garceau's Dotted Lines journal got me interested in the Grand Coulee. Then it became apparent that the Grand Coulee and a bend in the Columbia river form a loop. A 7 day loop is formed. 7 riding days-I'm debating whether to take 1 or 2 rest days. Only the eastern half of the loop is "new". Chelan is the main tourist town so I will stay there mid-week. July 11-18 is the current idea. The upcoming heat wave will be long gone.
This CCCC tour isn't really a theme tour unless desert in the middle of the Evergreen State counts as a theme. I've been thinking about starting a forum thread about theme tours to see what people have done and what people want to do. My next theme might be covered bridges.
What made you come up with this tour? You usually have a theme and I'm not sure what the theme is here, other than, surprise (!), desert in Washington?
Just curious.
It did feel good to successfully conquer the last big climb of the tour.
2 years agoI hope you had a beer, or maybe two, after that giant climb!
2 years agoUnderstood! I completely get it. I’m really enjoying your journal, by the way. I love the areas you’re visiting but it’s been many years since I’ve seen them. Really fun to look over your shoulder as you travel!
2 years agoI didn't intend to sound like I advocate in favor of fire.
But fires and clearcuts really do improve the view.
Incredible picture. You hate to see burned hillsides but it really opens up the vistas.
2 years agoWow! So nice to see this. I lived in Grass Valley for 10 years back in the 1980s and it’s looking much better now! Maybe time to make a return visit. Thanks for the inspiration !
2 years agoAn interesting tour. I’ve never seen any of this country.
2 years ago24 tooth chainring, 34 tooth rear cog, driving a 26-inch diameter wheel.
That works out to 18.3 gear-inches. Way lower than most "stock" recumbents.
Leadville is sort of forested, so it resembles Placerville and Nevada City.
Bisbee is more arid, so it more resembles Virginia City, Nevada.
Virginia City, Tombstone, and Oatman are all excellent places to walk the boardwalks in a desert mining town.
There seem to be more old mining towns in deserts than in forests.
The Burney Falls are very pretty!
2 months ago