July 21, 2020
Day 4: Colonial Creek Campground to Lone Fir Campground
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OK, this was the big day! We were up at 5:30, ready to quietly prepare our breakfast and get on the road. But our stealth was wasted. The neighbors to our south decided this would be a great time to split firewood. Soon after, another camper set off a car alarm, which squealed for a long time before someone finally disabled it. Rico departed before us, but the latecomers were still either sleeping or pretending to.
The climb from the lake was pretty steep. We hoped that things would mellow out from there.
What followed was actually very nice. However, as the sun rose higher, opportunities for shade diminished. By the time we hit the big climb toward the first summit, we were getting roasted.
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At last, Rainy Pass! Lunch time! The picnic spot was beset by mosquitoes and deer flies. We made the best of it, and didn't linger.
The second climb was even more onerous, but we knew that once we reached Washington Pass, it was all downhill from there. Putting our noses to the grindstone, the pass actually caught us by surprise. Time to celebrate!
We enjoyed the first of several paybacks for the effort we put into climbing. Our campground appeared just as the road started to level out a bit. We kept an eye out for John and Laszlo, but they never showed up. There are more campgrounds between Lone Fir and Winthrop, so hopefully they did well and made their way to one of those sites.
We spent the rest of the day finding ways to stay cool and fighting off the mosquitoes. All things considered, it was a wonderful campground.
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 195 miles (314 km)
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