June 23, 2023
Day 7: Pretty Mellow Day
Orchards and River Views
Today was a pretty mellow day: fifty-six miles and 2,014 feet of climbing. After last night’s mosquito feeding frenzy, there was another feeding at about 4:00 am when we got up to go to the bathroom, but at 6:00 am there were few mosquitos to be found. It was a little cooler, so that might have been the reason - we don’t care what it was. It was just really nice to have coffee, breakfast, and pack up without being frantic.
We set out at 8:00 am for Alta Lake State Park which is situated in the high plains. We left a moist and misty environment on Tuesday and have arrived in an environment that rarely gets precipitation and is desert-like. However, most of our journey today followed the Columbia River which irrigates the fruit bowl of Washington, or so it seems. Cherry, pear, and apple trees populate the valleys and create a stark contrast to the arid landscape. The Columbia River forms in the Canadian Rockies and makes its way to the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia creates a boarder between Oregon and Washington, so we have ridden beside it and over it a few times on previous tours.
The roads were fairly pleasant; we were on Highway 97 and byways all day. The truck traffic was not as bad as yesterday, and there were no flats, direction issues, or food mishaps. Yahoo!
We are not giving too much blood here at Alta Lake. However, we are camping near the horseshoe pit and the group campsite which currently has 75 occupants, so we were told. The beauty of the Washington State Park system is that hiker/bikers are accommodated no matter what. Therefore, when we arrived today and they were filled, they found us a spot. They said they usually put bikers in the group site when it isn’t occupied, so they offered the other spot, by the dump station…We were not having that, and now we are at a shady spot with a picnic table all for 12 bucks! We’ll take it. Thank you Washington State Parks! Tomorrow we head to somewhere between Okanagan and Riverside via the scenic Cascades Highway. We will be riding through Twisp, a town we have stayed at in the past and over the Loop Loop Pass; we have not seen this section and are looking forward to it. This route is a deviation from our deviation, and that is fine with us. We are trying to be fluid; that just means we are doing research at night which can get tiring. I think I have been on technology more than I have wanted to be, especially with this blog. I am a first-time blogger; in the past I have only journaled on paper. Journaling seems to be more for me, and blogging is for everyone else, but I am happy to keep those that are interested and our families that are worried up to date. Being a new blogger, this blog is evolving. I am adding a new section; see below.
Until tomorrow,
Team Bean
Tour Stats
- Cribbage Game Wins: Mike 3, Dawn 1
- Tortillas Eaten: Mike 9, Dawn 2
- Jars of Peanut Butter: 1
- Flats: Dawn 1
- Bike Haters: 1
Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 305 miles (491 km)
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10 months ago