Day 82: Cashmere, WA to Skykomish, WA

July 26, 2021

Stevens Pass

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Steve Henry Bud….what gorgeous scenery today! I think Washington state is almost the best yet. What state do you like best? Skynomish looks like a really nice Mayberry sort of town. Hope the food is good at the cafe! Over ‘n out for now!!!!!
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2 years ago

Climbing Today; 4,175 ft Climbing to Date; 133,348 ft

I don't know why, but 03:15 felt early this morning. I was moving slow and didn't get out the door and start rolling until 04:10; so sue me for a late start, it is what it is. Today I'm rolling on Highway 2 up and over Stevens Pass to the town of Skykomish. In the very early morning Highway 2 was a pleasant ride.

Today I climb for 47 miles and then descend for 16. Most of the climb consists of shallow grades, but there are some 5-6% slopes in a couple of sections about 3 miles long each. So nothing horrific, just a lot of steady hard work to get my heavily loaded bike over the pass. Child's play. I had a croissant, bit of apple fritter, and an instant hot chocolate for breakfast in my hotel room, and it seems to have evaporated rather quickly as I rolled up highway 2. So I stopped on the outskirts of Leavenworth and got a breakfast sandwich, and I took a small bite of this every 2-3 miles to give me some sustained energy.

Leavenworth Models Itself On A Mock Bavarian Theme

I saw very little wildlife today; in fact, a flock of geese and a chipmunk may have been all I saw. The scenery was beautiful and rugged, but the Highway 2 corridor is heavily traveled and has a lot of tourist activity, so I suspect most wildlife has moved elsewhere. I can definitely tell a big difference in Highway 2 and Highway 20 (the planned route that was blocked by the forest fire road closure).

The Wenatchee River In The Early Morning

It did take a sustained effort to crest the pass, and it was almost 8 hours after I left this morning that I was posing for the glory photo.

Stevens Pass Is My 4th and Final Pass In The Cascades

I was hoping for lunch somewhere near the pass, but no such luck. Google maps confirmed that the nearest "real" cafe was in Skykomish. It was all downhill to Skykomish, so I decided to boogie on down in pursuit of some fuel - I was feeling pretty empty. I had been warned that the shoulder disappeared some distance down from the pass, so I was prepared to push hard and get through any bad sections. The shoulder did disappear and that made for uncomfortable riding at times, but it only lasted a wee bit and soon I was cruising into Skykomish in pursuit of lunch. The Cascadia Cafe was attached to the Cascadia Inn, and I recognized the voice of the gentleman serving me as being the same voice I had reserved a room with recently on the phone.

After lunch I wandered around town a bit to give the limited staff time to shut down the cafe and prepare to check me into the hotel. The hotel is old and simple, but quite adequate for my needs. I have a room, the shared baths are down the hall and there are plenty, and my bike is inside in a downstairs room. I got a sandwich at a deli for dinner, and bought a croissant and brownie and juice for breakfast tomorrow. I'm all prepared to roll, I just need to review where I'm going tomorrow and how I'm getting there. The hard work is done and the final days of this journey should be rather straightforward; but you never know.

Good night folks. I'm pretty sure I will sleep well tonight, I wish the same for you. Over and out...

Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 4,133 miles (6,651 km)

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