Winthrop, WA

Day 65 (31 July 2014)
Tonasket, WA to Winthrop, WA
Day: 73.26 miles, Trip: 4072.43 miles

I got up early (4 am to be exact). It ended up being myself, Kristen, Richard, Joe and Andy. We rode out of town around 5 am (at first light). It is a lot better riding in the morning than the heat of the day. We stopped for breakfast at McDonalds in Omak (all but Joe). The climb started right after Okanogan and it was a lot steeper than I was expecting. But about halfway up it got better. Duncan found me about 5 miles to the top and refilled my water bottles and gave me a banana. At the top I  met 2 self contained cyclists and chatted with them for awhile before heading down from Loup Loup Pass.

We have been seeing and smelling the smoke for awhile now but when I started heading down from Loup Loup I could really taste it. This is the first stretch where we actually traveled through the burned area and see first hand the destruction. These fires around Twisp and Winthrop are part of the larger Carlton Complex wildfire site. In this area over 300 homes have been destroyed. All day long we have been passing various fire groups from all over that are here to help with the fires. Thanks to the drought that the area is seeing, this is the worst season for wildfires that Washington has ever seen. In addition to the charred areas we could see smoke rising and helicopters flying to the active fire zones.

Tonight we are staying in Winthrop, WA (pop 400) at the Winthrop KOA. When we arrived in town the early riders all stopped by Hwy 20 Pizza for some delicious pizzas and a few beers and back to the KOA for a nap. I didn't really take advantage of the campground amenities. All I used was the shower. I did some napping in the shade and opted against going out. Planning on another early morning to limit my heat exposure again tomorrow.

Tonasket, WA

Day 64 (30 July 2014)
Republic, WA to Tonasket, WA
Day:  44.32 miles, Trip:  3999.17 miles

I was up again at 5 am, packed up quickly and Richard and I were at breakfast at 6 am. We headed back to the same restaurant that we had dinner. This had us on the road by 6:45 and as we road back past camp we saw that a lot of the tents were still standing. It is a short day, but even so, I hate the heat. We rode through the morning and made it to Tonasket, WA (pop 1000) by 10:00 am.

The climb over Wauconda Pass was nothing compared to yesterday and the cooler temps were wonderful. When we reached town we saw Kristen at Shannon's having breakfast. We joined in and this is where I ended up spending almost all of the day. Good food, friendly, and a shady patio. Throw in good wifi and our group collected here. We also swung by a local taco truck for some good authentic tacos.

Another early night want to be on the road by 5 am tomorrow. Another 100° day planned for tomorrow. I want to get as close to the pass as possible to avoid some of the heat. Tonight we are staying in the town park of Tonasket. It has a pool, unfortunately it has no water.

Republic, WA

Day 63 (29 July 2014)
Beaver Creek Lodge, WA to Republic, WA
Day:  83.26 miles, Trip:  3954.85 miles

Surprisingly I was actually up early. I tried being quiet (studying to be a ninja like Richard) but accidentally woke up Kristen. She was shocked that I was getting up at 5 am and exclaimed this loudly. I told her to go back to sleep but she got up to ride with us. We beat the heat, at least until Colville, WA where we had breakfast at the 103 cafe. It proved to be more of a coffee shop, but good enough. It was starting to get really hot. We stopped at a gas station at the bottom of the climb to use the restroom, fill our water bottles and get some powerade.

About 6 miles up we hit the rest stop to fill up bottles and get some snacks. 8 more miles we got to refill again with young (Bethany saw a black bear shortly after passing Young). I had heard something moving in the woods beside me but never saw what it was. Up until this point I was feeling great. About 8 miles to the top of Shermans Pass I really slowed down. It was more the heat than the climb itself. At the top Skylar had fruit for us and everyone hung out in the shade. I decided I would rather ride down and get an early dinner at the restaurant at the bottom.

Richard and Kristen seemed to have the same idea and we rode down together. We timed it perfectly and had very little traffic and an amazing descent. While sitting there we were placing bets on who would be the next one down the mountain and I actually got it right with Eric and Jen. Tonight we are staying at the fairgrounds outside of Republic, WA (pop 1000). It has outlets, showers, bathrooms so we are set. Another early night, getting up even earlier tomorrow.

Beaver Creek Lodge, WA

Day 62 (28 July 2014)
Newport, WA to Beaver Creek Lodge, WA
Day:  67.46 miles, Trip: 3871.59 miles

Breakfast was at the McDonalds again, I was too lazy to go search for something better. I also needed to charge my phone and I knew they would have outlets. I then rode on with Richard and Michelle for the morning. We are getting back into some bigger climbs and high heats. The climbs themselves wouldn't be nearly as bad if it wasn't for the high heat.

We had a final rest stop right before the real climbing began and it was already too hot to be riding (for me). I pushed on anyway with the promise of a lake at the top where we will be camping. And just think this is a small climb compared to the ones that are to come. At the top I reached Beaver Creek Lodge campground. I stripped down and went straight for the water. It felt great. Later I had a big burger and fries and then went down in the water again.

When it started to get later I headed back to our camping sites and set up my hammock to relax and do some reading. The site where we are camped is pretty nice, the facilities though are horrible and in general this place is really run down. Early to bed tonight, I am going to try and get an early start to beat the heat while we ride through the high desert.

Newport, WA

Day 61 (27 July 2014)
Sandpoint, ID to Newport, WA
Day:  38.59 miles, Trip:  3804.13 miles

We started the day late since it is such a short day. We went for breakfast at Connie's which was yet another traditional American breakfast. My legs and butt seemed to realized I was going to make it ride again when I put on cycling shoes and chammies and started to complain. Kristen and I got an early start (11:00) most other people were paddle boarding or jet skiing or window shopping. We found the bike path which took us out of town. The ride was easy and uneventful. It started getting warm so I convinced Kristen into a rest stop at the McDonalds for the wifi and AC. It turns out the McDonalds is right next to the camp.

We had also crossed over into Washington, our last 15th and last state. Well ... we are on the border so we have to cross into Idaho for a few minutes and then back into Washington again in the morning. There was a river (Pend Orielle River) next to camp so some of us decided to jump in. We didn't really swim but got rinsed off and cooled off. Later was time for showers and dinner. We all went together and had salad and grilled meat (or fake meat) on the grills the campground provided. It was great having everybody together for good food and good conversation.

Rest Day: Sandpoint, ID

Day 60 (26 July 2014)
Rest Day: Sandpoint, ID

After the sprinkler incident, I ended up sleeping in until 8, when the tent started getting hot. I managed to be ready in time for breakfast at Di Lunas with the group. This was followed by a tour around town and then back to the gym. Once back I got my 15 minute massage which was wonderful.  The day was mostly spent relaxing. I borrowed Young's hammock and before I knew it Richard was waking me up for dinner. I was then woken up again by someone else after I fell back asleep.

I went to for Italian with Kristen but when we saw the prices we were considering leaving when Caroline and then Larry joined us. So we decided to stay. The food was extremely good but the portion sizes were too small for the price. Larry craftily covered the bill without us noticing until it was too late. Dinner was followed by ice cream and then the 4 of us headed back to the gym. It was a nice rest day of actually resting and taking advantage of the facilities in which were were staying.

Sandpoint, ID

Day 59 (25 July 2014)
Libby, MT to Sandpoint, ID
Day:  98.78 miles, Trip:  3765.54 miles

Today was a big day. We cross into the western time zone, we cross into Idaho (our 14th state) and get onto the last map of the trip.



The day started off with breakfast at Henry's. It is going to be a long day in the mountains and I headed out by myself. It is an amazing ride with lots of opportunities to stop and take pictures. I am feeling great again today so I am making good time even with all the stopping. The first rest stop was along the side of the road. I hung out for awhile before riding on. Riding through even more beautiful scenery. The second rest stop was at the Big Sky Pantry located at the intersection of 56/200. It is a great little shop and had amazing sandwiches. 

Still feeling good I headed out, I saw a couple self contained tourers in Clark Fork, ID so stopped and chatted with them and Andy. They were doing a multi-year tour of the US. The last stop wasn't much further in the town of Hope. We almost missed it but I saw the trailer on the other side of the railroad tracks so we (Kenny, Richard, Andy and myself) climbed over the tracks to the road. From there I rode with Richard the rest of the way into Sandpoint, ID (pop 7,350). We are staying at the Sandpoint West Athletic Club. This place is great and we have access to the gym, the pool, the hot tub, showers, sauna and even a hydra massage.

I was starving so my priorities were:
1. Shower (it had been about a week and now that we are in civilization it was needed)
2. Eat (tried going to the Brick and Barley for pizza but it was an hour wait so we went to the Jalapanoes for mexican food)
3. Hot Tub and swim
4. Shower again

The group split with some sleeping inside the gym and the rest camping. Those of us camping outside were surprised when the sprinklers popped on at around midnight. I saved a few tents and hammocks from getting soaked by putting cones over the sprinkler heads. It was noisy but at least we were no longer getting soaked. The spot next to my tent wasn't even a sprinkler head, I had spotted those, it was just a hole in the hose pointed directly at my rain fly. After the commotion of that (and those coming back from a night of drinking seeing the sprinklers) I got back in bed and back to sleep.