We’re 4 days and 410 miles in. The wind out of the west – and being near sea level – have gotten us off to a good start. Bob and I are camping at the Lewis and Clark Trail campgrounds tonight near Walla Walla, which reminds me of bugs bunny cartoons every time I say it.
That was me cleaning up my drivetrain earlier. It s very close to dark now, and Bob has just started a camp fire.
Last night we crossed into Washington state and stayed in Plymouth. Here’s a photo just before I went to bed and the sprinkler system starting spraying the tent:
The mileage was pleasantly less than I thought, as the planned route involved backtracking to get around the interstate – instead Bob just drove me back to the previous day’s stopping point.
Tomorrow we go to Clarkston/Lewiston on the Idaho border, which should be the easiest day so far (~75 miles w/ 1 rist canyon’s worth of climbing, my personal unit of measurement). We had planned to take a rest day there, but the weather forecast shows a storm coming in early next week. So we’re adjusting, and will try to push through and get over the continental divide by the weekend. I’m looking forward to the switch to shorter mileage/climbing – different muscles and less sitting. We should end up in Missoula, before the storm, which should be a good place to weather it.
The people we’ve ran into have been very kind (well, except for the guy who told me to get the fuck off the road when I stopped to look at the map). Yesterday Bob’s dog needed some heartworm meds, which required an exam, and the techs at The Dalles Vet Hospital were able to switch some things around to quickly get her in (thanks Hailey and Lisa!). Today we stopped at the Laht Neppur brewery in Waitsburg, where I enjoyed a very good IPA (the ice water was also very good), and the folks there seemed excited for our trip and the fundraiser.
Now it is almost completely dark – so time for bed. Good night!
