PacNorWe: Land of Crushed Souls, Wheat, and Jack's Relatives

Adventure Day 18
Hood River, OR > Roosevelt, WA

We awoke to the smell of blueberry pancakes, pineapple and instant coffee. Our hosts, the owners of Mountain View Cycles, graciously cooked us a regal morning feast suitable for King David. We ended up leaving at a leisurely 10 o' clock, in 95 degree heat. What would come later we could have never prepared for...
A roaring tailwind pushed us all the way to The Dalles. Our spirits high, we thought the day would be a breeze. Little did we know that Washington winds blow the opposite direction. As soon as we crossed the the mighty Columbia River, the Evergreen State did us in. We jokingly referenced the increasing mile markers as thermometers, but it was all too real. 105. 106. 107... 113! Our blood congealing, we stopped frequently, seeking shade, to enjoy the sun tea brewing in our bottles. Sixty-five miles into the day, we stopped at a roadside farmhouse to cool down and fill up on water. The whole family, including Oma and Opa, came out to assist in hosing us down to finish the longest 20 miles of our lives. The allure of popsicles at a mini-mart in Roosevelt almost had us salivating, but that would have required moisture in our bodies. To our travelers' great disappointment, the store had closed an hour before our arrival. Forlorn, Ryland and Lorenzo retreated to the nearby campground. Matt went in search of the store manager in a town of less than a hundred people. He found something better: a kind man in a trailer with an ice cold Keystone Light. Say what you want about that beer, but in that moment it was the best tasting beer this side of the Milky Way. A thunderstorm greeted us for dinner, dropping sparse, delightfully cool raindrops. The threat seemingly gone, Matt and Lorenzo fell asleep on the grass. Three hours later, water cannons emerged from the grass, drenching everything in a 50 foot radius including Matt, Lorenzo and the inside of Gabriel's tent. Ryland remained unfazed with his rainfly in full effect.

Personal Exploration Day 19
Roosevelt, WA > Pasco, WA

Day two of extreme heat was upon us. The first fifty miles were barren wasteland following the reservoir of the Colombia up the Gorge. Small stands of trees crowded around the few spots of moisture feeding into the river, though human encampments were sparse. Turning onto Plymouth Road, a steady uphill, headwind, and rising temperature made progress slow and miserable. Ten miles later, sweat flowing freely from their brows, the intrepid cyclists rested at a small house. Though no answer was given to a knock on the door, as they were leaving after a half-hour's respite, Ryland espied a figure in the window staring out at the tight-britched travelers. The going was all downhill from there, and they glided peacefully down into the three cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and that other one which nobody cares about. Seeking refuge from the sun, they alighted at a small deli, which looked outwardly promising but soon gave way to comical disappointment. The waitress apologized for the wait, and explained lackadaisically that the cook had been at that establishment only 2 weeks, and "hadn't really been in a kitchen before."

Our travelers' hunger marginally sated, they proceeded to the nearest bike shop, which happened to be Markee's Cycling Center. On the way, Ryland's newly-purchased pannier bag, not yet two days old, broke off and fell on the road. While Jerry Markee didn't have a touring bag, he did have an entire machine shop located behind the establishment, containing three Nascar race cars and a dozen motorbikes. In short order, he fabricated a new clip from scratch for Ryland's bruised and battered Ortlieb, warrantied a tire for Matt, exchanged a seatpost clamp for Lorenzo, and gave them all some free tubes and bars.

Stay tuned to the blog to read more about the adventures in upcoming posts.