The Cascades

Thursday was our last mountain pass of the trip. I was looking forward to getting over the Cascades and out of the desert. We set out at about 5:45 and rode along the outskirts of Yakima were there was again lots of irrigation. There was a lot of wind which at times was right in our face. 

About 20 miles into our route, we turned onto the road up to White Pass. Thankfully the mountain protected us from the wind or it simply died down. Either way, the wind was not much of a factor for the rest of our 73.75-mile ride. Since the wind didn’t seem very strong, I set out from the first rest stop on my own. I knew we would be climbing for most of the next 30 miles and often it is easier to do that at one’s own pace. That may sound like a long climb but I only dropped down to my smallest chain ring for the last 8 miles. It was a beautiful ride. I rode along creeks, rivers, and lakes. Small waterfalls came down the cliffs and the forest became thicker the closer I got to the top. One of the benefits of seeing the US from a bicycle saddle is there is no roof over one’s head so there is a much wider view of the scenery, especially when some of that scenery is vertical. I also enjoyed the odor of pine and fresh cut lumber when a logging truck passed me going in either direction.

The road had only two lanes but there was usually a decent shoulder. One time I was passed by a semi and several other vehicles, at which point I also heard the very loud sound. I was quite concerned for a split second as I wondered what was bearing down on me, about to run me over until I realized it was a fighter jet. I was unable to see it but others told me they had seen swoop down over a nearby lake.

I was greeted by Tom ringing his cowbell and doing his little dance at the top of White Pass. Lois was standing in her shrinking bit of shade and there was the usual buffet of cliff bars, granola bars, bananas, apples, oranges, bread, peanut butter, honey, jam, chips, raisins, and a various assortment of other energy-giving foods. I had plenty of time to eat as I waited for others to join me. Before heading off for the descent, we took another group photo by the sign to commemorate another mountain conquered. One reaction I received prior to my departure was, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to cross the mountains.” Personally, I was far more concerned about the wind, and after all the miles I’ve ridden, I think I was right. Climbs, no matter how long or difficult, come to an end and gravity takes over. A headwind does not end unless the road turns. I may feel differently had our route going through the higher elevations in the Rockies.

Early in our descent we had to stop for road construction. I was thankful that was on our descent, since we can descend at a much closer rate to the speed of a car than when climbing.  Riding through the one-lane construction zone required almost continual use of the brakes, but after that I cruised to the bottom. The sudden view of the snow-covered Mt. Ranier, did require a stop to get a good picture.

The rest of our ride through a National Forest was helped along by the downhill grade. Our home for the night was in a church on the edge of Packwood, WA, nestled into the woods. It was a beautiful setting. The supper chore team put the provided lasagnas into the oven and heated the place up, but we cooled it off by propping open a door. It is nice to be in a part of the world where there are few mosquitoes and even fewer flies.