Date:
02.07.2018
Altitude:
4665.4 ft (1422 m)
Distance:
43.71 mi (70.35 km)
Total
Altitude: 120660.7 ft (36503 m)
Total
Distance: 4335.17 mi (6976.77 km)
Second
day in July and only four days left until I will reach the Pacific.
Today I conquered the first of four major mountain passes in
Washington. The route itself from Kettle Falls to Republic was quite
short but with the long ascent to Sherman Pass made it still a
challenging day. The weather didn't help either. Although the sun was
shining in the morning, clouds moved in soon after I started on my
route for today. It was also raining every once in a while. Without
the sun, with the wind and with the rain it was really cold on the
bike, especially on the descent from Sherman Pass down to Republic. I
wouldn't have expected such cold days in July.
I
started the day with a great breakfast at a small Diner near Kettle
Falls. The breakfast was really good and plenty, perfect for what was
lying ahead of me. After breakfast I had a few miles to get going
before the ascent to Sherman Pass started. From Kettle Falls, the
route went down to Roosevelt Lake and almost instantly after the Lake
the 23 mile long ascent started. From the Lake to the top of Sherman
Pass I had to gain about 4200 feet in altitude. This is the first
time on my trip I had to deal with such a long climb and it was tough
with the heavy bike. Fortunately the gradient stayed moderate, so
that it was still manageable. There was quite a bit of traffic going
up and down Sherman Pass, including logging and mining trucks. But
most of them were respectful, moving half or even more out of their
lane, whenever possible, to give me space. So the ride uphill was
quite nice and I was actually pretty happy that it wasn't so warm, at
least until it started raining. The road went for most of the way,
through Colville National Forest. So it was again a fantastic
scenery to be riding in, it would have been even nicer with some sun.
After I reached the top of Sherman Pass, it was almost entirely
downhill from there on, to Republic. Normally I really enjoy going
downhill, but with the low temperatures and the rain I was freezing
on the way down. Just before Republic I was able to leave the road
and traffic and use a nice bike path through the wood. In Republic I
found a really nice Motel and was able to get the last room there.
After warming up in the Motel, I enjoyed a few beers at the local
brewery. A great end to the day.
Conclusion
for the day:
Today
could have been so much easier, without all that stuff on the bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment