Date:
04.07.2018
Altitude:
4507.9 ft (1374 m)
Distance:
60.34 mi (97.10 km)
Total
Altitude: 127145.7 ft (38754 m)
Total
Distance: 4464.63 mi (7185.12 km)
Independence
Day in the USA and the weather was perfect for it. After all these
cold and cloudy days lately, today it was warm and sunny. It was
already quite warm in the morning with the sun shining, this made it
so much easier to get started. I was really getting tired of the bad
weather, I hope it will stay like this for a while now. Even with it
being Independence Day, I was still on the road and continued my trip
to the Pacific. Unfortunately my destination for today is a tiny
town, so there is nothing going on for Independence Day. There is not
even any kind of firework, since fireworks are not allowed in this
area, due to risk of wildfires. At least that way I will have a nice
quiet night. For some Independence Day festivities, I would have had
to stay in Twisp. This was not really an option, because it would
have made tomorrows route way too long, since there are no services
for about 70 miles between Mazama and Marblemount.
Today
I conquered the third pass in as many days. The ascent to Loup Loup
Pass was a lot longer and more challenging than yesterdays climb.
Although the Loup Loup Pass is only 4020 feet (1225m) it was still a
long climb, since I started this morning at an altitude of 950 feet
(290 m). On the route I had about 10 miles before the climb started,
this gave me some time to get into the groove and made it a bit
easier to tackle the uphill. The climb up Loup Loup Pass was tougher
than yesterdays climb up Wauconda Pass. Not only was the ascent
longer but the gradient was also steeper than yesterday. Still I felt
good when I reached the top and got my obligatory picture with the
sign at the top of the pass. I was even joined by a guy on his road
bike for a few miles on the uphill, this gave me some additional
motivation. Without the guy on his road bike, it probably would have
taken me longer to get to the top. On my way from Omak to the top of
Loup Loup Pass, the scenery changed quite a bit. I started the day in
the plains, at the beginning of the ascent I went through apple and
cherry orchards and as I got closer to the top I entered a forest
area. At the top of the pass I also entered Okanogan National Forest.
From the pass I had a nice long downhill to Twisp and with the warm
temperatures this downhill was a lot more enjoyable than the downhill
from Sherman Pass. On the way down the pass, there was a lot of
burned forest. I later learned that there was a devastating wildfire
in this area, four years ago. As I reached Twisp my route for today
was not over yet, I still had 25 miles to go to Mazama. On the way to
Mazama the route didn't stay flat, but instead I had to deal with a
slight increase in altitude. Gaining the altitude today, only means I
have to do less uphill tomorrow. I still have Washington Pass ahead
of me and after that it is almost all downhill to Anacortes. Even
though today was a tough day, I really enjoyed the ride. The weather
was great and the scenery was fantastic and so variable.
Conclusion
for the day:
I'm
happy I didn't had to climb these mountains at the beginning of my
trip.
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