Conclusion
Columbia Coulee Chelan Circuit
July 16-23, 2021
8 days
348 miles
557 kilometers
No self-portraits during this solo tour.
No flat tires or other bike problems.
No injuries or illness. Very few insect bites.
No rain or strong wind.
Only 10 miles of narrow unsafe highway north of Soap Lake on day 1.
Main regrets
Not making the detour to the bottom of Dry Falls on day 1.
Turning around before the homestead in Northup Canyon on day 2.
Not making the detour into the Chelan river canyon on day 6.
What would I change?
I don't regret doing an 8 day tour almost entirely in a brown semi-arid landscape. Lately, my touring style is to thoroughly explore a small region rather than rush a long distance across the map.
If I did it again I might expand the northwest part of the route if I felt strong enough for a day with 3800 feet of ascent. From Omak I would go west on WA 20 over Loup Loup pass to Twisp. Then south on WA 153 along the Methow river to rejoin the Columbia river at Pateros. The alternate route has more forested mountains and less desert river canyon, but also much more climbing. For this tour I chose not to do that route because I've pedaled both roads before and it triples the climbing of day 5. And because I wanted to see Chief Joseph dam. I'm lucky that I didn't plan to do Loup Loup pass because it was closed due to a wildfire.
Smoke
No smoke on days 1 and 7.
Minor smoke for a short time in the afternoon on day 2.
Minor smoke early in the day on day 3.
Dense smoke during the morning of days 4 and 5.
Dense smoke at mid-day on days 6 and 8.
Is frequent smoke the new normal for summer bike tours?
High temperatures
87F/30C on day 1
90F/32C on day 2
100F/38C on day 3
102F/39C on day 4
95F/35C on day 5
83F/28C on day 6
84F/29C on day 7
90F/32C on day 8
Getting home
On July 24 I drove 480 miles to get home via the same route as before. Mostly on I-84 and I-5. From the highways I had good views of the four lowest dams on the Columbia river: McNary, John Day, The Dalles, and Bonneville. Traffic was awful getting through Portland, as usual. South of Portland I stopped for a few minutes to explore the historic town of Aurora which was founded as a communal religious settlement.
Overall it was a successful trip. 10 days away from home for an 8-day bike tour. Smoke and heat were challenges, but never got the best of me.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |