Day 15: Naches to Pleasant Valley campground

August 30, 2011

Since yesterday I debated whether or not to stay on the Adventure Cycling route, US 12, which has road construction near the summit at White Pass. I can bypass that section altogether by taking highway 410 which goes northwest, then south to Chinook pass. Highway 410 has less traffic but is longer and the pass is 1000 feet higher. When leaving Naches the sign about 2 hour closures helped me decide.

This convinced me to take highway 410 instead of US 12.

The traffic on highway 410 was probably heavier than usual because many motorists also took that route to avoid the 2 hour closures on US 12. The shoulder was very narrow.

Fortunately highway 410 had very few trucks. At the summit the road goes through Mount Rainier National Park which prohibits trucks.

Naches river and highway 410. Not in the forest yet.

The first 15 miles of highway 410 was mostly populated, an area called the Nile valley. Last winter a huge rockslide buried one section of highway hundreds of feet deep. So for 9 miles the highway traffic is diverted onto smaller Nile Valley road.

Trees become increasingly common as I climbed. The road starts to get shady, but I don't really need shade now. The afternoon temperature was only 72F. 25 degrees cooler than yesterday. I had a northwest headwind all day, but not as strong as it was yesterday evening.

Naches river and highway 410 climbing towards the forest.

Highway 410 has several small resorts. Each resort generally has a cafe and store. So I had breakfast #2 at one resort and lunch at another resort.

I stocked up on groceries because it will be more than 48 hours (with 2 huge mountain climbs) before I see another store or restaurant.

In the direction I'm going it's much more than 52 miles to the next services.

The last 15 miles of today's ride are in tall forest with few river views. The temperature dropped noticeably as I gained elevation and the highway became more shady.

The valley gets steadily narrower and steeper, with frequent basalt cliffs to remind me that I'm climbing back into the volcanic Cascade range.

Several Forest Service campgrounds are along highway 410. I camped at the Pleasant Valley campground. At 3300 feet elevation it's my highest campsite in Washington. The campground has water faucets and pit toilets. $16, mostly vacant.

I arrived at 4:30, giving me time to make a shower before the sun set on the valley.

After sunset the temperature promptly dropped into the 50's, so I made the only campfire of the trip. I might even need to zip the sleeping bag tonight.

Today I pedaled only 45 miles, but it was uphill all day and into the wind for all but the last 10 miles.

I was ready to go back to forested mountains, but unlucky with the weather. I spent several days in hot desert areas during a hot spell, and now I will spend several days high in the mountains during a cold spell.

Distance: 44.9 mi. (72 km)
Climbing: 2178 ft. (660 m)
Average Speed: 8.2 mph (13.1 km/h)

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 722 miles (1,162 km)

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