The pass that wasn’t

June 11, 2021

Today was a tough day. We slept in a little bit because we were tired from climbing Sherman Pass yesterday. We got up to another chilly morning. After packing up camp, we started our ride day at 9:45 am. We had a 5 mile ride to Kettle Falls, stopping at a cafe for breakfast. We started riding after breakfast at 11 am. We had a very nice 12 mile ride to Colville. The ride was mostly along a flat valley road. In Colville we stopped at a sub shop and got lunch to-go to eat on the road. After Colville the climbing began. The elevation profile showed 3 big hills after Colleville and then a gradual increase in elevation until just before Ione, where it drops pretty drastically. We climbed and climbed after Colville for about 6 miles. Then we had a downhill and a gradual up for another 3 miles. Then we hit the second hill which was a 2-3 mile climb. On the final big hill it was another 2 mile climb. At the top of the final climb we stopped to eat our sub sandwiches. Janet said she kept looking for the top of the pass sign. We figured the Washington Dept of Transportation forgot to name the pass. Ross said it was a very unsatisfactory ride because we never reached a goal or milestone. For the day we climbed 3383 feet, which is very close to the amount of climbing we did the day of Loup Loup Pass.

Due to our slow start, cafe breakfast and slow ride because of the climbs, we still had about 30 miles to go at the top of the last hill. We were tired and the weather turned a little bad. There was major clouds and on and off rain. It felt like the sun set at 3:30 and the rest of the ride was in twilight. Luckily we have flashing tail lights so cars can see us. The last 4 miles it was raining on us and we decided that it was a good idea to get a cheap motel room. Ross raced ahead and ordered a pizza before the pizza place closed. We pulled into Ione around 7:15.

Tomorrow we go for Newport. The elevation profile indicates a very flat ride and we are looking forward to some easier riding.

When we got up there were 2 eagles flying around the site. One was an immature eagle and the other was the momma eagle.

Crystal falls at the top of the last climb.

Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 448 miles (721 km)

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