To Biggs Junction OR

July 1, 2023

The mariachi music is back on in the campground at 6:20 this morning but doesn't last long. I'm guessing one of the moms shut it down.

This really is a beautiful park. Our timing is just off

We should get going anyway and set a start time record as we pull out of the campsite - 8:00!

So it's disappointing when we get to the market at the top of the hill to top off our water and find that they don't open till 9:00. If I hadn't been so tired yesterday I might have noticed that. Soon a man pulls up in a pickup truck and tells us the store doesn't open till 9:00. I explain that we're just looking for water and ask if he knows anywhere it might be available. He shakes his head and drives off.

Five minutes later he's back with two ice cold bottles. Well that was very nice. The infusion almost fills our 3 liter Camelbacks, should be enough to get us 34 miles to Maryhill, the next water source on the way to Biggs Junction OR. It's still cool out and the wind hasn't picked up yet.

It looks pretty lonely out there. Good time to get going.

The destination today was Goldendale, a longer and harder ride up the mountain on a lower traffic road. The traffic here on WA 14 was light yesterday though and the opportunity to save ourselves an extra 1,000 feet of ascent in the heat is appealing.

So we settle in on the ride. I don't stop for many pictures since there's not much new to see. We are climbing into the hills, the headwind is stronger now and I'm slow as ever. Barry finds it difficult to ride this pace. He takes off now and again, then waits for me to catch up. This willingness to wait is one of his many endearing traits.

Hey look, a farm! The bright red barn is a bit of excitement in the unchanging scene.

With 10 miles to go we get to the hill of the day, a two-mile climb. This one has some entertainment. A group of a dozen touring cyclists are screaming down the road in the other direction, waving and cheering us on. They've just come up a much bigger hill from the other side and are generous with the hooting and fist pumps.

A bend in the road gives us a good look at the hill

"You've got this!" shouts the guy in the back. Thanks buddy!

From the top we get an awesome 200 foot drop to the river at Maryhill. The road goes by Stonehenge, a memorial to the 13 young men of Clickitat County who died in the First World War. The monument is the same size and form as England's famous Stonehenge. It was built under the patronage of Sam Hill, a Quaker pacifist from the county who was inspired by the original in England. After learning that it had been used for human sacrifices to pagan gods he said,"After all our civilization, the flower of humanity still is being sacrificed to the god of war on fields of battle."

Past Stonehenge the riverside orchards of Maryhill spread before us and suddenly we are at a fruit stand. After two days of almost no services other than the very welcome MiniMart in Roosevelt, it's a thrilling oasis, with cold drinks, sweet Rainier cherries and ice cream! Now we just have to get over the bridge to our motel in Biggs Junction.

Not a lot of room for bikes on the US 97 but the cars wait for us.

The wind is whipping up whitecaps on the river. If you squint you might see the dome of Mt Hood ahead.

Biggs Junction is basically a truck stop from the looks of things. All the food offerings are fast here. The Mini Mart actually has some decent sandwiches, good enough for dinner. One of these nights we'll find an actual restaurant again. For tonight we're just happy to be sleeping indoors again, with running water and non-reconstituted food.

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Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 1,172 miles (1,886 km)

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