June 21, 2023
Day 5: A 180!
No traffic, No Navigation Issues, Pure Pleasure
Today was so different than yesterday. We followed the Snoqualmie Trail from North Bend and then onto the Palouse Cascade Trail. These were actually trails! Forty-five miles of dirt, good dirt! It was a little soggy, but not bad. We left the motel at about 8:30 and stopped at a grocery for supplies before heading out on the trail. Navigation was pretty much nonexistent because the trail was well marked and pretty remote. The Palouse Cascade Trail is a 250 mile traverse from Washington into Idaho. It was formerly the Milwaukee Railroad that extended from Milwaukee to Seattle, but now is a rail to trail that connects parks and forest lands across the state of Washington. It is pretty amazing. There were even several primitive campgrounds, which we previously planned to stay at last night, but you know how that went.
We made it to Easton Lake Campground which is off the trail; this state park has a hiker/biker site which affords us a place even if the campsite is full, for a small fee. We are camping for twelve bucks! This was a nice surprise monetarily, especially after staying in an impromptu hotel last night.
The highlights of the day were nature, serenity and the two mile-long tunnel! We needed our lights for this tunnel; it was pitch black and a little chilly, too.
Tomorrow we continue on the Palouse Cascade trail for fifteen miles and then get on roads for our final destination of Wenatchee Confluence Sate Park. It is going to be a long day, so we are starting early; it is probably a seventy-five mile day, but navigation should not be too bad, it is not raining, and there isn’t too much dirt to slow us down.
We have deviated from our route quite a bit, but we are good with that as we have seen some of the places on a previous tour already. So, new places it is!
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 172 miles (277 km)
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