Once again, it was a good day. Leaving Republic, I had about a 13-mile ascent to Wauconda Pass, but the climb didn't start in earnest until about three miles from the peak. The rest of the day was basically coasting and riding the brakes. (I adjusted them before leaving the motel this morning, and they worked much better).
I guess having more efficient brakes has a positive psychological effect, because I really enjoyed the downhill stretches today, especially the steeper ones. There were several long & twisty descents, with some of them in the 6-7% range. Every time I came to one, I wondered "How low am I going to go?" As it turned out I dropped over 3,200 feet from today's summit to the town of Tonasket - that made for very easy riding.
Optical illusion - to me this looked like I was going downhill when actually it was about a 1% climb.
This descent was also before Wauconda Pass. The final 3-mile ascent started at the bottom of this hill. It was around this point that I noticed the trees were getting sparser and that it was becoming more arid.
Starting the long downhill from the pass. It seemed to go on forever. The lack of traffic meant that I could claim the middle of the lane and let it go.
Who beamed me to the southwest? This was the beginning of a very steep descent into Tonasket. Just beyond the curve, there was a pull-off area for trucks to do a mandatory brake check. As I entered town, I saw why - the road ended at a busy intersection at the very bottom of the hill.
As I entered Tonasket, I visited the U.S. Armed forces Legacy Memorial. It is a very nicely done tribute the local citizens who served in the military. Besides the memorial, there was also a small museum / reference library on the site.
