July 21, 2021
Day 77: Colville, WA to Republic, WA
Sherman Pass
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Climbing Today; 5,039 ft Climbing to Date; 122,704 ft
The folks in the room next to me played the TV all night. I ran the A/C and it mostly drowned out the TV. Waking before the alarm at 03:10, I was anxious to get going. Today was going to be 20 miles of climbing with my loaded bike, and that was going to take me hours of labor - I wanted to do a lot of the work before the sun started cooking. The motel room was nice but very simple, to say the least.
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I rolled down to Kettle Falls and spotted what I thought was a dime on the road - I went back to get it and it was a quarter! Maybe the reason I have found more quarters than dimes on this trip is that my eyesight isn't what it used to be - apparently I have to see something as big as a quarter to think it's a dime. This sign caused me some concern; in addition to bears eating cyclists, out-of-control wildfires blocking our path, wisdom teeth going ballistic, and all the myriad other things that cause difficulty on a cycle tour, now I have to worry about Big Foot?
I rolled across the Columbia River and began the 20-mile ascent to Sherman Pass.
The first 10 miles weren't too difficult, but then the grade steepened. On a heavy bike, it feels like you are riding through molasses. I occasionally glanced at my rear tire to see if it was going flat, cause it felt that way. But it was just the added effort required to move uphill that caused that feeling. Eventually I was spinning along using my 2nd-lowest gear most of the time, running about 4 mph. During the last 8 miles I began to cycle just a mile, then stop and rest a bit while still straddling the bike and eat a bit of a Clif bar, then plod on for another mile. Eventually I made it up, of course, and set Harvey up in preparation for the obligatory summit photo.
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Found Money Update. With the quarter I found today, the "found money" fund stands at $3.16 now. A celebratory coffee is assured at the trip's end - assuming I can complete this trip, that is.
Map Update. As you may recall, there are 153 map panels that comprise this route. We started with panel #153, and as of today I am down to panel #10. After tomorrow I will be complete with panel #8. At that point I will have to go off route and will not be able to count down to panel #1 - or will I?
Doc Update. Doc's a wild man. Today he fought against crazy gusty winds and battled his way to Ellensburg. He is following the I-90 corridor into Seattle, at which point he will invade the city. I expect Seattle to surrender quickly.
My New Plan. I will reach Omak tomorrow, then will divert from the ACA route on Friday. I will head south along highway 97, then west along highway 2 towards Edmonds, a northern suburb community of Seattle. Unfortunately, due to how I have been able to book lodging, I have one longer day with more climbing than I had today. But the rest of the days are "normal" effort days for me. Famous last words?
I haven't had time to get a shower yet, and I need to prepare for tomorrow - an early start as usual is the plan. I climb Wauconda Pass tomorrow. My legs are a little beat from climbing the last 2 days, but they are pretty strong now - I did just cycle across almost the entire U.S. you know. So I will be fine. Good night everyone, usual video snippets follow...
Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 3,899 miles (6,275 km)
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