Author: Rich

Panhandle Campground WA to Sandpoint ID It rained all night at the Panhandle Campground.  The four amigos Frank, Gary, Roger, and Bill all arose early, well before 7AM.   I lay there in my cold tent, comfortable in my warm sleeping bag, trying repeatedly to sit up and force on a shirt. By the time I actually emerged, most of their tents were down.  Frank discovered a small flood in his, something to do with puddling in its footprint.  Bill discovered that a rodent had gnawed through a bag during the night and nibbled some of his food. The rains had

Kettle Falls WA to Panhandle Campground WA The campsite here in Kettle Falls turned out to be a good one for a city park.  No late night local games or mischief, and it even had wi-fi service! I heard the train alarm go off twice last night but it hardly woke me, with earplugs in place.  Lkewise, I knew that our team probably put on a small concert of snoring, including me, but the earplugs are the ticket. The gang pulled out early and Jack and I lingered as usual.  We eventually packed up and found a nearby restaurant for

Republic WA to Kettle Falls WA A morning walk around pretty Republic led us to breakfast at a sports bar.  Service was great and they had a 2x2x2-like menu item and good coffee. Then a morning ride through Republic and south to a rails-to-trails path that paralleled the highway for a mile or two.  From there we started the day’s climb of about 3000 feet with little relief.   Despite the comparitively steep grade (about 4-5% on average).  Just have to put your head down, get real patient, and work at it.  I think our legs are getting stronger and we

Riverside WA to Republic WA Splatters of rain last night in Riverside but no big deal.    I was the last to get up and packed this morning.  It was cold and I just didn’t feel like getting out of that warm sleeping bag.   The gang sans Jack and me pulled out, and 30 minutes later we followed. The sixteen miles to the next town, Tonasket, were due north, facing a stiff 20 mph headwind.   It was a slow motion 6 mph process, and even down hills we had to pedal to reach 10 mph.  Two hours of riding to get

Winthrop WA to Riverside WA Despite snoozing in a little bit, Jack and I both got up by 7AM, and cleaned and lubed our bike chains before rolling out of Winthrop this morning.  It was a short 9 mile roll downwind to the town of Twisp, where four of the RA team had spent the night.  Jesse got up extra early from our motel and had already ridden there himself. Everyone had eaten and rolled out, but we did manage to catch Frank on his way out of town.  Jack and I backtracked to the Twisp main street and found

Winthrop WA Boy did that feel good.  Jack and I slept in until almost 9AM, waking up and then lounging.  A little repair for weary muscles. We didn’t hit town until about 11AM and found most places closed for breakfast, but finally located the Duck Brand Restaurant still serving.  Jack and I picked out a choice outside table overlooking Main Street.  Sitting beneath an oak tree, enjoying a hearty breakfast, about 74 degrees out, sun shining – does it get better? Most of the team spent the night at the nearby state park, and we found them all congregated at

Diablo WA to Winthrop WA Note: Please be sure to check out the blogs of other riders on the team.  Think we have enough blogs? Jack’s Blog Jesse’s Blog Frank’s Blog This morning at Colonial Campgrounnd, Jesse sat at a table studying today’s ride plan.  He looked up and commented, “Well, on paper this ride looks impossible.” All seven of us have been aiming for today’s ride for quite a while.  It will take us over two difficult passes of the Cascades.  Additionally, it will take us through the sections of the SR20 highway that were closed due to snow

Rasar State Park WA to Diablo WA When I was scuba diving a lot, I used to rate my dives, but I’ve never tried to rate bicycle rides.  Today’s ride: 10. Starting from camp at Rasar SP, we basically followed the Skagit River valley eastward on SR20.  The skies were atypically clear blue (no rain!) and temperatures already climbing out of the 50s – perfect riding conditions.   Our first stop: Concrete, WA.  Visions of young Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro came to mind (movie: This Boy’s Life) as we pulled first into the Saturday Market and then down the tiny