Day Fifty-two

Only rode about 44 miles today, due to the heat. It’s just stifling. I went from Ritzville to Moses Lake. But let me backtrack a little, because I have to tell you about Ritzville. We will definitely be back. It looks kind of desolate, smack dab in the middle of the wheat fields, but it’s a nice little town. The owner of the motel was very nice and he recommended Casuela’s Grill for dinner. We can’t thank him enough for that recommendation!

It didn’t look like much from the outside, and it was nothing fancy on the inside, but right from the beginning we knew we were in for a treat. The tortilla chips they set in front of us were homemade. I asked if we could have some guacamole, and that was fresh too. I wanted to order something I’ve never had, so I asked for a spicy shrimp dish that came with tortillas. It was so good, I looked over at Chuck and we both had tears in our eyes. This was a great reward for biking hard into the wind! We celebrated with a couple of tequila shots (something we never do); they had a tequila list with about 15 choices, so we just had to try… We were so impressed with the place, we made a pact that if it were ever possible financially, we would bring our family and friends out to Ritzville and take them to this amazing restaurant.

Anyway, back to today. Riding out of Ritzville on 261, I saw a sign with the four words bikers dread: “Fresh Oil, Loose Rock”. This was where I should have headed west, as our friend Eric suggested, but I wanted to ride the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (Google Map directions had suggested it), so I headed south, towards Ralston. The picture shown above gives you a pretty good idea of the scenery on this ride. It’s pretty flat and pretty boring. The condition of the road actually wasn’t bad, and the oil didn’t stick to my tires, so I was happy for that. I got an early start, so it was relatively cool and the traffic was minimal. I made a few phone calls along the way, to my mom and my grandparents, to tell them how excited I was to be getting closer to Seattle. I made it to Ralston, and found the Pioneer Trail. There was absolutely no way I would be able to ride on it. It was just too rough. I can’t believe Google Maps had told me it was a bike route! Well, they do claim that their bike directions are “beta”. Even if I had the hybrid with me, I couldn’t have ridden it. Maybe, just maybe, a horse could make it on that path.

Luckily, there was a paved road that ran alongside it, and it would take me to Lind, where I was meeting Chuck. It was a nice ride. It’s funny, but I didn’t mind riding through these wheat fields, since I knew I was getting close to Seattle. The endless corn fields I rode through in the Midwest nearly drove me insane at times. Well…maybe not insane, but a little crazy anyway. I got to Lind and Chuck was already there. He had taken the highway, while I was riding the back roads. The lunch choices were few and far between. We ended up at Slim’s Bar and Grill, and it was just awful. This was the last straw for us as far as bad food went. We had definitely had our fill. Luckily, some better food was waiting for us in Moses Lake.

We parted ways once again and I took the Lind-Warden Road to Route 17. This time heading north (away from the John Wayne Trail). It was hot, but I tried to keep my speed up to get it over as quickly as possible. Funny how even in that heat, I had to keep reminding myself to drink my water. I definitely felt better when I did. Moses Lake was huge, very touristy, but not much in the way of campgrounds, so we went looking for another cheap motel. We found one, eventually, called the Interstate Inn. It promised a pool on their sign, but it was closed. The room was OK, nothing special, but it was a bed and a shower, so we were grateful. We unloaded our bags, stashed the bike in the room, and headed to the Marriott on the lake to get a drink and some food. It was nice, the view was great, and we were able to relax. I told the chef we were headed to Seattle, and he recommended some different varieties of oysters I should try. That was a help, since I’m pretty clueless when it comes to oysters. I just know I like them! The bartender recommended a place to hear some live music, but we couldn’t find it. We ended up stumbling upon a performance by an Elvis impersonator (who apparently performs every week and is VERY popular in Moses Lake). Chuck couldn’t take too much of it, so we went back to the hotel and went to sleep.

Day Fifty-one

Not a bad night. The purple martins did a good job of keeping the mosquitos away (that’s martins, not martinis). The campground had a small café and they opened for breakfast at 6:30. We were there, ready to eat, at exactly 6:30. The woman at the shop said people weren’t usually there that early, so things weren’t quite ready, but she did her best to scurry around and make us some pancakes and a couple of eggs. I enjoy these breakfasts, but it doesn’t do much for my riding. I do a lot better when I have a Clif bar or a Fiber One bar, get on the road for a while, and then have a big breakfast later on.

I started down the road and had to ride for quite a while to get back on the main road. That was Route 290 and it was a little bumpy, but not bad. I headed west towards Spokane Valley. I was looking forward to riding the bike path there. I tried to stick to my directions to find the bike path, but a road was closed and it was not clear which way I was supposed to go. I ended up wandering around the neighborhood, trying to keep heading west and hoping I would stumble across the bike path. Eventually, I did. I’m always thrilled to ride on a bike path, especially after getting lost and riding on poorly maintained main roads. This one was lovely and followed the Spokane River. Lots of people on boats, enjoying the beautiful weather. It was one of those times I really wished Chuck was with me to enjoy it.

I rode into Spokane, and it was a very nice city that I would love to explore someday. Perhaps our new friend, Eric, would be willing to give us a tour. Chuck met up with me in the city for a moment and I tried to persuade him to stop at a piano bar, but he wanted to head west. We tried to find the entrance to another portion of the bike path, but after driving back and forth several times, we gave up, and I stuck to riding the roads.

I rode into Cheney, our lunch stop. We found a place that looked promising, called Immix. They called themselves a fusion restaurant. We were a little too early for lunch, so we found a coffee shop with wifi and hung out there for a bit. We headed back to the restaurant, which was just across the street, and sat at the bar. The bartender was nice enough, but I got a really weird vibe from the place. We ordered the fish tacos, my first ever. They were OK, but didn’t knock my socks off. The bartender told us that his dad had a bike shop down the street, and I was hoping to find some more Shot Bloks. They’re my new favorite way to get electrolytes while I’m riding. They’re like candy, and I guess they’re good for you!

We walked down to the bike shop and there was a closed sign on the door, but he opened up when he saw us in the driveway. He was an interesting guy. The shop was actually a combination bike shop/guitar shop. He had a few animals there, too! A dilapidated crow that he had rescued, a parrot, two cats and an overprotective dog. Unfortunately, he did not sell the Shot Bloks, so we moved on.

I rode out of Cheney, but the wind was very strong. I was heading toward Sprague and the sky looked ominous. Kind of the yellowish, brown color it gets before a hurricane hits. Turns out it was dust, and it would not have been safe for me to ride in it. Apparently the dust was stirred up by the farmers harvesting their wheat (or just turning the soil over – we’re not sure). We tried to find a place to stay in Sprague, but the pickings were pretty slim, so we went on to Ritzville. We found a clean, cheap motel and the owner gave us a discount. He also recommended a Mexican restaurant, which I’ll have to tell you about tomorrow, since I’m exhausted. Good night, Ritzville!