Today was such an amazing day, I don’t really know where to start. Another hot one, so I’m not setting my distance goals too high. But I’m anxious to get there! My goal was Wenatchee, 47 miles away. On my way out of Ephrata, I passed a sign indicating “172 miles to Seattle.” Just one day’s drive, but a little longer for me. I also passed a campground we hadn’t noticed when we came into town yesterday, but honestly, it was just too hot to spend the night in a tent! Our hotel room was comfortably cool. Chuck was snoring away when I shoved off.
The day was sunny and bright, without a cloud in the sky, and I got an early start. The road started out with a mild climb. I began to see lots and lots of apple orchards. Each one had a sign in front of it, indicating the type of apple growing there. I was tempted to run over and grab a few (I was hungry), but thought better of it. The apple orchards just went on and on. The road was very bike friendly here, and there wasn’t much traffic. I passed a factory that smelled awful. I believe they make frozen TV dinners or some such thing. Not quite as bad as a chicken processing plant, but close. I pedaled a little faster to get past it.
Eventually, I came to a town with a McDonald’s, so I stopped for an egg and cheese biscuit and a hashbrown. It was greasy and not very tasty, but I was grateful for something in my tummy. No one spoke to me as I ate, and I noticed everyone working there appeared to be Mexican. I called Chuck and he was happy he didn’t have to eat at McDonald’s with me! I’m not sure what he got for breakfast, but I’m sure it was better than mine. He caught up with me eventually, and went on ahead. The scenery changed drastically at this point. For me, it was the closest thing I’ve seen to the Grand Canyon. I was coming up on the Rock Island Dam, and the sights to my left and right just took my breath away. The picture above shows what I’m talking about. I had no idea this part of Washington looked like this; it was completely unexpected. The grin returned to my face as I hurtled down a huge hill. At this point, I had a huge shoulder, all to myself. It was wonderful. The scenery here was dry and brown, like they hadn’t had rain for a while.
Chuck pulled up next to me, and suggested we find a spot for lunch. We hoisted the bike on the rack, and drove up the road. I had been checking in with our friend, Eric, and he asked where we were. I told him we were at Rock Island, pulling into a golf course (hoping they’d have a restaurant). He wrote back, “Is that what you call this?” I looked over, and there he was next to us in the parking lot! Talk about a road angel!! He joined us for lunch, and insisted on paying. We had a nice chat, and he said he might be able to meet up with us in Seattle. We parted ways. I got on my bike and headed for Wenatchee. For some reason, I made really good time between Rock Island and Wenatchee, and I surprised the heck out of Chuck. I guess he hadn’t expected to see me for another hour or so. He bought me a cold drink and I got going again, but I was getting tired. We received a text message from Eric: “There’s a room for you at a beautiful hotel in Leavenworth. They have 2 pianos, 2 pools, 2 hot tubs and a huge breakfast buffet is included.” I almost fainted. How sweet and amazing of Eric to set that up for us! I rode on to Cashmere, but that was it for me. Chuck drove me the rest of the way to Leavenworth for a well-deserved rest. Leavenworth was absolute heaven. This entry is getting long, so I’ll tell you all about Leavenworth tomorrow, OK?
