Day Fifty-five

Ahhh...Leavenworth. One of the wonderful things about not researching what's ahead of you is the surprise and thrill of it all! There's so many wonderful places out there, and Chuck and I had never heard of Leavenworth (chances are, you haven't either). Eric sent me a text message that there was a room waiting for us at the Enzian Inn. We were breathless as we drove into Leavenworth. It was so beautiful and scenic, designed like a Bavarian village. The mountains rose up dramatically beyond the town, framing it with their majesty. We pulled in to the hotel, and I knew I would love it. The place was so elegant, with an incredibly beautiful grand piano in the lobby (Chuck would finally be able to play!) and a pool and hot tub just outside the doors.

We checked in and they gave us a gorgeous room just beyond the lobby. They told us about the 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, adults-only swim time, the golf course, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and the Alphorn performance on the deck in the morning (pictured above). I wanted to take it ALL in. We got ourselves settled and went out to explore the town. So many beautiful little shops and places for wine tastings! We stopped at a music box shop that was incredible, but I couldn't stay there too long. Kinda noisy. We discovered that the giant metal plates used for many of their intricate music boxes were made in Randolph, Vermont!

We wandered around, sampling wines and looking at the shops, and made our way to the Munchen Haus - absolute heaven! They had something I thought I'd never find in my life: a vegetarian bratwurst. It was so yummy, I want one now! I also had a warm, freshly made pretzel and a dark German beer. I couldn't get the smile off my face if I tried. Some musicians started playing in front of us and we settled in to enjoy it. We were both tired and wanted to spend some time at the hotel, so we didn't stay too long, but it was really nice. We went back to the hotel and I went for a quick swim in the pool. A talented lady was playing the piano in the lobby and we hung out for a while, telling our story and then Chuck did a little duet with her! I wish I had a video of it. She was such a sweetheart. Later on, we made our way down to the HUGE indoor pool for the adult-only swim, but Chuck's not into swimming that much so we didn't stay long. We noticed a ping-pong table, so we played a few games. Like I said, I wanted to try everything!

Day Fifty-four

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?

Day Fifty-three

Anxious to get to Seattle, we got up and got ready at the crack of dawn. The ever-present Perkins Restaurant & Bakery was right next to the motel, so we stumbled over. I had what most normal people have for breakfast: eggs and homefries. Chuck had one of his most favorite things in the world: apple pie. Yes, folks…he’s weird. The waitress didn’t seem too surprised by his order, so I guess there’s other people out there eating pie for breakfast, but it’s just not my thing. After another cup of coffee, I mounted my bike for another day of riding. Getting to Route 17 was a little tricky. The main road in Moses Lake is definitely NOT bike friendly, but after dodging a few cars, I turned left onto Route 17, headed for Ephrata (pronounced Ee-fray-tah).

It was another hot, sunny day, but the early start helped a bit. The forecast predicted temperatures near 100, and Chuck was worried about me riding in that kind of heat. 30 miles was all I could squeeze out today. Route 17 is a wide, divided highway with a huge breakdown lane, which was nice. The scenery was pretty boring to start the day. Lots of trailer parks, strip malls and not much else… Washington was starting to look like North Dakota at this point: flat, flat and more flat. No sign of the Cascades yet. But I am pleased to report that a designated bike lane was being constructed on the north side of Route 17. I’m always thrilled to see this. My next cross-country trip will be that much easier!

Finally, WAY off in the distance I started to see something that looked like it might be mountains. But they were pretty far away. Still, it was something to look at, at least! Finally (it seemed like a long way, but it really wasn’t) I saw the sign that said “Ephrata, Soap Lake Jct. ½ mile). I turned left onto Route 282. Chuck caught up to me at this point and brought me a snack, which was much appreciated.

He drove on to Ephrata, and I continued my ride. As I neared Ephrata, I was treated to a free air show. It was pretty cool – a biplane repeatedly soared up high into the sky, turned around, and headed straight for the ground. Just at the last minute, he pulled up and then did it again. I called Chuck and asked if he was witnessing the show, but he couldn’t see it from the town apparently. I passed an artsy metal sign strung between 2 rocks that said “Ephrata” and I knew I was in the home stretch. Chuck wasn’t having much luck finding us a place to stay, so I said we’d look together when I got there. I knew I had arrived in Ephrata when I saw a Dollar Store and a Walmart.

After a little confusion, I found Chuck and we had some lunch at an Asian restaurant on the main road. It was a nice atmosphere, but a HUGE space and I couldn’t imagine how they did enough business to pay the rent. The service was a little too much “in your face” too. After that, we went to look for a cheap motel. It was near 100 degrees and thunderstorms were predicted, so a campground was not an option for us. We stopped at the Ephrata Inn Motel. I told the owner about my ride and asked if she could give us a discount. She said “No.” We got in the car and started to drive away, but she ran out of the office and flagged us down. She named a price that was slightly higher than our budget, but we agreed.

After unpacking our things, we took a nap and then walked around town. I found a bookstore that was going out of business, and they were practically giving away their entire inventory. Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away. I headed straight for the cookbooks, but unfortunately two men had beat me to it. They had a huge box and were just throwing everything in it that they could get their hands on. They were also completely blocking anyone else from even getting near the shelves. It was tough for me to watch all those books I would have loved to own disappearing into the box. I did manage to get a couple of books. I got “The Day Diana Died” which was one I’ve been wanting to read for awhile, and also a great biography of Kathryn Hepburn, called “Kate”. Both were hardcover and I got them for $1. Not bad!

After that, we went to a thrift store and I found a pair of jeans which I love, and they were $3! I’d say we did pretty well for the day. Looking forward to a cool room and some much needed sleep.

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!

Day Fifty

Last night was rough; those darn trains going by all night long kept me awake (you’d think I would be used to it by now). I woke up early, but I guess Chuck thought I was asleep because he snuck out of the bedroom, got in the car and drove away. He had my cell phone in the car, so I could not call him, but I was clever. I got on the computer and sent a text message to his phone asking where he had run off to. He had just gone down the road to have a cup of coffee.

He came back, much to my relief. I told him I needed to have some taters before leaving Idaho, so we went to a restaurant called The View. What a disappointment. Chuck just got an English muffin, but I got the “scrambled” eggs with avocado and tomato. It came with a side of hash browns. They could have been any of the hashbrowns we had in North Dakota, Wisconsin or Illinois. And the eggs were awful. In my opinion, scrambled eggs should be cooked gently, over a low flame. Especially if they have avocado in them (a fragile fruit). These had been blasted with heat and were so hot when I got the plate, I couldn’t even touch them for a few minutes. The eggs were tough and the avocado had been obliterated. They were smothered with cheese, too, which didn’t help a bit.

Anyway, we went back to the house and the four of us tried to figure out the best way to get me through Washington. I started out on Route 95 to the town of Rathdrum. We hunted around for a place to eat and found a gold mine. It was an Irish pub and we had a fantastic tuna melt, the music was awesome (80s) and they had wifi. I called my mom to let her know I was doing OK.

We set about looking for a campground. The waitress at the restaurant said there was a place where people camped, but it wasn’t a park or a campground. Just a hilly section off the highway. Chuck suggested we stay there, mostly because I think he was tired of trying to find places to stay, but it just didn’t feel right to me. Plus, we would have had to lug all our stuff up a steep hill. We kept on looking until we found some signs indicating a campground at Hauser Lake, Idaho. We drove around the entire lake, and could not find the campground. Frustrated, we continued our search for a place to sleep. We crossed into Washington and found Newman Lake. We stopped in at the campground, and they don’t usually accept tents, but I think they felt sorry for us. They let us pitch our tent by the water for $15. There were no showers, but we were both just thrilled to have found a place.

We got everything set up, and I noticed one of those things that looks like a giant buggy that you can paddle around a lake in. It’s actually called an “Aqua-Cycle” and I’ve always wanted to try one. Chuck is not a water lover, so I was shocked when he said he’d go out on the lake with me in the Aqua-Cycle. I found out it was $7 for an hour, and that sounded reasonable, so we hopped on and paddled away. It must have looked pretty comical since neither of us had ever done it before. Once we got out into the middle of the lake, I felt the water temperature, and it was pretty mild. I decided to go for a swim. Chuck said he’d never forgive me if I tipped the cycle over, but it was very stable and I was able to hop in the water with no problem. Getting back was another story. Good thing all this biking has built up my arm muscles because normally, I could not have pulled myself back up. We paddled back to the shore, changed clothes and went up to the main building to have some pizza. We met a really nice guy there named Eric, and we chatted with him for quite a while. He handed me a generous donation for my ride. The pizza was decent, and we invited Eric to come back to our tent site and hang out around the bonfire. At first I didn’t think he would, but I was happy to see him show up after a little while. He said he was going to be in Seattle around the same time we were, so we exchanged phone numbers, and hopefully it will work out that we can all get together.

The lady who made our pizza came out when her shift was done, and gave me another donation. We were feeling pretty discouraged when I rode into Rathdrum, but the day turned out great. We had a great time paddling around the lake, had a nice dinner and met a new friend. Life is good.

Day Forty-nine

I got up this morning feeling AWFUL. I didn’t sleep well at all and the bags under my eyes were huge. Chuck’s so sweet; he said I looked beautiful. We went out to find some breakfast and ended up at a place called Henry’s. No wifi, unfortunately. I had my usual breakfast and Chuck got an English muffin. We met an interesting man who had spotted our Vermont license plate. He kind of looked like Old Man Winter from the Rudolph and Baby New Year animated specials. He had a long white beard and overalls. We’ve met a lot of people who are so friendly, they just come up to us and start chatting.

Went back to the motel and I headed out to Route 56, while Chuck stayed behind for a while. He said he’d meet up with me in a couple of hours. The lady we had talked to at the store said we’d probably see elk on 56, but I couldn’t spot any. It was a very pretty ride though, with not much traffic. Very peaceful. Chuck passed me and went on to a place, I guess you’d call it a saloon. It was called “Little Joe’s” and I liked it. It had a nice atmosphere, and the owners were very sweet. Chuck had been chatting with them about my ride. The man said we really shouldn’t pass up the chance to see Ross Creek Cedars. He described them as 300 feet tall, but I think the tallest is actually 175. It was too early to eat, so Chuck said he’d order a salad to go, and we could eat at Ross Creek. I went down the road, making good time. Found the turn to Ross Creek and that road was just beautiful. I was climbing up a hill when Chuck came along. He had a salad with grilled shrimp on it, so we ate that and then explored the cedars. Frankly, looking at trees doesn’t really thrill me that much, but these were very impressive. I felt like I was in Lord of the Rings or a Harry Potter movie. We took some cool pictures.

I rode back down the main road and headed on. After a while, it really heated up and I had to get some help from Chuck. I had ridden a lot of miles, and my hands were shaking, and I felt dizzy. I was definitely depleted of something: electrolytes, carbs or water…or maybe all three. I haven’t been drinking as much water as I should be.

We stopped at a place called the Floating Restaurant, and had some sautéed mushrooms and edamame, and I felt better. The bartender was impressed with my ride. We went to Sandpoint and it was pretty crazy there, being rush hour and all. We were spending the night in Cocolalla, just a few miles from Sandpoint, at the home of my great-aunt and uncle Barb and Dale Schultz. We passed Cocolalla the first time (it’s a pretty small town) so we had to double back. Found their house pretty easily. It’s really beautiful where they live. Their property backs up against 600 acres owned by a lumber company. Dale’s able to take some wood off that land through a special arrangement. He had quite a bit of firewood already stacked up, ready for the winter. He and Chuck hit it off pretty well and Dale gave him a tour of the property, after we all had a huge slice of watermelon. Barb was very sweet, and I could see some similarities between her and my grandmother (she’s my mother’s mother’s sister). We chatted for a while, and I took a much-needed shower before dinner.

Dinner was a fabulous home-cooked meal of lasagna, salad made with veggies from Barb’s garden and garlic bread. Everything was fantastic. We stuffed ourselves and left no room for dessert. We sat around talking until it started to get dark and then I went upstairs to read my Alec Guinness book for a while. The bed they gave us was really comfortable. Happy day.