Peg's Post
Saturday, June 30, 2013

Typing this from the Comfort Inn, Ellensburg, state of Washington.  Long story and their computer is "iffy" so the telling will have to wait for another time.  No port on this computer either, so no pictures to share again.  Bummer.  I jotted down some observations during the ride so thought I'd share----bullet format :-)

* Property values started increasing the closer we got to the Washington state border.  Parts of that portion of Idaho we rode through reminded us a lot of Arkansas (you know, more tattooes than teeth kind of thing).

* Our mornings start out so terrific.  By noon, though, the wind has shifted into our face; the climbs become steeper and more frequent; shoulders seem to vanish; traffic increases; tires go flat or it starts to rain and hail--like today!!  (Thus the motel room).  We were privileged to see the sun a sum total of 2 days in I don't know how many weeks!!

* Russell bought a dry bag back in Missoula, so now the back of his bike would provoke "tidiness envy" even from our English counterparts, and many of R's fellow Kansas riders wouldn't even recognize his bike :-)   LOL  (Do you suppose I might be rubbing off on him a little bit after 16 years????)

* Cindy -- this stretch of road through Washington (Colfax to Yakima) is very similar to the portion of Montana (Round Up to Great Falls) that we travelled together. Bummer :-(  We camped in a field of tall weeds Thursday night. (Got to see a fox that morning!!)

* We've had more flat tires on this stretch of road than I had all of 2006 ride!!  So while R was out and about in Ellensburg today he stopped at a bike shop and picked us both up some thorn/puncture-proof tubes.  We're tired of changing tires by the side of I-90. (tire wires and all sorts of debris).

* We have a story to tell about my front wheel.  It's a great story!  Heartwarming, actually :-)

* Not sure at this point where we'll be celebrating the 4th.  We had hoped to be in CA,but we still have mountain passes to climb (did one 10-miler this morning in pouring down rain).

* R spent the afternoon in the ER here. Happy to report that he was released with some antibiotics and we will be on our way again tomorrow.  Met a young couple at a rest area this afternoon that told us the Oregon coast (Hwy 101) is just gorgeous and very biker-friendly so we are anxious to get there to see for ourselves.  I noticed on the weather channel that it seems warmer that direction and I am so ready for some sun!

Til later...............................