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I slept in this morning to 6:30 am. After eating my usual breakfast of granola and yogurt, I got a cup of coffee and half a poppy seed muffin in the motel lobby. My motivation to ride to Ferndale to finish my trip returned. At 7:30, I set forth through Bellingham then on Northwest Drive,…

When I awoke at 5:15, I noticed that my rear tire held its pressure overnight. The patch worked. Riding began at 6 for a brief stretch along Hwy 20 followed by a brief north-bound ride on Collins Road to Cook Road. There I headed west for several pleasant miles on a smooth, wide shoulder past…

When I got out of my tent, I found a note from Cory and a package of treats. How thoughtful! At 6 am, I gained elevation on Hwy 20 around Lake Diablo then passed by Diablo Dam. Westward and downhill to Newhalem hoping to find the store open but it wasn’t. At Marblemount in another…

Yesterday afternoon’s heat dissipated overnight, as happens in semi-arid areas, making for ideal sleeping. On Hwy 153 at 6 heading north to Twisp in 11 miles. I checked out the Twisp “mall” that contained a number of businesses walkably close together. At 7 am, nothing was open. Now on Hwy 20, I rode 9 miles…

The Columbia enjoys high status among America’s rivers. Lewis and Clark boated down the Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. The historic salmon runs boggled the imagination. Modern dams produce prodigious amounts of hydropower. At Wenatchee, I crossed the 200-yard wide, clear river and headed north on US Hwys 2 and 97 along the eastern side.…

Last night was surprisingly cool, enough so for me to don my down coat. On the road at 6 am for the 8-mile, 1,200-foot climb to Blewett Pass. The first 5 miles were easy, the last three miles steeper. The ride down from the pass was surprisingly cold with no sun (obscured by the mountains)…