Woke up this morning it was very cool and dripping wet from the rain last night. The scrambled eggs and ham as well as bagels was filling. Left the school about 7:30ish and headed up the to the top of Stevens Pass 18 miles away and 3,500 foot climb. Along the way, stopped at Deception Falls. The power of the cascading water is awe inspiring.
The grade to the top often exceeded 7 or 8 percent, but on the average was 6+. As we climbed to the top I peeled off my jacket that was needed at the start. I have photos of the top of the climb with me hoisting the bike over my head.
The climb was followed by miles and miles for downhill as steep as the uphill climb. I let the bike loose a flew down the hill. Must of have been close to 5 miles til I had to even start peddling again.
An auto rest area was near the bottom of the hill with free coffee and cookies. I really needed the stop. After 2 days of gloomy skies, the Sun had broken through the clouds. I had to stop at the next gas station to buy a set of sunglasses since I had not taken mine this morning.
The picnic stop near the rushing river was only a couple of miles more along the road. After lunch we had 35 more miles to go. With the warm temperatures and the sunny skies the day was a blast. The routing through back roads and the small town of Cashmere added many bonus points. I'll explain in a subsequent how we are counting fun points.
We arrived at the Middle school at about 4PM and had a filling dinner. The amount of food that this group consumes is amazing.
Tomorrow is a big day. Scheduled to be 103 miles to the Grand Coolie dam. It's 10:15 and need to be up at 5:30.
good night.
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