Day 1: Monroe to Naches
Saturday morning was cloudy but dry and in the high fifties with promise of sunny skies and warmer temperatures later in the day. This was a nice change compared to the rainy, windy conditions faced by the pre-ride group the week before (I ran support for the pre-ride through Quincy). We rolled out at 6:00—early enough for the mass of riders rolling through the Snoqualmie Valley to not have too much of an effect on traffic.
As we rolled down W Snoqualmie Valley Road, I met Michelle from Minnesota and we chatted for a bit. The brief climb up Ames Lake Rd and later on Duthie Hill began to sort the riders into the fast/hurried and slower/leisurely groups. I rolled through Issaquah on my own and continued on to the Cumberland store control at my own pace.
After checking in at the SIR manned control, I made a quick stop at the store to top off my supplies. While in line, I detected a distinct east Texas accent and met Vickie, one of a contingent of Texas randonneurs from the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex area. I rode through Enumclaw with her and Irene from Colorado. When we got to Buckley there was a parade and festival going on so we were forced to detour to a bike trail that runs parallel to the main road—returning to the highway at the edge of town. We picked up a few riders and rode the rollers as a group until the Ohop Hill going into Eatonville sorted us again.
Bypassing the bakery and market, I headed straight for the Subway on the east end of town and found only one other randonneur there. My partner, Terry, who worked as an overnight control volunteer saw me go by as he was finishing his lunch at Bruno’s, and met me at the Subway to visit while I finished mine. By now, the sky had cleared and Mt Rainer was visible for the first time. I stripped off my arm and leg warmers and put on sun screen and then continued on toward Elbe and Morton alone.
As I approached Morton, I decided it would be wise to top off my supplies so I went in to town and stopped at the IGA Market where they were just getting ready for a contest that would have kids mooing like cows (sponsored by IGA and Washington Dairy Farmers of course). It would have been fun to listen to the kids, but I was on the clock. As I returned to the course, I passed Jennifer Chang who was also going into town for supplies. I waved and was on my way.
We were routed on a gently rolling road to avoid the busy Highway 12 as much as possible. It was quite pleasant. In short order, I was on to the main highway toward Randle. A car stopped on the opposite shoulder waved me down and asked about the ride. I was in the last half of the riders so she had undoubtedly seen a lot of us on the road. I gave her a very quick description of the ride and was joined by Larry from Pennsylvania with whom I rode for a bit. Just before Randle, I stopped to take a photo of Mt Adams and was alone again.
With the benefit of a strong tailwind, I arrived in Packwood quickly. I had a nice turkey sub, chocolate milk and topped off my water bottle for the climb of White Pass that loomed ahead. While waiting to get my sandwich, another customer asked me again about the ride and peculiar bikes that were in evidence. I rode out with Jeff Loomis and we stayed together until the 123 turnoff about 12 miles from the summit—the point where the climb begins in earnest with a mostly steady six percent grade for the duration. The last I saw of Jeff was when he turned in to the Palisades viewpoint ahead of me. I stopped there for a photo as well.
I plodded on up to the summit where the sweep vehicle was parked and made for a good, safe place to stop and put on some warm clothes for the descent. After all the climbing, it was fun to just let the bike run for seven miles. I was quickly at the Clear Lake control where we were well taken care of by the always helpful SIR volunteers. I had some cup of noodle (I call it one of the magic elixir of randonneuring). After the brief stop, I continued on alone with one other rider in the distance. Other than almost running over a freshly dead skunk just before Naches, the ride to the overnight was uneventful.
The showers were cold, but the welcome and food was warm. Terry had met some clients who live on a beautiful estate on the edge of Naches for dinner. I was treated to the delicious leftover mac and cheese and a piece of steak. I grabbed my bed roll and requested a 4:30 wake up. That would give me 4 hours of sleep before starting the second day. I was quite jealous of all the other faster riders already asleep all around me.
Day 2: Naches – Quincy
A large number of riders had requested a 4:00am wake up call. Therefore, I was awake at 4:00 as well, and by 4:15 decided it was stupid to lay awake on the gym floor. Time to get moving—the clock is always ticking on a brevet. Charlie White was in the kitchen making pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. I had some of each and a lot of coffee.
I started the climb to the Lodgepole control alone. The typical west wind was coming down the pass. I soon joined Don and Elaine Jameson and we began to work together against the wind. We caught Jeff Loomis, and he joined our little pace line. Rick Blacker and some other riders caught us and we formed a functional (if not pretty) rotating pace line that functioned well until the grade steepened a bit and the stronger riders were off the front. Jeff and I continued on and stopped at Cliffdell where I had another breakfast sandwich. We agreed to try and stay together and we continued on toward Lodgepole, still against the headwind.
Resting briefly at the Lodgepole control, I had some coffee and filled my water bottle at the campground pump. I rode over to the restroom without telling Jeff. By the time, I got done he had gone on without me thinking that I’d already left--my fault for not telling him I was only riding over to the restroom. I caught him just prior to Cliffdell on the way down.
When we got to Naches again, the route had us riding on the Old Naches Highway. It is a nice low traffic road with some small rollers. It was a nice change from Highway 410—the road with more ‘fingers’ per mile than any I’ve ever ridden. It didn’t matter if we were on the shoulder, single or riding in a group. Yakima County clearly does NOT like bicyclists.
We decided to stop a convenience store in Naches to get some ice cream. It was starting to get hot and the tailwind that had benefited the pre-riders the previous Saturday was not in evidence. While we were at the store, we were joined by Joe Platzner, Pat Leahy and James McKee. The group continued on to Fruitvale together. Jeff and I had decided earlier that we were hungry for burgers and to stop at McDonalds for the control. The other riders were agreeable so we all stopped for a quick lunch.
It was early afternoon and the heat was beginning to make itself felt. We all made sure our bottles were full. Pat stopped and bought an extra bottle just in case. The ride on the Yakima Greenway mostly parallels the river and was pleasant. We were soon headed east on Hwy 24 headed into the Rattlesnake Hills during the hottest part of the day.
The combination of heat, false flat and a slight headwind began to take its toll. First Pat and then James were off the front leaving just Joe, Jeff and I. Joe was struggling and I wasn’t doing much better. About 10 miles out, I was off the back and beginning to think about quitting. It was without question the low point of the ride for me. Another rider passed and asked how I was doing. My response was to whine about the heat. He would have none of it. I’m not quite sure how, but his attitude changed mine and I focused on what I could do instead of what I could NOT do. I drafted him to bridge back to Joe and Jeff and he was on his way. They told me the unknown rider was Ron Himschoot. He doesn’t know it yet, but he probably saved my ride.
When we got to the 241 intersection, we found some other riders stopped at a café still under construction. The nice people working there were finishing up its rebuild after a fire. They generously let us take water from their pump and use the port-a-potty. Refreshed by this brief stop, we continued on the short climb and the fun, fast descent down to highway 243 and one of the gates to the Hanford Reservation where we turned left toward the Vernita Bridge. We stopped at the rest area to fill our bottles and rest for the climb that awaited us just after the bridge. Jeff’s mother had driven up from the Tri-Cities to see him and say ‘hello.’ She offered us some treats, but we politely refused on the grounds that taking outside support was against the rules.
I had been dreading the ‘Road L’ climb since I first saw it during the pre-ride support. It had been looming big in my mind all day, and my poor performance on White Pass the day before did not help. To my surprise, I made it up without much problem. Joe was just ahead of me and Jeff not too far behind. We continued on reaching Mattawa just at dusk and were treated to sandwiches made to order and other goodies. I had forgotten to refill my supply of chamois cream before leaving Naches (a mistake I wouldn’t make again). I bummed some off of Charlie. I noticed the sweep vehicle had arrived with a bike on the back. I recognized it as belonging to Irene, the rider from Colorado with whom I had ridden on Day 1. I was disappointed for her as I assumed this meant a DNF. Later, I would find out that she recovered and was taken back to the point where she’d been picked up and continued on to make the overnight control with time to spare.
When we got to George, we thought we were home free. There didn’t seem to be much of a headwind and only 10 miles to go. About 5 miles out, the headwind started up again slowing us down. We finally made it to Quincy just after two. The menu consisted of hearty chicken soup with rice. I had two bowls. Terry was so tired from staying up all night in Naches that he’d gotten a motel room. Lucky me! I would get only two hours of sleep, but it would be in a comfy bed instead of on the gym floor and I’d get a nice warm shower as well. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
Day 3: Quincy – Mazama
I expected this to be a tough day. It would be hot and there would be some pretty significant climbs as well, the last being Loup Loup Pass followed by 30 miles to the overnight control in Mazama. After breakfast, I left Quincy alone. We were routed on a pleasant back road that took us through the agricultural richness of the fields surrounding Quincy. The diversity of crops grown in the area is really amazing. I continued on through Ephrata and Soap Lake stopping only briefly to call Terry and request that he bring me some antibiotic with ‘pain relief’ for my saddle sores and some batteries at either Dry Falls or Farmer.
Terry passed me while I was making the climb up to Dry Falls. I stopped to take a picture of Blue Lake and the Coulee below just before the top. When I got to Dry Falls, Terry had dropped off the requested supplies and gone in to Coulee City to buy some more pop because the control was running out. He got back just as I was getting ready to leave and snapped my picture as I rolled out.
James McKee had left the control not long before me and I could see him in the distance as I turned west on Highway 2. Another long, steady climb ensued with James becoming a smaller dot in the distance. The tandem team from California also passed me.
If it had not been for the bumps caused by the expansion joints, the descent into Moses Coulee would have been fun. Instead it was a bone shattering thunk-thunk at high speed. I feared it would damage my wheels. I was happy to reach the coulee floor even though it meant I would soon be making the climb out again.
After having struggled a bit during the first two days, I was surprised to find I felt good and the climbing seemed easier today. Arriving at the Farmer control, I was greeted by helpful SIR volunteers (Tom and Sue) and found plenty of food and supplies. It was a welcome oasis in the middle of literally nowhere. I made sure my bottles were full and took off toward Bridgeport alone.
Near the point where the highway turns back to the east, I was passed by the tandem team and Larry from PA. James, who had been riding just ahead, let me catch up and we rode together the rest of the afternoon until Mallott where he had to take the 1000K route. Just as we reached the turn for Bridgeport, we were passed by Wolfgang from Germany. We were soon greeted by a sign warning of an 8 mile downhill grade to the river. We were on our way—what fun! James and I stopped briefly at the Chief Joseph Dam Viewpoint and took pictures. We also stopped at the mini mart for ice cream and snacks, and visited with Wolfgang while we rested.
The main street in Bridgeport is lined with dead street trees that have been carved into an assortment of sculptures--making lemonade from lemons as they say. Here we found Wolfgang stopped on the side of the road. I assumed he was just checking out the trees, but he had just discovered his control card was missing. We suggested he go back and make sure he hadn’t dropped it at the store.
Wolfgang caught up with us at Brewster still without his card. He stopped for water while James and I continued on Old 97 to Mallott. Part of this road had just been repaved the week before and the new section was sweet and smooth. At the Mallott control, Mike McHale and Nicole were making sandwiches to order. There was also good news for Wolfgang. Another rider had found his card and it would be arriving at the control. Since James was doing the 1000K route, we parted company and I continued on toward Loup Loup Pass.
Shortly after turning on to Hwy 20 I decided to turn on my lights only to discover my dyno headlight isn't working. At first, I assume it is just a loose wire, but that was not the case. Unable to get it to work, I face the prospect of having to descend Loup Loup pass with my barely adequate backup light [Note-After the ride, I returned the B&M IQ Cyo to Peter White who promptly returned a new replacement under warranty]. It is a bit after 7:00pm. I decide to try and push myself to get to the top ASAP in hopes that there will still be ambient light for the descent. I make a good effort, but it is pitch dark by the time I reach the summit. In order to prevent outrunning my light, I coast to the limit; brake and then stop to make sure my rims don’t overheat. This goes on for about four miles. Finally, I see the lights of other riders descending the pass. I follow Don and Elaine down. After clearing the steep part of the descent, my backup lights are adequate for the remainder of the ride to Mazama. The miles click off slowly. I get to the point where I am wondering if my Garmin is broken.
After making it to the overnight, I have two bowls of chili and cookies and brownies. We all have real beds and nice hot showers for the third overnight. I had no problem falling asleep. My plan is to get up early enough to be on the road at least an hour before the control closes.
Day 4: Mazama – Monroe
I know I will give up time on the climb up Washington Pass. My plan is to have at least an hour in the bank when I leave Mazama as a cushion for the climb of the pass. I expect to easily make up time on the long descent from Rainy Pass to Marblemount.
The climb up Washington Pass goes as expected. I only stop twice for a brief rest. About a mile from the top, I stop and swap pictures with Joseph from San Francisco. When we make it to the summit, we trade photo ops again. The sweep vehicle is at the pull out just after the summit. I wave and continue on.
I quickly descend and then make the short run up to the Rainy Pass summit. It is now a long mostly downhill run to Marblemount. Terry takes my picture at the summit and I continue on alone. After a few miles, I see Jeff Loomis stopped in a pull out. He asks if I have any extra food and I give him a package of trail mix. Shortly after being passed by Irene from Colorado, Jeff and I start on down the pass.
We should have been making really good progress on the downhill, but there is a strong head/side wind that is negating a significant portion of our downhill advantage. Eventually we pass Robert and Chris who have stopped for a quick nap shortly after the Colonial Campground.
When we reach Newhalem, we stop to fill our bottles and a brief rest. Only 14 miles to the Marblemount control, but we haven’t made up any time. I’m starting to feel the effects of only eight and a half hours sleep in three days. I barely make it to Marblemount fighting sleep and fatigue the entire distance.
In order to fight of the effects of fatigue, I opt for a Red Bull along with a burrito and carrot cake at the Marblemount control. Chris and Robert arrive just after us. The clerk signs Chris’s card and then continues to examine it closely. He turns the pages back and forth and studies it carefully. He finally hands the card back to Chris with the remark – ‘You guys have been to a lot of places’ – he doesn’t know the half of it.
As we are getting ready to leave Marblemount, Chris Heg and James Mckee blast into the control. They are riding the post 1000K permanent and have made the control with just 5 minutes to spare.
Jeff and I are debating whether it will be better to push and attempt to get to Granite Falls before the McDonald’s closes or to take a meal stop in Darrington and just a quick stop in Granite Falls. We decide it will be better to stop in Darrington so we don’t risk missing an opportunity to get a good meal. This decision made, we head out with the end of the ride starting to be in sight.
During a brief stop to set our lights, we are passed by Irene who asks to join us. The strong lady from Colorado who almost DNF’d on day two is on track to finish the ride.
Irene, Jeff and I ride on together and opt for a little burger joint in Darrington It was a great choice. We all got burgers, fries, milkshakes and coffee. It was heaven. Just as our food arrives we are again joined by Chris and James. We all know we have plenty of time and should easily finish in the time limit. As we get ready to continue on to Granite Falls, we see Chris and Robert leaving a convenience store just up the road.
About a mile out of town we see Robert and Chris ahead. Chris is on the ground. Something is clearly wrong. When we get to them, we discover that Chris’s back has seized up on him; apparently the result of an accident he had on day one. He can barely move and it is clear that he cannot continue. We call for the sweep vehicle. It arrives quickly Dan Turner attends to Chris getting him safely in his truck. Our threesome becomes four as we are joined by a dejected Robert. Chris and Robert are fast friends and they have ridden together for three years. They had hoped to finish the Cascade together and Chris gave it his best, but it was not to be
Having an amicable foursome made the long stretch from Darrington to the turn to Arlington Heights road go much faster. It started to rain as we approached Arlington and we debated whether it was going to be significant or not. I decided to go ahead and gear up for rain.
Eventually, the rain actually became pretty heavy. Irene was beginning to bonk and felt cold. We rummaged through our gear and provided her with gloves, scarf and a cap. That helped her out a lot and we made it to Granite Falls in time to be the last customers at the Chevron. I had another Red Bull and a candy bar. The final stretch of the ride lay before us, and we were going to make it.
We skirted the east side of Lake Roesinger and were soon on Woods Creek Rd which had more rollers than I remembered. Less than three miles from the end, Irene started to bonk again. Robert alertly noticed her condition and we stopped so he could give her some energy gel and water. I tried to encourage her by stating there was less than three miles to the finish. Her response was an anguished ‘Three Miles!’ I changed my strategy and stated there was less than a half a mile to the next turn. This was more palatable.
After the brief stop, we continued on. We were quickly at the finish where we greeted by the enthusiastic cheers of the finish control volunteers and family. It was finally over and we had 1.5 hours to spare. Irene had turned a near DNF on day 2 to success. Robert overcame having to leave his good friend, Chris, behind. We were all elated to be done. What an adventure! What an accomplishment!
Fantastic accomplishment and story Dan, thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat story. I never had a burger that tasted so good as the one in Darington
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