Day 8: Dryden, WA
Journal for 2016-09-19 | Published on 2016-09-19 21:11:40Started off the day with a beautiful sunrise over Lake Chelan. Then for entertainment we got to watch these tiny squirrels run around chasing each other and picking up tree nuts while we ate breakfast and packed up. Our campmates got up shortly after we did and we said our good byes.
First thing on the agenda was climbing out of Chelan and it was a nice little 500ft climb. The road had good shoulder and it was a nice ride back to the 97 alt, especially the last little bit which was a quick downhill. Then we were back on the banks of the Columbia River and into the headwinds that would be the theme of the day.
These winds just whip down the valleys that we are traveling through, driving us mad as they are always in our face. We head south, headwind, we turn west, headwind, we turn east, headwind. It is quiet magical, in a devilish way.
Along the Columbia we were frequently against rock cliffs and trying not to ponder why the asphalt was dented or dinged on the portions we riding over, more precisely hoping a boulder wouldn’t fall on our heads. The miles were much slower than they should been as we ground on.
Eventually we made our way along to the Rocky Reach Dam which has an impressive visitor center that included picnic areas, play grounds, a visitor center, and a museum in the dam itself. We ate some lunch and then did a quick walk through the of the visitor center & museum. It was a really cool place, we got see the fish ladder, the juvenile fish release tube, and the turbine deck.
Finally we got back on the road with, surprise, a headwind into Sunnyslope. Sunnyslope seems to be where a lot of fruit is processed we saw several major juice / packaging brands along the ride. As we turned on to Easy St we saw our new tour friends from Belguim, Kevin & Ellie, stopped at a coffee stand. We paused, and encouraged them on, then spotted they had a flat tire, and lamented over goat head thorns.
Grinding on Easy St turned out not to be so easy, nor did the rest of the ACA Route through the area. We are fans of most of the ACA routes, even the hilly side routes, but this section really dragged on us. However a small stretch on the highway 2 was also unpleasant, so I am not sure there is a way to win this stretch. Going up one particular hill Pam’s right leg started hurting and we were 9 miles from the RV Park we intended to stay.
Crawling along Highway 2 we spotted a motel with vacancy just before we were going to turn off for 97. Given Pam’s leg we decided to just stop at the motel for the night. As Matt went in to get the room Kevin & Ellie road up and were done riding for the day. The hotel gave us a room with two beds so we just decided to split the room and hang out for the evening.
Hopefully a night of rest will help Pam feel better and we’ll be off in the morning.
Distance: 50.59
Avg: 9.5
Max: 32.1
Climb: 2277ft
Time: 5:16:58
Stars over Lake Chelan
Stars from Lake Chelan State Park
Squirrels from the morning
Lake Chelan after our climb in the morning from highway 971
Way to stay classy town of Entiat, random paintings really improved the look of that cliff...
Fish in the fish ladder of Rocky Reach Dam
Fish Ladder from above for Rocky Reach Dam
A wooden circuit switch!
Tubine deck of Rocky Reach Dam
Top of the Rocky Reach Dam
You know it rains / snows a lot when your downtown covers the crosswalks.
Pam i hope your leg feels 100% in the morning. =) love, mom
Mom, Thanks for all the comments! Pam is feeling better today, I tried to take as much weight off her bike as possible :)
Good morning guys, I'm enjoying following your adventures. Those winds, sounds awful! How fun that you have met another couple and that they will be a big part of your memories from this tour. Maybe your next trip will be to Belgium? Pam hope your leg is feeling better today. Good luck~
Lora, thanks for the note! we actually got it on a rest break and it was nice to get some cheers before we finished of the day!
Hi! I am Lora's sister. Enjoying following your travels. I live in Yakima and am wondering when you will be traveling thru... Hope your leg feels better and you both recover from your colds.
Mary Anne, glad you are following along! We actually will be passing through Selah around 10-12 tomorrow! That is as close as we are getting to Yakima. After that we are headed to Naches and then Windy Point Campground for the night. Of course as with all bicycle rides any of this may change! If you wanted to try to get together with us you can e-mail me at me@mattemerson.com, if not then enjoy following along!