Saturday 13 June, 2009
Tonasket to Republic, WA
I was up and off before the others this am, determined to get the climbing in before the sun climbed too high. The climb started literally out the front door, but then it leveled out and I rode for a long way before finding the real climb to the pass. In fact, I was having doubts that I was on the right route until Dan Lepler and his twin foster girls and son passed in a large RV pulling our gear on a flatbed trailer. Diane had found Dan at a lumber store the day before, and he had supported her "NJ Battered Women's Shelter" cause by volunteering to transport our gear to the top of the pass.
Kevin caught up to me about 20 miles out when I stopped to put on my rain gear and shelter under an evergreen. (The others told me later that when Kevin heard that I had started early, his eyes lit up and off he pedaled in an attempt to catch me.) The rain was short-lived, and I soon shed my rain gear and began battling the heat. Kevin and I rode together for a bit and then he went on with my blessing (I like to ride comfortably at my own pace), but I caught him and the rest of the group caught us at a café in Wauconda which is nothing more than a flat spot in the road before Wauconda Pass. W.P. was not very difficult or steep. Yea, I’m getting stronger!
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| Dan Lepler and his twin foster girls Heidi and Lili loading our gear in Tonasket |
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| Tim's photo of Rick and Bill Upton on the way to Wauconda Pass |
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Dan's son, Dan, and Kevin in Wauconda before the pass
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| Tim, Bill, me, and Diane at the summit, Rick taking photo |
We arrived in Republic just after the city's Prospector Days parade, but enjoyed the saloon girls and axe and saw competitions and all the activity. Bill H and Kevin stayed at The Prospector’s Inn, but the rest of us biked a couple of miles east to the fairgrounds, where they were also holding many Prospector’s Days activities.
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| A couple of saloon gals pose with the gang |
We'd just finished setting up our tents when it began to rain, so we looked for a sheltered place to cook, finally giving in and cooking at our picnic table in the misting rain. We were so hungry that while our meal was cooking, we ate raw hotdogs, sardines, and Chex mix with no ill effects, and then ate our meal. After eating, we went over to the fairgrounds track and watched the Prospector's Day races. Below is Tim's account of same:
Tim’s account of the fairgrounds races: “After getting groceries, we headed to the fairgrounds to set up camp, shower, and eat. Tonight the fair was having horse racing and we made it over to see a couple of ‘Pony Express’ races. In these races the jockey races a horse for a lap then jumps off that horse and onto another one for the second lap, and then onto a third horse for the third lap. Handlers manage the other horses on the track and if one gets free then the team is disqualified. The cool thing is that most of the competitors are Native Americans and were racing bareback. Now it’s raining, and I’m in the tent typing this.”
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| Bill brewing coffee after our unorthodox meal |
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| We've showered and washed out our clothes per usual, but there's no chance they will dry on this rainy day |
Tomorrow we tackle the big 'un Sherman Pass. Tune in.
