Garrett and I had an early start on the day as we were both awake by 5:30 a.m. breaking down camp. Today was going to be one of the most challenging days of the entire trip due to all of the climbing ahead of us in the Cascade mountain range. We navigated the Cascade mountains via Stevens Pass which has a summit of approximately 4050'. Skykomish has an elevation of approximately 970'. Within our first 17 miles of the day, we had ascended approximately 3200' if not a bit more! While the climb was challenging, the scenery and majesty of the mountains around us was second to none. It's a shame that all the traffic whizzing by us did not have the opportunity to appreciate it as much as we had. After taking a break at the summit of Stevens Pass, we began our descent along Nason Creek and eventually the Wenatechee river. On occasion, the rapids stirred up enough mist to reach the shoulder of the road and this was a great pleasure to ride through. We stopped in Leavenworth at a bike shop for a few odds and ends, and we also stopped for dinner. While in Leavenworth, we had occasion to talk with two different passersby about our trip. Both individuals are cyclists and seemed genuinely interested in our trip, to the extent that they both offered up accommodations further along on our trip in Idaho and Montana. Beyond Leavenworth we rode the fastest that we had ridden the entire trip, covering approximately 12 miles in just over 30 minutes. A smooth road and absent wind contributed to this pace, indubitably. Shortly after crossing the Wenatchee River into Cashmere, something odd about the downtown struck me, but I couldn't readily identify what it was. I noticed that no parking spots were vacant, and there was a considerable amount of people scattered in pockets almost exclusively along the sidewalks. Nonetheless, we had to get to our hotel about four blocks down main street. No less than 45 minutes later, a parade (a Founder's Day celebration) went down this same route; good timing on our part!
Tomorrow will be a warm day, and we plan to get an early start ahead of the afternoon heat. Peace out!
