ManifestDestiny2010Redux

6/9 Steven's Pass

Our original plan was to do this in two days but Will convinced everyone we could do it in one so we gave it a go. We rode route 2 in a light rain through suburban communities and 21st century American sprawl dotted with espresso shacks in parking lots where the attendants are sometimes scantily clad women. We stopped for food in Skykomish and discovered that a large transcontinental bike party would be spending there first night in the small town along the Skykomish river. We remarked at the coincident and headed back on the road. We started the climb up Steven's Pass and were happy to use the scenic Old Cascade Highway for a stretch. We reached the top of the pass, 4061ft, in the rain and then descended down towards Leavenworth, along the Wenatchee River as the clouds parted. The last 35 miles we lost 2800 ft, and cruised along the wild waters of the Wenatchee. We were all ecstatic riding cruising at 20mph through the canyon in the sun after summiting our first mountain pass. We arrived in Leavenworth, a Bavarian style village. As we rode through town we spotted a small group of older gentleman out for a weekly ride. We told them our story and one of them, Luke, kindly offered to open his backyard to our tents. We found the house, chatted with Luke and his wife Stephanie and then went out to eat at the local Mexican restaurant. We met up with Carrie and Ashley, who had completed the pass early and relaxed at the town park before heading to bed.

Will prepares the water bottles

East!

We began to see the Mountains

Horsetails

Skykomish River

Skykomish

Getting Ready for the Climb

Pete charges in the woods on the Old Cascade Highway

The Old Cascade Highway is extremely awesome

Get on your bike and go to the Old Cascade Highway

Back on Highway 2 for the final climb, the old cascade highway(scenic route) does continue to the top but that section was closed on our day.

The Steven's Pass Climb was well graded and spectacular!

Pete chills at the top of Steven's pass 4061 ft

Smiles on the way down!

We began to see blue sky!

Chillin!

We were rewarded for efforts in the cold rain with a sunny warm 35 mile descent along the Wenatchee River.

Flying

Riding along the Wenatchee River

The History of Travel Over Stevens Pass

Goody Poses

Pete reflects on the Mountains

What to eat?

Mexican Food! And a Margarita!

6/8 Chillaxin' at the Foster Residence

"Today was our rest day which consisted of bike maintenance and lots of eating. After a healthy brunch of fruit salad, lasagna, toast with jam, cheese bagels, grilled cheese sandwiches, and ice cream, we cleaned our bikes and dried out our wet gear in the sun. Next we travelled to the bike store to pick up some new supplies; it was quite a treat to ride without packed panniers. Afterwords we drove (crazy I know) to REI to pick up some gear to get us through the rainy and cold mountains that lie ahead. It was a great day to reorganize and repair. For dinner Will helped us all make some dank mushroom risotto, which complemented the cheeseburgers and salad that the Foster's prepared. Mr. Dan and Robin Foster have been extraordinary hosts and the pictures that I posted earlier were masterfully captured by Dan. The last two days hear have been wonderful and hopefully our batteries are recharged for tomorrow's rainy ride. Carrie and Ashley made it up to Deception Falls today and will tackle Steven's Pass tomorrow. We will head our early tomorrow and if we feel it, we may try to tackle the 100+ miles up and over the pass into Leavenworth. We will see how the weather and our legs respond. Now I must return to my Tillamook Ice Cream and Black Butte Porter; the fuel of the transcontinental ride"

We also watched Snakes on a Plane and I picked up some waterproof rain pants that were very useful later on. Carrie and Ashley left early in the day to ride up to Deception Falls State Park. We were hoping to see them the next night in Leavenworth, after our ride over Steven's Pass 4061 ft.

Making Mushroom Risotto

Fixing the Bikes

Goody, Pete, Dan and Will

6/7 Port Angeles-Mukilteo, Wa

89 miles today, 9.1 on ferry 79.9 on the bike

"Got into Everett around 7:30 today. We're staying at Dan's housemate Jordan's parent's house. They made us a delicious lasagna dinner, and having a place to stay indoors after the past couple days of rain is awesome. We made the ride to Everett today from Port Angeles, and our total mileage was just under 90 miles. We left around 11 after an interesting morning.

After waking up at our campsite right on the edge of the Juan de Fuca Strait, we biked about a mile into town and my rear derailleur seized up and bent the hanger and rear dropouts on my frame. We had to wait a couple hours for the bike shop in Port Angeles to open, and at this point I thought the whole frame was toast. The guy we talked to at Sound Bikes and Kayak checked it out and bent the hanger back into place with a special tool. He said it was about the worst bend he's seen, but since it was an older steel trek frame, it was stronger and easier to bend back into place without breaking. The derailleur is still a little bent, and also just very worn out as it's 1o years old, so I'll be picking up a new one tomorrow.

The ride today was great. We started from the bike shop where we met Jay, who lived in a town just east of Sequim. He showed us an awesome bike path which ran from Port Angeles along the strait and up into the hills east of Sequim. We ate at a deli, and then went east to the ferry which took us to Whidbey Island where we biked about 25 miles through hills to the other side where we took the ferry to Everett. It was only a few miles to where we are staying. We'll have our rest day tomorrow, and then start the long haul east with Carrie and Ashley who just arrived." -Goody

It was a memorable day. The repair in the morning gave us a big sense of relief and were so happy to have Jay shepard us through the Olympic Peninsula on the Olympic Discovery Trail. We had to ride hard on busy highway 20 to catch the ferry in Port Townsend. After reaching Whidbey Island we approached two elderly individuals whose knowledge of what a bike really is was severely lacking. This encounter helped spawn one of the most profound questions of the tour. What is a bike? This question can be, of course, asked about any thing/word/concept. And it was, frequently. And we are all still figuring out what a bike really is. Goody found some money on the side of the road on Whidbey Island and then had to ride hard to catch our last ferry. I had put my body through quite a bit and the last miles were very challenging. We made the last ferry in time and then cruised over to my friend Jordon's Parents house in Mukilteo. That night we met Carrie and Ashley, the two east coast college graduate who I had found online that were ready to start a tour from Seattle to New York. We greeted the two young tourists, ate a great dinner and went to sleep.

Will frees his bike from mine at our camping spot on the Puget Sound as Pete contemplates the many forms and properties of water, the molecule of life.