Day 3: Cle Elum to Othello, WA

Distance: 97 miles

Elevation: +3356 / -4193

Temperature: 107 (3PM - not a typo)

This was a day for the record books. However, the end of the day saw everyone arriving at the hotel safe and sound, so we’re thankful, and incredibly tired!

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Riding along the Yakima River as we left Cle Elum at 6:30 this morning with an incredible tailwind!

2. Views back to Mt. Rainier. Ranch is for sale, if you’re interested...

3. Making it to the top of the pass.

4. A 12 MILE DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY TO VANTAGE!!! WOOOOOT! THIS WAS A BLAST!!!! No pics, because, well, we were all flying and enjoying the moment, since there is NO place in Cincinnati to ride downhill for this long!!

LOWLIGHTS:

This sign kind of sums it up. There were no warning signs!

1. HEAT. By the time we reached the Columbia River Gorge, the temperatures were climbing. My mid-afternoon, the temp topped out at 107. There was little shade to be had anywhere. When we could find a tree with shade, we’d stop to refresh, and our SAG drivers were indispensable in keeping us hydrated. Salt pills and electrolytes rounded out our hydration menu, as well as snacks for keeping up our energy. Many of us wore sun hats under our bike helmets, and we were sporting long sleeves and tons of sunscreen to ward off the worst of it.

2. Our SAG vehicles carried us across the Columbia River to continue on the other side, since there was a lot of traffic. However, Carol and Laura missed a turn and climbed up a ridge only to discover that no one was at the top. Carol let the group know she was on the way back, only to discover that the projected route was impassible (see “Primitive Road” sign above!). Everyone was now needing to turn around and ride back up the ridge, so back up again for Laura and Carol. What’s a few more miles in a heat wave! NOTE: Carol didn’t see the text or phone calls after she told the group she was headed back down, LOL.

3. Our morning tailwind turned into a hot headwind as we approached Othello. At this point, every hill felt like a battle, and the mileage wasn’t slipping by as quickly as it had. Not going to lie: It was brutal. One of the hardest rides.

This is the spot where the temp read 107. Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

Wishing we were cows and could wallow in the water...

Other Interesting Things and Random Thoughts:

1. We rode past lots of fruit tree fields with tons of irrigation, making us realize the extent to which agriculture has gone to turn arid land into farmable land. The water crisis is not a surprise.

2. We passed a McCain’s processing facility. There were potatoes on the road across the street. They had to have been baked.

3. Othello has an excellent Mexican restaurant!

4. “Honey Buckets” seem to appear in the most random places.

So, now we’re all fed, hydrating as much as we can, and looking forward to a 10-15 degree drop in temperature tomorrow, since the heat wave ends at 8PM tonight! Yay!

And, then we get up tomorrow, and do it again. Next stop: Colfax, WA.