The Old West

Day 4: Ocean Park, BC
Distance traveled: 391.3 km
Cumulative distance: 1689 km
Maximum speed: 129 km/h
Moving average: 77 km/h
Temperature range: 12.2 - 26.4 C

We were off to an amazingly chipper start today; out the door and on the bike before 8:30 a.m., a rarity for us. All our gear was still set up for the heat of yesterday afternoon with all of our vents open to allow maximum air flow through our jackets and riding pants so the fresh morning air was a little cool.  But we were o.k. with it. There was a tinge of smoke in the air but it was sunny so we were anticipating it warming up real soon.

Our last trip to the area, we were thwarted by a bad fire which included evacuating Winthrop. We ended up going much further south.

The twists of Hwy 20 began in earnest in short order and we were soon climbing in elevation towards the Cascade Mountains. Our first destination for the morning was Winthrop, which is a touristy town reminiscent of the old west: many of the buildings have the classic false-front facade we usually only see in western movies but is alive and well on the town's main street. Not entirely certain if they are put on facades or if they are truly holdovers because a few of the buildings actually look like they are 150 years old. Though the town was officially incorporated in 1921, white settlers started living there in the 1880s with the discovery of placer gold in the area. We had breakfast today in the Duck Brand Saloon, which was built in 1891. A small stream runs underneath the deck out front.

We spend a couple of hours in Winthrop, allowing us some time to eat and do a little shopping, which is amazing because we have virtually no room on the bike to store extra stuff. There is a little store with artsy stuff that is not too serious but not so kitschy as to sell puns on t-shirts. I actually get into a conversation with the owner about the U.S. political situation, breaking my cardinal rule. However, no sparks as we were on the same side of the argument. I guess we could have discussed religion. In fact, we are at my brother's place in White Rock tonight and I am contemplating ditching some clothes here.

We do manage to find little nooks and crannies for the few assorted items we have accumulated and again we are climbing the mountains up to Washington Pass, a reasonable elevation gain to just shy of 1700 metres. Despite the gain, it is warming up and smoking up (no pun intended). The smoke is coming in thick in Winthrop and thereafter, so much so that we decided to put on masks to try to avoid inhaling. It is of little use.

The ride through the Cascades is beautiful - like the Jasper - Banff run, only the road is twistier and closer to the peaks. There are a couple of damns making glorious turquoise lakes and we stop and take a few pictures. It is glorious riding and we are having fun pushing the limits a little. An added bonus is that the further west we go, the more the smoke diminishes and the sky clears. By the time we get to Sedro-Woolley, it is sunny and warm and clear, clear air. Everywhere we see campfire wood for sale though there is a fire ban everywhere. Our original plan had been to take the ferry from Anacortes to San Juan Island but because the ferry is broken, Washington Ferries has cancelled our

These shots are of Ross Lake Reservoir in the Cascades.

reservation. I did phone them this morning and they said the ferry was being sea-tested today, which made me think there was a reasonable chance the would operate tomorrow but I had already made alternate arrangements to crash at my brother's place near White Rock. Sadly, we won't make it to the Discovery Inn, who were gracious enough to wait until the last possible minute for us to cancel our reservation (I had been talking with them regularly since the ferry broke). The ride from Sedro-Woolley was a surprisingly pleasant spin. It is a somewhat twisty ride through dozens of micro farms and orchards and is a short cut to my brother's. We spent the evening sitting around outside (and we aren't even camping!) and my brother has barbecued chicken and chorizo and his partner Hugues has started us off with chips and \guacamole, prosciutto wrapped around cantaloupe followed by gazpacho. 

Can you believe my mother would be all the way out here leaving us reminders to be safe!?

Nice shot of the Cascades, Nan.

Riding up Hwy 9 to the Canadian border. 

The Birth of Venus, right in our own backyard!