I hadn’t been on an official Cyclopath ride since Triple
Bypass in early July so I was very excited about riding with the group again. I drove up with Mike so we had plenty of time
to catch up on each other’s summertime experiences. We started out about 5am and drove through
the early morning darkness for the first hour and a half of the drive. Our route took us through the Oso slide area
just as dawn began to break. The volume of earth that came through that area
was nothing short of impressive. It will
still be awhile before that area is ‘back to normal’ again. We made it to Newhalem 20 min or so before
our planned start time and everyone was already there getting ready to go. We had a total of 9 riders which I thought
was about perfect for this route. Big
enough to make a presence on the road but small enough to make the group
descents a lot of fun. Temps were a
little chilly at the start (mainly due to a wind funneling through the gorge)
but things warmed up pretty quick to a very comfortable level. Kurt had a flat roughly 10 miles into the
ride but that was the only mechanical issue we had on the way out – very
lucky! The gradual climb past Diablo and
Ross Lakes went smoothly and the shoulder was wide enough for everyone to
engage in plenty of good conversation.
Mike, Chris, Martin, Kurt, and Mark were all kind enough to take turns
driving the sag wagon so we always had plenty to eat/drink and lots of opportunity
to make wardrobe adjustments.
The highlight of the ride was cresting the climb up to Washington Pass and beginning the speedy descent into the Methow Valley. With Liberty Bell towering above we all got in a tuck position and flew down the winding highway. As the grade began to ease we fell into a paceline and kept a good pace all the way past the town of Mazama. As we approached Winthrop I opted for the paved route through Winthrop vs. the gravel shortcut. Mike was not happy with his gravel road choice – too many rocks and potholes – glad I opted for the pavement! As we relaxed at Chris’s spacious ‘cabin’ Mike was upset that his cell phone had no service while everyone else had at least ‘4 bars’. Poor Mike was cut off from the outside world. To ease Mike’s pain we decided to hit the town brewery to pick up a growler of local ale.
 |
| Old Schoolhouse Brewery: beer and pretzels... awesome!! |
The next morning greeted us with close to freezing
temps! After a quick breakfast we all
agonized over how much clothing to wear at the start. Most of us opted for a moderate number of
layers which worked out well due to the quickly increasing temperatures on our
way to Washington Pass. In the early
morning light the fields in the valley and the mountains up above were awe
inspiring. I felt pretty good so I
decided to push the pace to the top of Washington Pass. As I approached the top I was beginning to
redline it but Dwaine had enough steam left to take the lead so he was good
enough to pull me up the rest of the way. What a great ride! Lots of fun winding descents on our way back
down to Newhalem. Riding at high speeds
with the occasional car passing on the left is always a thrill, and maybe a wee
bit risky, but I am glad I can count on the skill of my fellow Cyclopaths to
make it as safe as possible. After we arrived
back in Newhalem we all congratulated one another on a great ride, loaded up
the cars, and headed back home. After
all that strenuous activity I was hoping for a good greasy burger and a shake
at one of my favorite haunts, the ‘Marblemount Drive-In’, but was extremely bummed when I discovered
that they had just closed up permanently after 14 years in business. Dang! I
guess I’m going to have to search out another North Cascade burger joint for
the future.
Thanks to everyone for a great ride and great memories!!
No comments:
Post a Comment