Tuesday, May 14, 1996
Day 3
Leavenworth, Washington to Coulee City, Washington
Today's Miles: 83
Cumulative Miles for the Tour: 188
Degree of Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Terrain: Long, Graceful Downhill turning to Rolling Farmland
Dave finds a new friend..."Big Dog Coach"
One of the disadvantages of traveling a lot, is the tendency to compare places you have been with the place you are currently passing through. Lee and I have both done a bit of traveling and were discussing this while taking a slow climb up a 6 mile, 6% grade. We were in our second ecological section of the day. The first part of the ride was following the river rapids down to Wanatchee, where everything dumps in to the Columbia River. We stayed along side of the Columbia for 13 miles before taking the 6 mile pass from Orondo to Waterville.
It's hard not to use comparisons as you're pedaling along these different areas, but it's one of the detriments of having memories. I have never been here before, and yet I keep saying to myself "This looks like a section of Arizona" or "This is the type of hill I practiced on in Oakland". I have to stop myself and say, "No, this is central Washington and you HAVEN'T seen anything like it before." As Lee and I were discussing this, we made it a point to pull to side of the road several times, just to stop the scenery from rolling by. If you don't stop and look, you might as well be in a car, blasting your way across at 80 miles per hour..
Racing the Rapids of the
Columbia River
The canyon from Orondo to Waterville was stunning. The first thing I saw as I started the climb into the canyon was a huge black breasted magpie soaring overhead. It's body was black and wings were white. I had never seen anything like it. As I was marveling at that sight, another bird that looked like a robin with a yellow, dayglo breast flew off to my right. It was a good precursor to the rest of the climb.I took my time, climbing the grade at 6.5mph. Lee caught up with me about a mile into it. We got a chance to talk about his life in New York and what he's planning on doing when he gets back. His wife, Gena, is a dancer with the Trisha Brown Company, and just flew out of NY, today, to begin a tour of Europe. Lee's in a transitional state, just having been let go from a company that was down sizing. It probably couldn't be a better time for him to take this trip and figure which direction to head next with his life.A lot a people are afraid of the void as they make the transition from one part of their life to another. Lack of that fear is one of the things I've been blessed with. For me, I enjoy the start of something new. Projects for me usually last 3 to 5 years and then I'm on to something new...musician/composer, concert producer, small business owner, traveler...these roles have all been part of the continuing saga of my life, each part flowing smoothly into the next. Lee will do fine. He just has to relax and see what comes his way next.Topping the grade into highlands of Waterville is an experience not to be missed. After climbing 2000 feet in 6 miles, you arrive at a high plains area with cultivated farmland surrounding you with the peaks of the snowcapped Cascade still visible along the horizon from 35 miles away. The ride into Waterville is a 40mph downhill with a nice, left hand curve that put you into the center of town. Town might be a misnomer here. Let's call it a village. I was glad I brought my crappe fishing hat with me because when we entered a cafe for lunch, EVERYONE had one on. I felt right at home having some potato salad with split pea and ham soup followed by a huge slice of the best banana cream pie I've ever had. The price of the pie doubled the cost of the meal, but Ken, Adam and I agreed it was worth it.
Rolling Farmland in Western Washington
It's hard to convey the expanse of the land out here. The Cascades are like a "Kilroy", always at the back of your shoulder if you turn around and look. The road ahead is straight as a ribbon on a large Christmas package, rolling gently through fields of corduroy. As I topped a ridge of a short climb, I found myself cruising along at 40mph into a canyon that was misplanted from Arizona. Where in the hell did this thing come from? I've toured the Southwest quite a bit, and could have sworn there should be an Anasazi village built into the cliffs.
As I scooted through the canyon, a four foot desert snake writhed across the road. I went back to look and saw that it's back had been broken and he couldn't move the back half of his body. I got a rolling start and put him into his next life, because there was no way he was going to make it in this one in the condition he was in. I'm sure he would have done the same for me.The last 5 miles into Coulee City is a solid downhill, passing over a mile long dam before pulling into the campground for the night. I was exhausted from the 83 mile ride. Dinner was quick, my tent was up before sunset, and I hit the sleeping bag by nine o'clock. Day 3 is done, with only 47 more days to go.
Mark Miller
May 14, 1996
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
1-800-738-7271