Winthrop, WA

Saturday August 11th continued....

I thought I was going to be able to get a campsite at the Howard Miller Steelhead Park but it was not to be. The 80 cyclists had filled up every available tent site. So I departed just on darkness looking for a suitable tent site. After crossing the Skagit River a mile or so out of town, I turned left into Martin Rd and shortly afterwards I found a suitable site in an abandoned orchard.

I was able to check the cell phone for voice messages.

Sunday August 12th

It took me 2 hours to ride to Marblemount and another 2.45 hours to ride to Newhalem. I bought a few frozen burritos. I microwaved one for lunch and saved the other for breakfast the next morning. I left just after 3pm and 30 minutes later while climbing a steep hill, the rear derailleur cable broke. I was able to shorten the cable guide. I noticed that the inner wheel on the rear derailleur was stiff so I loosened the retaining nut a little. The gears seemed to be working okay again. I passed through two tunnels. The first one had a button the bicyclist pushes to warn motorists there is a bike in the tunnel.

I arrived at Diablo Dam at 5pm. I noticed a few twisted chain links and I straightened them as well as I could with limited tools. I arrived at Diablo at 6pm. Then I started hearing more noises from the rear derailleur. A screw that holds the derailleur away from the rear cassette and the little flange that it screws into had snapped off. I jury rigged a fix using some nylon rope to pull the derailleur out far enough for it not to run on the cassette. The gears seemed to be working again but are now limited to the lower 4 gears on the rear cassette only. This is fine with me as I'm climbing hills most of the way.

Cell phone could not find a network here.

I found an ideal tent site above a gate to the Ross Dam that was closed for the evening. Someone had obviously camped there before.

After dinner I walked up the hill which had a lovely view of the dam site.

I watched the Perseid Meteors for a few hours. I was so tired that while I was laying on the soft mossy bank I would see a meteor or two, doze off, and wake again to see some more meteors.

Monday August 13th

Another day of climbing. A few cyclists heading for Chicago passed me. They seemed to be carrying much less gear than me! I started thinking of all the heavy things I was carrying in my bag. I used the binoculars once to gaze at some stars and besides that I hadn't used them. Then my mind started to get into gear - replace the stainless steel cooking set with a titanium set saving precious pounds! I could see myself at a library on the internet going to the Campmor website! In almost all the bicycle touring newsletters and websites I have frequented over the years, the most efficient and less costly thing I can can do is to lose a few of my own pounds first before thinking of my camping gear! Okay, it was a nice thought about the titanium cookwear!

Later in the day I was stopped by Ken from Arizona who had been with his wife to the San Juan Islands riding their Tour Easys (similar bikes to mine.) Ken said he would look out for me in Winthrop the next day.

I had the best intention of reaching Rainy Pass that evening but as I reached Swamp Creek daylight was fading fast. I found another nice tent site just off the road and I gathered some water from Swamp Creek for my meal. As I was inflating my mattress I watched a few more Perseid Meteors cross the evening sky.

Cell phone could not find a network here.

Tuesday August 14th

Here it is, the day I would get to ride up and over Rainy and Washington Passes. I departed at 11am and reached Rainy Pass just after midday.

I reached Washington Pass just before 2 pm.

The bicyclists I met in Rockport strongly suggested I go to the pass overlook and I'm glad I took their advice. I left there at 2:35pm and I was down in Mazama at 4:19pm.

The 7 miles of 5.5% grade was exhilarating on the way down and it was over far too quickly!

I had a nice icecream and drink at the Mazama Store and departed 20 minutes later. Mazama seems to be popular place for outdoor activities in summer and winter.

I arrived in Winthrop at 5:41pm and quickly discovered where the bike shop was located. They were still open! They had a new Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur in stock ($109). The mechanic mentioned that my bike's dropout was bent and he thought he had a tandem derailleur cable in stock as well. I arranged to drop the bike off at the store the next morning.

I rode out of town to nearby Perrygin State Park and after a nice shower (the first in 7 days!) and most of my clothes washed and hanging to dry, I'm writing up my log next to my tent.

I'm taking Wednesday as my first day off since I started riding from Seattle.

I'm also seriously thinking of sending the laptop computer (almost 6 pounds!) and a few other pieces of camping gear and spare parts onto a Post Office where the land flattens out a bit beyond the rest of the Northern Cascade mountains! Probably Sandpoint in Idaho.

Winthrop is a cute town (population 349) with most shops in the main street of the town having a wild west facade.

Well, its time for me to go pick up the bike and get some food for dinner and breakfast.