Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Hello out there in radio land!
We thought we would send out a quick post from the road, tonight from the Whittaker Bunkhouse in Ashford, Wa. Although we are outnumbered here 150 to one by climbers, they all DROVE here!  We left home yesterday about 10AM and went through the port to Fife, and caught the trail in Sumner. We took the trail to Orting, then rode Orville Road all the way to the end, at the city limits of Eatonville. Too bad we missed our turn to the campground and had to back-track eight miles to Tanawax Lake. It was so nice though. I was thinking yesterday about what Willie Weir said, "Leaving on a long trip is like launching the Space Shuttle". How true... We are heavy due to the extra gear and parts carried for long trips. We still have room for food (Smile).

 Esther is becoming a folk legend for riding a fully loaded touring bike with a broken foot. She can ride just fine, but it hurts to start and to walk. That is my girl.
It is fun to see all the folks getting ready to climb Mount Rainier. Hmmmm. Sound dangerous. Of course we had our moments today. Route 7 is closed today between Eatonville and Alder Lake, so the quiet little Alderlake Cutoff  Road was the main highway today. Many many tandem dump trucks, logging trucks, and impatient car drivers made the 10 miles a harrowing ride. We made several stops to rest and regroup. That six inches of shoulder is very narrow. After renewing our faith in a Higher Power, we enjoyed the rest of the day.
 Alder Lake is high right now from the fast melt and has that teal green color from the glacier till. It is hot here and it ground us down. We took our time from Alder Lake up the long false flat to Ashford. We planned to stay here and it was a welcome site. After a quick dinner and laundry run, we could relax and ice Esther's foot. Tomorrow we will go over Skate Creek road to Randle, then two days up and over the 25 road to the Columbia River. I think we are off to a good start.

1 comment:

  1. Wow, it looks like I will be with-in ~20 miles of your location this Thursday through Sunday. I will be at Flat-Top Sno-Park on NF-88 road between NF-25 and Mt Adams for a star party. I'll be cheating and driving a car, but I'll be thinking of you two the next few days. Feel free to bike over and say Hi!

    Kevin

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