i planned to wake up early and beat the heat, but was only able to get on my bicycle by 6am. yes that’s still early, but i had planned on 4am. no cars, no heat, just me and my bike. after about 20 miles or so, i realized how tired i was. the rolling hills were pushing hard on me with a breeze. then the heat kicked in. i couldn’t keep moving. i pushed hard. forced my body to go further. i can’t go anymore today. i had to call my friend from spokane and see if he would be able to head this way. he said it was no problem and that he was concerned about me riding through the gulch in this heat. we decided on a town to meet in so that he could get ready and so that i could ride a little further. i surprisingly got to the place a little while before him and thought it would be an excellent time to go through my bags and mail stuff that i didn’t need back. i cleared out eight pounds and i am so happy. the polite woman(jean?) working in the post office was glad to loan me tape so that i could send a package home.

doing the daily rides is exhausting both physically and mentally. especially here in the eastern side of washington. there isn’t really anything to look at besides barns, silos and fields. about once every ten minutes a car or truck passes you. it’s like going to the gym everyday for eight hours, only working on your legs and telling them you want more steep hills. i have rode 120 before in illinois. it’s no big deal. here it means something. it’s making me stronger.

i’ve found that looking at my gps is annoying. i look at it and then feel bad about only going a quarter mile when i feel like i’ve gone two miles. after i quit looking at it, i noticed that the road i’m going on now has mile markers every 10th of a mile. i was happy to see them right before i stopped, otherwise they would have drove me mad.

craig was a friend that i’m happy to have. he was most welcoming and when i saw him it was a big hug. i feel like that was a moral booster, but the time we spent replenishing our thirst was almost as good. he showed me a few places and we sat down at viking bar and grill, which to my surprise had the same exact logo from my high school. tangerine wheat beer really helped me cool down as it was 98 degrees out.

i’m sitting in rei right now and writing this, talking to many people that are curious of my adventure. i love talking to people about this and it’s great to see the hope for adventure when i explain things to everyone.

after only riding about 35 miles today, i feel defeated, but hopefully almost a full days rest will put my body back into shape for the ride tomorrow. there won’t be any other people that i know can pick me up so i’m glad that i could pull out my tired card on a day that i needed it. day 04 done.

on a side note, i was without cell reception for most of the day and that means i can’t post on here. you can’t go into a coffee shop or restaurant and ask to use their wifi because they may not have a coffee shop or restaurant. in the event that i am unable to post, i will still have the post up for that day when i am able to internet again. i could really use some encouraging comments about now, since i’m a little down for being run over by the rolling hills.

never underestimate a good apple

yes it’s still a thing, and it works flawless

my right hand isn’t working right and the pinky is sticking out

waiting in the basin for craig to rescue me

the day started great. i woke up early,was greeted ball of the great farmers at cloud view eco farm, filled up water and was on my way. the new route couldn’t be sent to my gps for some reason, so i just relied on google maps. terrible ideal. theres a reason they still say biking is still in beta, its because they lead you down terrible gravel roads and say it’s the best route.

i saw many different farms today, and it was the boredom that i feared. not a change of scenery. it looked like all roads would never end and they all had the same farms. but i did get to see the largest organic mint farm in the united states. it smelled amazing. hill after hill after hill, i pushed on.

i reached my halfway point and saw sprinklers spraying in the public park. i couldn’t contain my excitement. i ran over, set my bike on a tree and got wet. it was amazing and i don’t expect anyone to understand. a small bit of water after miles in the hot sun can do you wonders.

after 72 miles or so of climbing hills, descending hills, riding on pavement and on gravel, and the sun beating down on me at a steady 91 degrees, a farmer stopped me. he said it looked like i was dying. he offered to take me the remaining few miles to the stop i was heading to and his wife made him stop at home so she could get me ice water. as it turns out, odessa has a free campground for tourists and visitors. three picnic tables under a shelter with a fire place. there’s even a free pool! sadly i was arriving when they closed the pools.

still working on mastering my 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th winds. i really need to step it up. after only 250+ miles over three days, i feel out of shape and exhausted. day 03 done.

what a day. i spent a few miles going through a tunnel from old train tracks, 55 miles of gravel, then got excited to finally find pavement only to see it was uphill for about twenty miles. the payoff was that i got to cruise about 15 miles going 25-30mph on my bike. the sun was beating down all day and i got a little sunburned. about 40 miles into my ride, i saw what i was looking for. a trail down to the yakima river. i couldn’t help myself, ran down and jumped in. i feel like i had earned it. i stopped for water a few places and also picked up a few extra water bottles because i was going through it so quick. now i’ve got almost 200 ounces of water. a local cattle rancher told me to be careful because the next five days or so in the area are going to be over 100. i was so beat up from the first day of climbing and the gravel that i thought my body would give up. i just keep pushing harder. i know that soon enough i’ll have the stamina and muscle that will make my days go by easier. i’m also changing my route for the next two days to cut out a few extra miles that i don’t need. about 40 miles into my ride

i stayed the night at cloud view eco farm just outside of royal city and the people here were more than welcoming. they made me dinner and we drank a few beers. the views along the way here were spectacular and i don’t think i’ll ever forget them. day 02 done.

the day started tough. those seattle hills are no joke. after riding over 70 miles and climbing close to 4500 feet, i’m taking the night off.

patrick and stefan were great and escorted me out of the city. i couldn’t have asked for a better day to start. weather, company and sights were all perfect.

there’s a ton of photos, but i’ll have to get to them later. tomorrow is a big day and i need the rest. one day down, and i’m ready for the next. day 01 done.