Today marks the two month anniversary of this ride, and it looks like we have a lot of catching up to do. Idaho was unexpectedly beautiful, and luckily mostly downhill. We continued the tradition of "Indecent Idaho" where we took our shirts off to ride the huge downhill coming out of Lolo Pass. The next day we rode what was supposed to be a 60 mile day, but turned into a near-century. We arrived at our campground, only to find that it was closed. So, we hung out in steaming hot springs while we searched for alternate campgrounds. The next full campground was 30 miles away. Along the way we had the good company of other touring cyclists. Boy did they make what we do seem easy! One was touring from coast to coast for his 70th birthday!
Washington was surprisingly hot as we rode through record high temperatures. Despite the heat and lengthy miles, our rides through cherry, apple, and apricot orchards were extremely delicious. The whole team learned their lesson about gorging on too much fruit which was demonstrated throughout the lines outside of the bathrooms at our stayovers.
We rode to Mount Rainier National Park and everyone was shocked when the mountain actually appeared before us. It is a staggering 14,000 feet and topped with glaciers. Luckily our max elevation for the day was around 4,500. We then had a rest day at the park and half the team took the day as an opportunity to visit Mount Saint Helens.
Today was our last near century ride of the summer. As we rolled into town were excited to stop at a local bakery and purchase a little bit of happiness. We were also surprised with showers, laundry and a wonderful potluck dinner from some members of the congregation at St. Paul's Lutheran church.
Tomorrow brings: Ferry Rides!