One of many dust devils threatening us
At the very least, we made it…
First thing this morning we locked the keys in the van, setting us up with just over an hour delay. Not ideal, because we had a long day ahead of us (about 90 miles!) But it was just silly and honestly bound to happen at some point, so not an awful morning (yet.) We eventually got AAA service and headed out west towards the Hanford Reach National Monument Wildlife Refuge. The first 20 miles had a handful of mechanical issue stops, and introduced some gnarly 12 mph headwinds and crosswinds.
Willard fixing a flat in the sun
That wind only got stronger as the day went on, and battered the team with dust. More mechanical issues and bad luck held groups back. By the time we had our second rest stop, it was already 2pm— for reference, our second rest stop is usually around 11:30am! The PB&J’s had sand for seasoning as dust devils swirled around us, and we tried to shelter under the few trees available for shade. Gusts picked up to 22mph, sustained winds were in the ‘teens, hills bullied the team one after another, dust was everywhere, and morale was incredibly low.
Making the most of a rest stop, much nicer in the shade
It’s hard enough having a tough day after a century, and it’s even harder having a horrible day after a rough day after a century. Today was truly a mental and physical challenge. But in the end, we made it. Sure, it was about 8pm when we rolled in to the stayover, but we made it. Oh, Yakima— never been so glad to see you. Snacks and dinner were immediate upon arrival, and we all got to do team laundry before bed. We’ve been so beat down and occupied these last few days, Mt. Rainer was able to sneak up on us. We’re doing a lot of climbing tomorrow, and then will have a rest day in Mt. Rainer National Park! That means I probably won’t have a post for tomorrow (no internet) and won’t the next day (rest day!). The day after is unsure as well, so there might not be a post for a 3 or so days. Just know that we’ll probably be enjoying ourselves, or at the very, very, least, having a better day than today :)
— Marielle
Thrilling! If only you could see the wind in this photo… whew!
Sofie’s new best friend
Sharing the mantis love
The best part of today was the amount of license plates found!
11 plates total as a team!
