Lynden, Washington, the last stop in the United States before we traverse into Canada for the final two days. As of right now we are 82 miles from our destination meaning I've cycled 3,919 miles from the coast of Maine. Pretty incredible and it is still totally surreal. I never thought I'd make it this far, in fact, I never thought I'd make it out of New York. But here we are, all 30 of us in western Washington only 46 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Since my last posting we've left the Rockies and battled the Cascades which are possibly the most beautiful mountains I have ever been through. After leaving White Fish last week we had some pretty amazing downhill rides, there was in fact an entire day where we went downhill. Words though cannot begin to describe the scenery of the mountains. The color of the sky, the smell of pine, the sound of wind in the trees. I suppose that has been one of the most incredible things about this trip, just being out in the elements: rain, wind, sun, or snow - yes snow. Being in a car is a fantastic way to see the mountains, but if you want the full effect, you've got to battle it on a bike.
This week has been especially difficult and quite a test. After leaving Montana (thank god, I thought we would never get out of there) we spent an evening in a very cool town in Idaho where we spent a day building. That was a week ago and since that point in time we have been working our way through the mountains of the northwestern U.S. This week we climbed a mountain pass almost every single day, which is why I say it was a test. Several days ago we climbed Loup-Loup pass at a height of 5500 feet. It wasn't the height though that bothered me, it was the fact that we climbed uphill for nearly 30 miles. The physical difficulty of the trip is really no more. Not that days aren't hard, but we are in well enough shape that making it through a pass is less about the physical aspect and more about the mental aspect. Climbing for 30 miles does a real number on the psyche.
Yesterday though was probably the most intense day we have had on the trip. We had spent the previous evening camping in perhaps the most primitive campground I have ever been to following a day of rain. Everyone's stuff was wet and the entire night it rained. So we awoke to a cold morning with wet shoes and jersey's. Dressing for the weather was almost futile because the constant rain water logged everything and anything, water proof or not. So Anson and I - who has been my riding buddy for quite awhile now - began the climb knowing it was at least 20 miles to the peak only to be followed by a slight downhill and then another climb - two passes in one day.... So we made it up Washington Pass having climbed at least 3500 ft nearly frozen and it was snowing at the top of the pass. Everything was wet and several other riders looked as though there were in the nascent stages of hypothermia. So we flagged down a motor home and the driver, fortunately, was an avid cyclist who took us down the pass to the lunch stop nearly 17 miles away. There was no way we were going to ride 17 miles downhill cold, wet, and in 40 degree weather. We made it to lunch with bikes still at the top of the pass nearly 20 miles away. Other rides had huddled in the bathroom at the peak and several of us piled into the van to make the ride back up so people could warm up. Well we made it and nearly half of the B&B crew was in the bathroom - we seem to have an affinity for bathrooms.
To say the very least, I wasn't going to let the weather stop me. After warming up I rode my bike back down the hill and into lunch, grabbing some food, and continuing on. It was still cold and raining periodically, but the scenery kept my mind off of things. Coming around one of the corners we were struck with a look at Diablo Lake, possibly the most turquoise lake I have ever seen. The lake against the mountains with the clouds hovering there was absolutely stunning, no words to describe it. We wrapped around the lake and made it to the bottom of the hill where we found the first "service" in nearly 80 miles, a coffee shop. With a good caffeine fix six of us formed a double paceline and finished out the incredibly long day.
So here we are in Lynden and looking at a map still scares me. We've nearly made it - 4000 miles from Maine to Vancouver, British Columbia. Tomorrows ride will consist of riding over the border crossing into Richmond which is a city just south of Vancouver. Monday is it, 28 miles into the city. We will be dipping our wheels and then off to celebrate our cross country excursion.
I cannot thank all of you enough for your continued support. The trip has been difficult in a number of ways, but by knowing that there are people out there who read these silly blogs is a good feeling. I will probably post one last time when I get home, a recap of the final events and the ride home (on a plane).
Until then....
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