Biking: 62 miles (Denise)/74.5 miles (Anita and Mark)
Today was a good day on the bike. The three of us rode the Vantage Highway from Ellensburg to Vantage, WA. It started with a slow gradual climb for 20 miles followed by 10 miles of downhill. Perfect. The road had a wide shoulder, lots of visibility, and low traffic. A great alternative to the Palouse to Cascades trail coming out of Ellensburg.
Here we are climbing the mountain and resting at the top.
At Vantage, the route crosses a bridge on I-90, but currently bikes are restricted due to construction (and frankly, do we really want to ride on a highway over a bridge?). The detour adds about 20 miles to the trip, so we took an alternative route…jump in the RV and have Brian ferry us over the bridge.
Because the temperature reached the high 90s today, and the smoke is still lingering, Anita and Mark decided to book a hotel room rather than try to camp near the RV. That meant we needed to go two different directions after the bridge. Brian dropped them off on Rt 26, right after the bridge so they could ride south to Othello. I got to be ferried another five miles to the second exit where I started pedaling north to the campground at Potholes State Park – an unfortunate name for a beautiful state park.
The route took me through mile after mile of farm country. I saw so many apple trees and cornstalks, and even a lavender farm – so I stopped and picked up some lavender hand cream.
The road was flat and mostly straight, with a slight tailwind which was good because the day was heating up fast. We left at 6:30 am this morning to try to beat the heat, but by noon it was in the 90s.
Unfortunately, Mark had a flat tire during the second half of the ride, and because the temp was high, they found a stack of a hay bales to provide some shade while he changed it. Luckily, he was prepared. With the new tube, they were on their way to Othello.
Tomorrow promises to be a shorter ride, heading to Ritzville. The smoke and the heat persist, but we’re determined to continue, provided the air quality levels remain below the “unhealthy” level. I keep thinking that I’d like to repeat a few of these days another time when the smoke is cleared and I can see the views.
For now, we push on to the next town.
RWGPS for today:
Keep the Wheels Turning 
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