Newhalem to Winthrop

Date: 6 June Wednesday (Day 3) and 7 June Thursday (Day 4) - Rest Day
Starting Point:  Newhalem, WA
Ending Point: Winthrop, WA
Via: Diablo, Rainy Pass, Washington Pass
Mileage: 75.5
Time: 9:02
Mph: 8.4
Terrain: mountainous
Temperature High: 54
Temperature Low: 38
Cooks: Restaurant
Food: Delicious Menu Items
Weather: windy, some rain, light snow at the top of Washington Pass
Lodging: KOA Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 194.8
Miles to Go: ≈4,105

 

We made a decision yesterday to stay in Newhalem in a comfy bunkhouse because it had been raining all day and we were all chilled. I was one of the last people to arrive at the grocery store in Newhalem where we were to buy our supplies for the next three meals before we continued on to our campsite that had no shelter, no showers and no warm water. People looked at me in a funny way when they asked me if we should stay in the comfy bunkhouse or continue on. I suppose there was some peer pressure in operation, but I had no doubts about staying. We paid dearly for that decision.

The next day it started overcast, cool, occasionally drippy and slightly windy. We had to cover the ten miles we should have done yesterday PLUS the sixty-five we had to cover to reach Winthrop. It was a long slog uphill; forty-five miles uphill to  Washington Pass. There were just a few spots where the road was flat or some tiny downhill. From that last pass, it was easily twenty miles downhill until the first slight incline.

There was little traffic along the way and we were very spread out as a group; there were at least three hours separating the “leaders” and those in back. I have to emphasize that this isn’t any sort of race, but some people do ride faster than others. Again it wasn’t rainy on Rainy Pass, but there was snow on the ground.

Some time after leaving Newhalem, I did spot a mammal that could have been a fisher. At first glance, I thought it was a ferret, but the internet seems to point to this instead. As I was moving along at a blistering 8.5 mph, it crossed the road in front of me about thirty yards away. The only other animal sighting was a jay at the top of Rainy Pass. Some people there called it a “robber jay.”

A hiker announced to us that the lake a short distance from the pass was still frozen. This was not welcome news. But we were heading down soon, so we had hope to avoid freezing ourselves.

After descending the steepest parts of the mountain, we arrived in Mazama where I wanted to visit the delicatessen there to get a hot sandwich. Rolling up to the front door, we saw the “CLOSED” sign and I know that at least I issued forth a loud disappointed sigh. Then while we stood there, one of our fellow riders, Rich, opened the door and invited us in. The owner stayed open specifically to help us out. There were no hot sandwiches, but there was hot coffee. Even though he was from Vermont, we had a long conversation about things. He was planning to ride his bicycle to Vermont for his seventy-fifth high school reunion. This in itself wasn’t so unbelievable. He was planning on doing in it forty-five days; THAT was the unbelievable part. When I pointed out to him that adding a few days might reduce the daily average to a more manageable enjoyable amount. His answer, “I’m an animal.” I mentioned this story to the librarian in Winthrop; she knew him and she stated categorically that he would do the ride as he stated – without a doubt.

Fortunately we arrived at a KOA campground that provided a shuttle into town, so we didn’t have to ride our bikes in the dark, in order to eat dinner.

A not very surprising aspect was just how well all of us slept.