Day 6

Miles: 81

Mileage from start: 480

It’s a good thing I was getting tired of all that sun and heat because it’s gone! 

We slept in at the hotel in Republic and didn’t get moving until after 10 a.m. The day dawned cloudy and over breakfast it started raining and thundering. Fortunately the thunder didn’t last but lingering soft rain followed us until mid-afternoon. 

Sherman Pass was the big geographical feature of the day and it came just as we left town. Seventeen miles up the pass under rain, strong winds and many many logging trucks. A couple of times my front wheel lurched left, pushed by the unseen hand of the wind. 

The top was hard won but eventually achieved. The rain stopped for a bit while we ate and rested at the top. Richard layered up, but all I could think of was the bottom of the hill and pizza. Plus, it honestly never occurred to me that it would rain the WHOLE way down.

It did, though. 

And I got super cold. I just kept hoping the rain would stop so I could dry even slightly. But with the continuous moisture and the wind of riding downhill, I was all too happy to roll up to the pizza place, grab my dry clothes bag and run to the bathroom. 

Once changed into dry things my whole outlook on life was brighter. I could bike forever!

We ordered a large veggie and stuffed breadsticks. We consulted our maps and caught up on the news. And studied the weather forecast. 

It cleared up as we ate and we eventually convinced ourselves to keep moving. I changed back into my wet stuff that would dry as we rode and we got back on the route.

The rest of the evening was rolling ups and downs. The light about an hour and a half before sunset was beautiful. All the fields around us shown in gold. There were still clouds above us but they’d lightened to a soft gray and the sun shown through a slice in the western sky. 

By 8:30 I was tired and done cycling for the day. We stopped at a Department of Natural Resources campsite and settled in next to a quiet creek.