Day: 5
Miles: 84
Mileage from start: 399
When I was little, mom tells me, I had a very narrow threshold for temperature comfort. Most of the time I was either too hot or too cold. I haven’t really grown out of that but at least I’ve learned to like the cold and tolerate the hot to the degree that I’ll at least keep my clothes on while it’s appropriate (as a kid I did not always follow this social norm when the temperatures rose).
These last few days have been take-your-clothes-off hot. I’ve kept my cycling garments on while biking but after that, all I can think about is getting out of my salt stiff clothes and rinse off the white layer all over my skin.
This morning we got into Omak to pick up packages and buy some food. It was more complicated than I’d hoped, but all the packages are accounted for and we actually got 3 of the 4. Pretty good.
After Omak came the winds. For 20 miles we fought our way forward. By midday we were in Toneskat supine under a shady oak. The heat plus headwind was exhausting.
But we still had a long climb to do before heading into the next town east for showers and dinner.
The incline was less steep than the day before, but I don’t think I was recovered and had to work so much harder to get up to Wacounda Pass.
It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that any shade hit the road. We slogged up and up and up. I’m getting thirsty again just thinking about it.
The sweet sailing of downhills off a pass are usually enough to make me forget the struggle of the climb. But the pavement has been pretty killer. America paves it’s road with chip and seal, apparently. It makes for a constant jiggling. After a long stretch my hands vibrate as though they’re still gripping the shaking handlebars.
We rolled into Republic with just enough time to catch dinner at Freckles Restaurant. I had morrel mushrooms on pasta. It was awesome! And a local couple bought our meal for us! So nice.
At our hotel we washed and rinsed and cleaned.
It’s only been a few days yet but I think thrubiking is more tiring than thruhiking.
