Day 92, August 20^th, Anacortes, WA to Edmonds, WA.  I was wrong to make a big deal yesterday about finishing the tour.  Today I rode to Edmonds to meet my relatives, Sherm and Mary Williamson and it turned out to be one tough ride.  Sherm and I talked and agreed that I would ride to Kingston, WA and catch the ferry to Edmonds.  It was cool and cloudy in Anacortes this morning.  I found a café for breakfast about 6am and got on the road by 7:15.  After riding out of town, I began the series of climbs that would last all day.  The islands of the Puget Sound area are NOT FLAT.  I crossed Fidalgo island and went across a very high bridge across Deception Pass, a narrow strip of water between Fidalgo and Whidbey islands.  The tide was flowing out at a very fast pace and there were many whirlpools.  The route across Whidbey island started out okay but then the Adventure Cycling route took me out along the shore.  Did I mention that the islands were NOT FLAT?  The climbs up onto the bluffs were some of the hardest of the entire trip.  The scenery was great but I am not sure worth the effort.  I finally made it to Coupeville for a snack of coffee and a Danish.  It warmed up some, but was still cool near the water.  It was a short ride to the first of 2 ferry rides over to Port Townsend.  Coming off the ferry, I was faced with more climbs across the Upper Olympic Peninsula.  I decided to take the most direct route but I still had to push pretty hard to get to Kingston by about 4 pm.  I did cross a huge bridge across the Hood Canal with 4 separate draw-bridge sections.  Traffic was very heavy and I couldn’t stop for pictures.  On the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds I met 5 women from Mount Lebanon, PA, in town for a reunion.  All had graduated from Mount Lebanon HS which is an adjacent town to my home town of Carnegie.  I had estimated the mileage to be about 50 Arba-miles and true to form, mileage for the day was a little more at 75.11.  I am NOW AT THE END!       

Day 91, August 19^th, Sedro-Woolley, WA to Anacortes, WA.  The day is finally here for the last few miles to the Pacific Ocean.  The day dawned overcast and a light rain or mist was falling as I left Sedro-Woolley.  Tom and Paula are also finishing their ride today and Tom was not interested in the winding Adventure Cycling route.  He and Paula just headed off down Route 20 toward the goal.  I wasn’t arguing and followed along.  The route was flat and we pedaled straight through to Anacortes.  We could smell the ocean about halfway to Anacortes.  We crossed the Twin Bridges to Fidalgo Island and into Anacortes.  We took the Tommy Thompson Bike Trail across Fidalgo Bay and then headed to the west end of the island to Washington Park.  This is the official end of the Northern Tier Route and we dipped our wheels in the Puget Sound.  It has been quite a ride of over 4300 miles, 12 states, and a lot of beautiful scenery.  I am thankful to many for their prayers, words of encouragement, companionship for part of the ride, and all those who allowed me to realize my dream.  My special love and thanks to Cindy for her love and support through the whole trip.  Tomorrow I head for Seattle, link with my cousin Sherm and family, and send the gear home.  Mileage for today was 31.49.      

San Juan Islands

Across the straight to Anacortes. (old railroad bridge)

Day 90, August 18^th, Newhalem Campground to Sedro-Woolley, WA.  We were up early and on the road before it was fully light in the valley.  The sun was hitting the tops of the Cascade peaks, some with snow, but the valley was still just getting light.  We headed down the Skagit River valley in the cool.  It was mostly downhill and we made great time to Marblemount and breakfast.  We were all hungry since we have been eating snack and camping food for 2 days.  After breakfast we took the Adventure Cycling route off Route 20 which was a quiet back road down the valley.  We rolled back on the route at Rockport and kept going to the town of Concrete (formerly Cement City).  It turned out to be “Cascade Days” in Concrete, their annual community celebration.  There was a parade and booths to catch some food.  I had a Root Beer Float for the first time in ages.  Yum!  We stayed about an hour in Concrete and then headed toward Sedro-Woolley.  The wind picked up out of the southwest and made the ride harder than we wanted, but we kept pushing along.  About 2pm, we all got hungry and decided to stop for a late lunch/early dinner.  Sedro-Woolley was only about 8 miles away, so we rolled in about 4pm.  It was time for my first shower in 3 days and to rinse out some riding clothes.  Tomorrow is the LAST day on the trek.  Anacortes, WA, is only 30 miles away.  Mileage for the day was 60.58.

Day 89, August 17^th, Lone Fir Campground (on the Washington Pass) to Newhalem, WA.  We broke camp about 6am, I ate some Pop Tarts, and we headed up the road toward Washington Pass.  The morning was still and cool and as we rode up the hill the view of the big mountains was absolutely stunning.  We stopped a lot for pictures which made the ride a series of short stretches and not hard.  There was a sharp switch back at about 5 miles which had a steeper grade but short.  After another mile we made the summit of Washington Pass at 5,477 feet.  We had about a 4 mile steep downhill and then a short easy up to Rainy Pass at 4,855 feet.  Two passes in one day!  After Rainy Pass, it was downhill for almost 24 miles.  The vistas just kept coming and after a while I stopped trying to take pictures.  There were many peaks with snow or mini-glaciers all at about 10,000 feet.  We ended at the beginning of the Skagit River valley which was damed in the early 1900s to provide electricity to Seattle.  We crossed the lake and rode down a the very narrow river gorge to the town of Newhalem.  The gorge had no water at this time of year because all water is diverted to a pipe to feed the Generating Station in Newhalem.  Newhalem was created along with the town of Diablo as worker camps and then evolved into company towns that continue today for Seattle City Lights workers in the area.  We were starving when we got to Newhalem and got some lunch at the Company Store.  It was already 2:30 and like the rest of the USA, the Northwest is experiencing heat.  It was supposed to be in the 70s but was probably close to 95.  Although I wanted to push on and get to the finish earlier, the heat and the wind in my face convinced me to stay with Tom and Paula.  We found another National Park Service campground and settled in.  Paula had purchased a couple of beers and that made the campground option sooooo much better.  Tom and I went to the Skagit River which was running very fast and washed off the sweat.  We hung out for an hour or two and it was time for sleep.  Mileage for the day was 51.11.

Diablo Lake and Dam

Day 88, August 16^th, Winthrop, WA to Lone Fir Campground (about ¾ of the way up Washington Pass).  I was back on the road today headed up Washington Pass.  I am still riding with Tom and Paula and we left the hotel early and found a breakfast place in Winthrop.  We headed up the Methow Valley with mountains on both sides.  It was a very scenic ride again today.  It seems like am repeating myself but it was beautiful.  The first stop was the little hamlet of Mazama at the base of the climb.  We stopped for another snack.  I had a cranberry-peach muffin and some more coffee to bolster me for the climb.  We headed up the North Cascades Scenic Highway.  The climb was tough for the first part and then flattened out for several miles.  Before we knew it we were at Lone Fir Campground before noon.  It is a lovely spot and we just sat around for the rest of the day.  Tom has complained about carrying a lot of stuff and now I know why.  He has 2 tents, 2 stoves, cooking gear, and a lot of food.  Tom cooked an early dinner for all of us.  We did a short hike late in the afternoon and then all headed to their tents.  Mileage for the day was 27.48.

Day 87, August 15^th, Rest day in Winthrop, WA.  It felt great to sleep in this morning.  I didn’t rise till about 7:30.  Dallied over breakfast in the motel and then rode about 1 mile to the bike shop.  I got a new back tire and then explored Winthrop.  Winthrop is a little town that time forgot.  I suspect it was like Williamsburg.  Most of the buildings look very old probably dating from the late 1800s or early 1900.  They are all wooden and there is a wooden, covered walkway on both sides of the street.  There are many restaurants and small shops catering to tourists who come for the hiking, mountain bike trails, and trout fishing in the Methow River.  I stopped at a coffee shop and decided to have one of their cinnamon rolls.  The roll was about as big as my bike helmet so I called it lunch.  The rest of the day was devoted to resting.  Tomorrow I head up Washington Pass at 5500+ feet.  I think we are going to halfway up and camp on the mountain which will be a new experience for me.  The next day we will go over the pass and down toward through the Cascades. 

Day 86, August 14^th, Omak, WA to Winthrop, WA.  This was the 3^rd day in a row with a big climb.  Today was the Loup Loup Pass.  I got an early start with Tom and Paula, but the day was already warm in the Okanogan River valley.  We gave up all the elevation from yesterday and left Omak at about 1000 feet.  The route followed the river to the county seat of Okanogan which had an interesting Court House building.  The area is very dry but everything gets irrigated so there is a stark contrast of brown hills and green fields.  The area is also filled with orchards and we stopped for some cherries for lunch.  The route then turned up toward the pass and the climb was quite steep for a couple of miles.  We pass other orchards and one of the workers gave us some peaches.  Every time the road seemed to be ready to level out, we turned a corner and climbed some more.  About halfway up, we lost most of our elevation gain on a big downhill to Loup Loup Creek.  It was back to the climbing.  We finally reached the pass at the 27 mile mark.  It was warm but not hot, but we were all pretty tired.  The downhill to the next town, Twisp, was very steep and lasted 11 miles.  As we descended, a blast of hot air hit us.  It was almost 100 degrees in the valley.  We ate lunch in Twisp and then road the last 10 miles to Winthrop and a motel to get out of the heat.  There is a green wear strip showing on my back tire so I am going to take a day off and visit a bike shop in town to get a new tire.  The tire lasted from Washington DC so it has probably 4000 miles on it.  Next on the route is Washington Pass at over 5500 feet.  The weather on the other side of the Cascades will be cooler.  Mileage for the day was 48.27.

View on the way down to Twisp.  Ahead is the North Cascades area.