Day 6, Saturday, July 5.
Omak, WA to Republic, WA
Daily Mileage: 70.60 miles
Total Mileage: 435.2 miles
Daily Time on Bike: 6:23 hours
Average Speed: 11.0 mph
Maximum Speed: 34.0 mph
We started out from Omak at 9AM after eating way too much for breakfast—we bought a pound of Betty Crocker cereal, three donuts, a quart of milk and a half gallon of orange juice trying to match previous mornings.
Daily Mileage: 70.60 miles
Total Mileage: 435.2 miles
Daily Time on Bike: 6:23 hours
Average Speed: 11.0 mph
Maximum Speed: 34.0 mph
We started out from Omak at 9AM after eating way too much for breakfast—we bought a pound of Betty Crocker cereal, three donuts, a quart of milk and a half gallon of orange juice trying to match previous mornings.
Our first days on the bike the weather was relatively cool and breezy; however, there was a noticeable shift the moment we crossed over Washington Pass. Now it was 90 degrees in the shade and drastic shift made it feel more like we were riding through the desert.
We stopped at a little town called Riverside to use the restroom, which consisted of a portable toilet standing alone in the middle of their town park. Riverside looked like so many of the other towns we passed through—population of 283, several small houses, a gas station/restaurant/convenience store and a cowboy shop. From there we rolled on to Tomasak, where we took a long break before attempting the two mountain passes we planned for today. We reached the first, Wauconda Pass (4,300 ft), after a brief stop in the “town” of Wauconda. This “town” was merely a convenience store/restaurant, and it weirded us out! It’s the type of place you’d see at the beginning of a horror movie right after someone’s car broke down in the middle of the night. This one couple just stared silently at our bikes for quite a long time before finally going inside—no questions, no pointing, just stone-cold staring. After eating a can of baked beans (we were on a baked bean kick for a few days) and Gatorade, we headed up for another six miles to the Pass. From there we coasted into Republic with little effort on our part.
Once in Republic, we stopped at a grocery store to get dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast. We really weren’t hungry but knew once we got to the campground would want some food, so David and I walked through the store twice before picking out some random things. While making our way to the campground located next to their fair grounds it started to sprinkle. We ran to the site as if we were going to throw up the tent and climb inside before it really started to rain. Instead, it occurred to us that we should hide out in the spacious restrooms until the rain let up. There was an overhang that we put our bikes under to keep them dry and then we ate dinner as the rains poured down outside. A tree limb fell and a huge lightning bolt flashed nearby that David felt through the metal pipe on which he was leaning. And then it started to hail. The pieces of hail were about half the size of ping-pong balls, but abundant. It was the first time that I had been outside during a big hailstorm, and it was really quite something. While we waited out the rest of the storm I shaved for the first time this week; man, does it feel good to not have facial hair.
(Photo: Tim eating dinner in the park restroom.)
