Okanogan to Republic, WA

The past 24 hours have been interesting to say the least. We woke up in Okanogan - a small town on the east side of Loup Loup Pass. After a delicious breakfast with Bill and Suzanne at "On The Ave." we head out for another great day of riding. The headwind was strong and it was HOT making the ride pretty tough. After an hour or two of battling headwinds Mason lost his front tire into the soft shoulder and took a spill. We were all tightly packed because of the wind and Karl went over with Mason. The spill resulted in a bent fork on Karl's bike and a wobbly tire for Mase. Devin did a nice job of truing Mason's wheel and we were off shortly after the incident. I think we were feeling a little over-confident so this was a good reminder how quickly things can change if we don't pay close attention. Pedaling our bikes down these highways really is dangerous so feeling totally comfortable is something we should avoid. Overall I'm proud of our attitude and ability to fix the problem and continue on our path. The fall took a little wind out of our sails but not enough to keep us from conquering Wauconda Pass and camping in a pasture under the stars later that evening.

We are now in Republic, WA grabbing some food and preparing for the highest mountain pass in Washington State - Sherman Pass. We are becoming more aware of what our bodies need to continue on these hot afternoons. One of the most important things I've learned to keep going is to drink before you're thirsty and eat before you're hungry. Otherwise you'll wake up in a random yard with someone asking if you're ok - but we learned that lesson on Day 1. We have been going through nuun like crazy - it really is a life saver on these hot days.

Well the battery is running out and we have a mountain to climb - update again maybe in Kettle Falls? Hope everyone is having a good Monday!

Donald