Day 2 - June 29th - Easton, WA to Vantage, WA
| Route Distance: | 71 | Average Speed: | 15.3 | |
| Total Distance: | 151 | Maximum Speed: | 36.8 | |
| Riding Distance: | 73.9 | Elevation Gain: | 1844' | |
| Riding Time: | 4:49 |
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Picture notes: Ginkgo Petrified Forest visitors center. What do you mean by "no bicycles"? Click here for more pictures from today |
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Woke
up at 5:00 am with the morning mantra of the Big Ride in my mind - "Get up,
Pack up, Load up, Eat up, and Ride out". Did our first stint as the
breakfast team, and once cleanup was done we hit the road at around
7:30. Tailwinds for the first part of the day, all the way into Ellensburg
where we went through checkpoint and hit Subway for lunch. The day heated up
quickly, and wouldn't you know it, the wind shifted to a headwind just about
the time we started the climb over the ridge before our descent into
Vantage. The temperature also climbed steadily, at one point hitting over
100°! The descent into Vantage was into the same headwind, and with the heat
it felt like we were standing in front of a blast furnace. After a quick
stop at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest visitors center, we continued into
Vantage on the shores of the Columbia River. The gear truck in the
campground was a welcome site. The swimming pool was heated to a cool 65°,
which was incredibly refreshing, and after cleaning up we relaxed around the
campsite. Training team #2 occurred just before a 6:00 dinner of pasta and
apple pie at the restaurant next to the campground. I suspect we'll be
eating quite a bit of pasta between here and DC! I can already tell that the days will slip into a routine of getting ready, riding, eating, hydrating, eating some more, setting up camp, eating some more, socializing, and sleeping. It's hard to believe that we left Seattle only yesterday morning - it seems like we've been out here for a week or more! |