Day 4 - July 1st - Odessa, WA to Spokane, WA
| Route Distance: | 75 | Average Speed: | 13.8 | |
| Total Distance: | 307 | Maximum Speed: | 39.1 | |
| Riding Distance: | 78.1 | Elevation Gain: | 1922' | |
| Riding Time: | 5:37 |
|
|
Picture notes: Wheat, wheat and more wheat today. Click here for more pictures from today |
|
Slept really well last night, and woke up feeling
refreshed and ready for the day, albeit more sore than past mornings. Rode
out early again in another attempt to beat the heat, and started the long
and gradual climb to Spokane. We passed wheat field after wheat field after
wheat field, somewhat monotonous but beautiful in it's own right. We also
finally had a day with no difficult headwinds! We did encounter some fresh
(i.e. within the last couple of days) chipseal for the 13 miles from
Harrington to Davenport, which slowed us down to about 11-12 mph, and the
smooth surface once we reached Davenport was a welcome feeling to our
bruised butts. After a quick lunch break in Davenport we joined Highway 2 for the 35 mile ride into Spokane. Bruce and I joined up with 5 other riders and made quick work of this stretch, all the while getting to know these fellow Big Riders better. The traffic became heavier as we rode through the outskirts of town; it really felt unusual after 300+ miles of riding in fairly remote areas. After winding through several residential neighborhoods, we arrived at Gonzaga University and checked into our accommodations in one of the dormitories. Tents were spread out all over the lawn to dry off the dew from this morning, and after a shower Bruce and I were met by his father, who lives in Spokane. We treated him and his wife to dinner at Black Angus and then went back to their home to do laundry. I'm now back at the dorm updating this site (which also serves as my daily journal), and looking forward to a relaxing day off tomorrow. Note: I periodically go back and update previous day's pages as I remember more details, so what you read earlier may have changed. |