We crossed into Washington a week ago (July 26). Riding in Washington has been challenging and EXTRA hot. We've been battling temperatures above 100 F, which makes us feel like rotisserie chickens riding through a gigantic, state-sized convection oven. The bad part is that we smell way worse than delicious chicken afterward.
Based on how long we've been at this ride and the wild heat we decided to change and shorten our route. We rode for a while along Route 2 in the Cascade mountains and from Tonasket we veered south to Omak. We took a couple of extra days off there due to my mom having a kidney stone -- ouch. So we stayed right near where they host the annual Omak Stampede, home to the famous suicide race. There is a 200-foot, 60-degree hill from a cliff side into a river where racers ride their horses down the steep hill, down into and across the river, and finish in the stampede stadium. Wild stuff.
Yesterday we rode south out of Omak and into Leavenworth, a cute little Bavarian-inspired town in Washington, and met Tom and Ashley for a rest day filled with floating down the river and some delicious bratwursts.
We will be hitting the road again tomorrow and riding west on route 2 towards Gold Bar. We only have 2 more days of riding until we reach the Pacific in Everett Washington!
