WABDR: On the road to Section 1

On the Road to Section 1

We woke up bright and early on the day of America’s birthday. We had no idea where we would end up for the festivities, but we knew we would be at somebody’s cookout. Ok, so maybe we didn’t. I believe that morning I said something like, “I am speaking my intuition. We will be invited to a cookout.” Jennifer laughed and we were on our way.

It was a day of asphalt only. We were heading back to Jennifer’s house in Castle Rock. The WABDR portion of our adventure over. Jennifer has a knack for finding routes of country roads, national forests, and sheer beauty. Today was no different. The majority of the day was spent riding in a painting of canyons, lakes, and cow pastures.

Did you know that cows roam freely out west? I expected them in the woods. But on the highway? I laughed when I saw the sign. Why would a cattle guard be needed on a paved road? The reality is we saw just as many of them on the rural thoroughfare as we did on the off-road one.

There are no words to adequately describe what we were riding through. Spectacular. Beautiful. Breath-taking. None of them even begin to speak of the experience.

A big portion of the day’s ride was through an Indian Reservation. At one point we stopped to get a cord to charge the helmets. The sculptures outside the grocery store were beautiful.

Miles of open space. The beauty that surrounded us was like the person who has no idea how good-looking they are. Open, kind, and welcoming just shines out of them. You just feel good being in their presence.

No filters are used in any of these photos. The colors were not as vibrant as the greens in Western Washington. Yet, still they took my breath away. We continued on. I do not know how many miles we rode until we reached Cooley Dam; all I know is that my butt was starting to hurt. Remember, these bikes are made for standing. We didn’t stay long.

A couple of photos and we were in search of breakfast. It always takes longer to find food than what we anticipate. Destination: Pepper Jacks.

Inside was a man. He kept checking me out while I ate. I am open to welcoming a good man in my life, so I approached him. He was all stiff. One might even say statue-like. Not impressed with my advances at all. Meanwhile, the man setting up the salad bar for the day looked on shaking his head. He looked much more fun than the man of the law that I was attempting to engage. You already know where this is going...right over to him. We had a moment before Jennifer was telling me it was time to get back on the bikes.

Our goal was to reach Yakima by nightfall. On we rode. No longer the only wheels on the roads, we couldn’t poke as much in an attempt to absorb all that surrounded us. We stopped often to take pictures. All the while, Jennifer waited patiently on her bike.

A few more miles down the road, more photos.

Jennifer was tired. Feeling the need to lay down for a short nap, she got off her bike.

Or maybe it was time for a picture of the bikes without her in it...

Either way, a short while later, we were back on our way. Traffic thinned as we were once again, desperately looking for gas and a bathroom. A short stop at a convenience store to take care of our needs and check the map provided another opportunity for photos. This was a day of selfies for me.

We were getting closer to Yakima. I don’t know how many miles it was from our gas stop to the next stop. I do know it was about 73 comments about the different ways our butts were numb, hurting, and begging for some relief. Finally, we reached Yakima and a convenience store. This time we planned to stop for a bit longer.

Cell service was extremely spotty on our trip. So when we stopped and it was available, there was little chatter between us. We were on our phones. Me, checking social media and sending a quick text or two. Jennifer, typically checking the map with some facebook on the side.

“Those your bikes out there?”

“Yup! We just finished the BDR. Now we are trying to figure out a place to camp tonight. Pretty sure all the campsites will be filled up being the 4th and all.” Jennifer explained to the latest random stranger coming in contact with us.

“You are welcome to camp in my backyard. I am right down the road.”

The conversation continued. In no time, the man that was with him invited us to their cookout. Remember the intention we spoke in the morning? There was no way we were going to turn it down.

These are the stories that will be in more detail in the book. The highlights include: Jennifer making friends with the dogs...again. Pickled asparagus. Who knew it was a thing? Plans of canning education between Jennifer and Pam. Overview of the wedding take place in a couple days. (We never did get to meet the bride as she was getting her nails done for the upcoming nuptials.) The awesomeness of sisters. Geography, genealogy, and how it is all related.

We ate our fill, expressed our gratitude, and decided to get on up the road a bit before stopping for the night. We would take our chances on finding a campsite...or we would set up our tent on the side of the road if need be.

We rode onto White’s Pass, fingers crossed we would find somewhere to lay our heads. About an hour later, we found a campsite with one site available and claimed it.

Once again, the scenery around us was the thing dreams are made of. Once again, I tried for a sunset, but to no avail. Instead, I did some writing and went to bed.

In the morning, the wind made it difficult to pack the tent. As a matter of fact, it ended up in the bushes at one point. We had conquered bigger challenges.