Day 60

50 Miles
The morning came at just the right time. It wasn't hard getting up. Today's mountain was a lower elevation than the Wauconda Pass of the day before. And today's pass was fun to say, Loup Loup. I was pumped for my ride.
After a quick stop at the local gas station for some chocolate milk and other breakfastness, I set out. Lily, feeling much better pulled out far ahead of me early on.
The ride started out fine. The sun was shining and I could tell it'd be a hot day. This mountain was not as easy as I had hoped. Some of the grade was the worst I had encountered in some time. It was much harder than I wanted it to be. I made several stops on the way up.
I saw the three Dutchmen slowly gaining on me as I climbed. They were encouraging when they eventually passed. Robert stopped briefly to show me how much more I had to ride. We were about a mile or two from the top. With another word of confidence he rode on. I pushed on, steady and sometimes very slow. But eventually I made it to the pass. It was definitely the biggest challenge of the mountains so far.
Han, Hans, Robert and Lily were all chatting and resting when I arrived. We hung out there for awhile. I actually ate twice. We all chatted and got to know more about each other. We also talked to some people on horseback. This added even more to the cowboy old west feel I'd encountered repeatedly in Washington.
The ride down the mountain was leisurely and uneventful. This western side of the mountain had more trees. The road we were following followed a river. Lily and I were looking for a place to swim. We didn't find anywhere. I imagined the water was freezing anyway.
Lily and I stopped at a grocery store in the very touristy town. The town had an Old West store front facade. To me, it felt very faked. I preferred a more authentic look. We rode on toward the next town. We were even considering pedaling a portion up the next mountain. I was of course further behind Lily. I found her talking with some other cyclists outside of a camp specifically for cyclists. It was still early but we decided this would be a good place to camp. The Bike Barn was a great little set up. Jim and Jan greeted us and told us about some of the amenities. There was an outdoor solar heated shower. The barn house a fridge and sitting area. Oh, and there were outlets galore! I immediately started charging all my devices. Lily and I set up camp behind the barn. The couple who we had been talking to decided to stay elsewhere. The privacy and promise of a clear sky at night meant that we both opted to go without the rainfly. I took a nice shower in the well enclosed solar shower. It was still light out and I went to sleep. It had been a tough ride. Tomorrow was the last mountain. I was pumped, but ready for sleep. At dusk I heard another cyclist arrive. It was Joe. I was too close to sleep to get up and socialize. I enjoy seeing the stars when I did wake up in the night. It was cold throughout the night. I donned my wooly hat and cuddled far into my sleeping bag.