Last pass

The highest paved pass in Washington, Sherman Pass, about 5500', was on today's schedule.  We headed out as usual and started climbing pretty soon.  The ride up was different mostly because it was sort of cool today.  We were looking forward to possible rain, possible thundershowers.  None of that happened on the way up.  As we got close to the top, though, we saw clouds coming down to meet the mountain tops, and big thunderheads behind the low clouds.  Sure enough, we heard a distant rumble.

Only one.  We got to feeling less anxious.  And we got to the top with no further threat of lightning.  We were just getting ready to take Bruce's picture next to the pass sign. . .

Speaking of pictures, we finally figured out how to add them.  Not quite sure how to label them yet.  So yesterday's pictures - I guess we don't exactly know how to get them in order, either - are of me at the Anacortes shore; the view of the snow-capped Cascades on our first day of climbing; both of us back in Anancortes; The Li'l Store, which I forgot to mention on Saturday.

It had a sign that was even less formal than the one in the picture out by the road.  I didn't think it was really a store until I saw the pictured sign.  We went on in and found Gatorade, candy bars, and a very talkative husband & wife who asked all about our plans and told us all about the store and the animals they had.  One little kitty (rodent control specialist, we were told) almost followed us to Wauconda.

But back to this afternoon.

Just as Bruce was turning the camera on, the cloud descended on us and began to rain on us.  Never too hard, but the visibility was pretty pathetic at times, and not many things take the fun out of coasting down for miles and miles the way a thorough chill does.  We did not hang around to take pictures.

It eventually dried out and warmed up.  We stopped for lunch (thank you, Aline!) where we could gaze out over the, hmm, the. . .

Well, if I read my map correctly, the county we ate in calls it the Franklin D Roosevelt Lake.  The county we crossed into right after we ate calls it the Columbia River.

Whatever.

We looked across at a large sawmill and an old bridge and, for a while, a bald eagle.

Then off to finish up the ride, which took a bit longer than we had expected thanks to some seriously annoying headwinds.

Tomorrow will be one of our longest days, about 92 miles.  We are really hoping for a wind-free experience!