It had been raining since we left Portland and hadn't let up until we left the campground early Sunday morning. The plan was to drive the last 60 miles to Cape Flattery, then bicycle back to the campground, beginning the 4000 some odd miles to the Atlantic Ocean. Riding the last 60 miles in the car to Cape Flattery, I was much more cognizant of every hill and mountain, knowing that in a few hours that I would be pedaling back over this same ground.

I must admit, hiking down reach Cape Flattery, the most Northwest point in the continental US, I was feeling a strange mixture of apprehension and excitement. The dream was finally becoming a reality and the only thing left to do was pause for a few pictures, then start pedaling. Fortunately, the trip began with a six mile downhill. We rode along Route 101 bordered by the Straight of Jaun de Fuca on our left and verdant forests on our right. We arrived back at the same campground some 7 hours later, both exausted. My Dad hadn't quite bargained for the hills, coming from Florida, where the third tallest mountain is Space Mountain. I was also a bit unprepared, never having biked further than 50 miles before.

We crossed the 120 miles of the Olympic Peninsula in 2 days, then took the ferry from Port Townsend to Fort Casey on Bainbridge Island. From Bainbridge Island, we were treated to our first views of the Olympic Mountains when the clouds finally cleared. At the northern end of Bainbridge Island, we crossed Deception Pass and headed through Anacortes and then towards North Cascades National Park. The road to the park followed the Skagit River and passed through temperate rainforest and farmland.

Once we got into the park, it was a brutal 30 mile climb to Washington Pass. The uphill slog began at 7 am and lasted us well into the afternoon. At the pass, the landscape changed dramatically. The Douglas Fir forests gave way to sheer peaks then gave way to Ponderosa Pines, sagebrush, and cottonwoods. We paused briefly at the pass and then started 17 miles of glorious downhill.

If there is one great thing about riding a bike, it's riding it downhill as fast as you possibly can. At the top of the pass, I downshifted to my lowest gear then start pedaling as hard as possible. All this yields hair-raising speeds of about 40 miles an hour and ear to ear grins. As we descended from the pass, it was like heading into a blast furnace. You could feel the temperature rising with each thousand feet that we descended. Eastern Washington has been nothing but sunny and hot. With temperatures consistently in high 90s, I drink at least a gallon of water a day and I'm still dehydrated. Any body of water large enough to swim in, we do. This includes lakes, rivers, streams, ect. The locals seem to congregate here also, which makes for some interesting interaction.

Today we finally left Washington State. We're in the town on Sandpoint Idaho and will be entering Montana tomorrow. I have to say, I love the short states - real confidence boosters. The only low point in the trip thus far was getting stung in the face by a bee. My left eye was swollen shut which put me out for a day. Biking with only one eye proved to be too difficult, especially when some drivers try to brush-you-back over the white line.

The Sandpoint librarian is giving me the evil eye, which means it's time to sign off. More to follow....