Okanogan, Getting There, by Emily

July 19

Collection of petrified wood samples, high above the Columbia River.  Photo from park website.

Leaving Vancouver for the Okanogan (spelled Okanagan in Canada) region of Washington. Pronounced Ohk-u-nah-gun. The name comes from the indigenous Salish peoples place name "ukʷnaqín."   In Washington, it means--to some people--"People living where you can see the top."         Here is a map of our route.   Google Map of Okanogan trip

From the moment we saw this tour mapped out, I was captivated.  This region in north-eastern Washington is very rural, and has a ton of history and lots of lakes.     For weeks, I mapped our route and researched things to do and see, places to eat and stay.  Based on our previous trips, we wanted to be better prepared, food-wise, and see how low-budget we could make this trip.  More packing of our own food, which would make heavier climbs.  

The drive took us through the Columbia River Gorge again, though we turned north sooner than our Palouse trip in June.  But not before a stop for cinnamon rolls at Cousin's restaurant!!  :)  

At the halfway mark, our lunch stop was the Ginko Petrified Forest State Park. .  This was our last time to use our Washington Park Pass before it expired!  Stunning views of the Columbia River, way up in Washington.  Truly, I had no idea it went so far north, and no idea that it created a landscape to compete with the Grand Canyon!     At the park, we found a collection of petroglyphs, which had been moved from their original location along the river, when a dam flooded the plain and the original town of Vantage.  

Selection of petroglyphs rescued from flood.

Petroglyphs close up.

The indigenous peoples of the area, the Wanapum, lived along the Columbia River, and they carved over 300 petroglyphs into the cliffs, which are hard basalt. Because they were a peaceful, welcoming people, the white settlers did not sign treaties with them, and  they sadly have no federally recognized right to the lands. The area was flooded by the Wanapum dam in 1963, and about 60 petroglyphs were removed from the cliffs and brought up to the new interpretive center.  More information about the Wanapum people can be found  here.   And more info about the people and  the petroglyphs here in an article from the Spokesman review.

A full view of the outdoor display. I couldn't get a picture, because of the sun's angle, so this is off the Internet.

Here is an example of a carved rock, from Whale Island, which was flooded by the dam. This is from an archaeological collection of photos pre-dam that you can sort and search. Here's a sort for "Whale Island". 

The petrified wood in the interpretive center represents one of the most diverse collections (over 50 species)of petrified wood in the world. And they were all collected in the area!  Incredible, and a must stop if you are ever travelling through Vantage, WA on I-90.

Looking south towards the gorge.  Not the gorge between Oregon and Washington.   Other gorge!

Looking south, that road turns north on the far side of the river, and takes us through amazing canyons.  Pictures are on the home trip post, because I slept through it on the way up!

Looking south, to the road that crosses the dammed river.  That road area is the old location of the town, which was flooded.  

Down under the water is the original site of the petroglyphs.  Divers have gone down, and said the remaining drawings are still there, under water.

We learned so much in the interpretive center!  There was  a whole display about how agates are made, which was a super bonus after the agates we found in Oregon on our Coast trip.  We also learned about the geologic and weathering processes which shaped Washington. This informed our experiences in the Palouse and gave us a peek into what we would see in the coming week.  The repeated cycles of volcanic eruptions, glacier movement, and natural dams/flooding built the layers that were exposed through erosion.  

After spending a good hour eating our lunch and wandering through the interpretive center, we headed back to the road for the rest of the trip.  Much of which was bordered by apple trees.  Mass farms of apples.

Miles and miles of acres and acres of apple trees. Now I know where the Washington Apples come from!

More apples.

Apples

We arrived in Tonasket, what would be the beginning and end of our bike tour.   First we found the Red Apple, a hotel run by Chris, a retired person from New York, former marathon runner.  Classic east coast with the jokes.   We had to negotiate with him about leaving the van for the 4 days we'd be gone.  Though he had agreed to this over the phone, he had to rib us and complain before showing us where it would go.  We checked into our room.  Like walking into a time warp. The fixtures in the bathroom were this turquoise glass that glowed.  Pedestal sink, tiles on walls, the tub.   All well worn and nicked but still serviceable.  We walked to the Tonasket Co-op to get snacks and see if there was anything we needed for the trip.   Incredible to find a fully stocked Co-op in this tiny town!  Been around for 40 years.     Across the way was the grocery store, a voluminous store that sold a bit of everything.  Yes, we were in a small town, hours from the nearest large population center and all the amenities that come with people.    

In this image of Tonasket, looking north, our route tomorrow will take us across the river to the left, and around the mountain along the left edge.  The ridge in the background is where we climb over and down to the town of Oroville. The curve a bit above the "a" in Washington is the road that comes from the east, where we arrive back in Tonasket on our last day!  

We had leftovers for dinner: rice, broccoli, tofu, and tuna for dinner, cooked in the microwave.  Root beer and Beer from the Co-op and grocery store.  Delicious cookies from the Co-op for dessert. We met a cyclist from Europe (Germany I think) who was doing the northern tier route from Pacific to Atlantic after having traveled France last year.   He was travelling light, without a helmet, and was staying at the bike campground behind the Tonasket Visitor Center.   

After the long drive in the sun, I was struggling to keep my eyes open, but highly energized about our trip.   Every day, we camp on a new lake.  What better way to celebrate Jay's 50th birthday, then on bikes and in the water!

Pacific Coast: Day 4, Elk Creek Camp to Home! 40 miles, by Emily

July 14

Today we ride home.    We left home on our bikes, and arrive home on our bikes. How cool is that!

Quick breakfast (the hot cereal, though good, is getting old by day 4) and loaded up to leave, early.
 Ahead is what appears to be a challenging climb on the map.  But once we started, it wasn't that bad. Maybe we're getting stronger.  Once we crested the mountain, we screamed downhill, FAST.     Amazing how what took so long to go up, melts away so quickly.  The descents were much steeper on this side of the mountain, and we both talked about how glad we were to have done the route we did which took us up the other side instead.

Traffic was heavy and only grew heavier the longer we road.  At the bottom, we had miles of rollers to get to Banks, OR.  On the way we stopped at a pond to rest a bit from the heavy traffic and the shoulder that disappeared on curves and bridges.  We watched dragonflies, hundreds of them of different shapes and colors.  The pond was covered with lily pads.

In Banks, we stopped at a shopping area with a coffee wagon near shade and trees.  The bagels from Tillamook came out, with peanut butter, the jam, and cheese.    Delicious.  I got a chai from the coffee wagon, and we stopped at the Subway to fill up ice water in all bottles.

Looking good after 4 days on the road!

Feeling good, too!

Horizontal in the dappled shade feels good.

Looking west, to the coast range we climbed. Can't smell the ocean any more.....

Jay's loaded bike.

Our break tree in Banks.

From Banks to Hillsborough the way led through farm roads and hay fields.  Very pleasant, low traffic, brilliant sun.  We saw an enormous dust devil, a tower of dust rising up into the air like a mini tornado.   A bit further along, we saw a HAY Devil!  Like a dust devil, but made from hay shards. Incredible    In Hillsborough, we got water and Jays coffee treat and then boarded the light rail to Portland.  At first, we were alone on the train, but then people started filling it up and we needed to find a safe place to have our loaded bikes.  

Jay on the empty train.

I was so glad to get off the train and start riding again, even though I was beyond tired.   Jay asked if I wanted to stop and have Indian food on the way home. I said, without hesitation, "No!"   A bit later, Jay asked, "Want to do Yum Bowl?"  Without hesitation I answered, "Yes!"  So we did.   

Yum bowl.

Pacific Coast: Day 3, Cape Lookout to Elk Creek Camp,39 miles, by Emily

July 13
Day 3, leaving the coast.  Oh this was hard!  I just wanted to camp out here for a week, and feel the "normalness" of being on the ocean.  But we have miles to go and explore.    

It had been a very wet night, and all the greenery was especially bright in the morning.      Clean and sparkling and fresh.  After tea/coffee at the beach, and a breakfast of hot cereal--a welcome warmth on this chilly morning--we shook off the tent as best we could and rolled it up.  Jay fashioned a quick fender for his rack with an open ziplock bag, so the tent and his sleeping bag wouldn't get wet from the road.

New growth on conifers, looks like 5-finger fern!

More new growth.

Jay's fender.

I put all my still-wet clothes (I am reminded of how moisture in the air means clothes will not dry without wind and sun!) in bags so they wouldn't get dry things in my panniers wet.  Our cycling neighbors were also getting slow starts, coming out from tents like sleepy moles in the dampness.  We actually left before most. The two riders from Australia left just before us.

Next stop, Tillamook, home of great cheese.  Before leaving, I left a tower of agates on the picknick table for the next guest, and took a small handful.

The road to Tillamook took us up and over the coast ridge, but more gradually than our climbs yesterday. Less elevation, and spread out over more miles. As we pedaled along the coast for a few miles before turning inland, I kept smelling chemicals. We finally figured out that the lines on the road were freshly painted and gassing off.  At the crossroads where we turned east and away (sigh) from the ocean, we met up with the painting crew. Thankfully, they were continuing up the coast, and we wouldn't be breathing the paint fumes all day!

Soon we saw the cow fields, where the cows who make the milk that makes the cheese live.  It remined me of the Arcata Bottoms.  In tillamook, it was cold and windy.  Rain threatened.    After locating a Safeway, we got food for dinner--pasta, pesto, and protein.  Jay went in to shop while I guarded our gear. By the time Jay came back, I was bundled up in my seater, rain coat, and leg warmers, hunched over on the cement planter where our bikes were parked.  Jay asked if I wanted Tuna or Salmon.  I said whichever was the best buy.  He disappeared, got swallowed by the maw, and by the time he returned, I was curled in a ball at the base of the planter I had been sitting on, for a wind break.  I requested warmth and warm food.

Coffee shop/bakery provided hot chai, cookies, scones, and bagels.  Just ate the scones and saved the rest for later. We had lunch food for our lunch break on the road.  Warmed up, we heaed east of ind th ebike store for tubes and patch kit.

The road to Portland from Tillamook (Hwy 6) was a gradual grade with lots of elevation over many miles.  It was lovely, though heavy on the traffic. A wide, clear shoulder made it bearable.  Soon the sun came out to burn away the wind and cold and damp.  The road wound along a river, which we began to look an longingly as we warmed up.  So lunch was on the river, our crackers, cheese, fruit, cookies....  We swam (Jay) and waded (me). then a large family arrived. Found out they regularly come here, and that the water level is very low.  they used to jump off the bridge, but no more.

Fishing out a thorn.

On the river for lunch, looking up at the bridge.  

On the river for lunch.

Slathered with sun screen.....

Back to the long climb. Grateful for the ice water obtained in Tillamook, which was still cold. Grateful for emergen-C electrolyte mix, sports beans, and nuts.  Climb, climb, climb.   We stopped at Tillamook forest Center for water and stayed to drink in the exhibits.  An old, retired man interpreted the large relief map of the forest (like the one we saw at the Snake River in the Pallouse!). Wow. We could see our whole trip on the map!  The gentleman was full of stories and history about the forest and the different fires and events.   Jay said he could see me doing something like that when I'm old and retired, telling stories and having fun sharing information.    At the guest shop, I purchased a tiny jar of red huckleberry jam to go with our bagels the next day.    

Empty jar is now home for the agates.

Onward.  We were passed by three cyclist that we'd met at the river where we ate lunch. The most seious part of the climb was ahead of us, tomorrow, For now, we were done, arriving at Elk Creek Campground.  On the gravel road into the camp, we saw several nice swimming holes on the creek.  I wanted to find them after we found camp.  Which I was glad we had arrived fairly early. The campground filled up very quickly after we arrived. I twas a walk-in camp, and there were many families that looked like they had been there for a week or more.  The three cyclists who passed us were here too.  Jay found out they were from Portland, and had done the Portland-Astoria coastal loop.

The sun was still streaming through the trees, and we took our wet clothes from the morning to the river to lay on hot rocks in the sun. then we walked down the river to find the swimming hole.  I found out later that we took the wrong branch of the creek and could not find the great hole. Did find a pretty place, with big boulders, rushing water, and deepness.  But COLD.   Both of us got in, just to get cleaned off from salt and dust. But the sun was leaving.  On way back to camp (crawling over rocks and logs, a true cross-country adventure), we retrieved clothes which were mostly dry now. 

    

Looking for a swimming hole at Elk Creek

Elk Creek

Back in camp we hung a line to hang the tent to dry it out and the rest of clothes.  The water in this campground came from an underground spring. It was delicious, perhaps the best water ever.  It had a big pump handle you had to move up and down a few times to get water.  

Pacific Coast: Day 2. Fan Creek to Cape Lookout, 37 miles, by Emily

Day 2, a late rise.  We were nestled in the shadows of the mountain and trees, so light came to us late.  We puttered around, made coffee/tea and sat on rocks in the creek, mesmerized by the birds talking about the beautiful day and the creek babbling over gravel and trees swaying in the breeze   Perfect way to start the day.

As I hoped, I scoured the campground for berries and found a few thimble berries, red huckleberries, and salmon berries to add to our cereal.  I hung a few things on bushes that were in the sun, hoping to lighten them up a bit before storing them in a bag.  As they dried, I retrieved them.

We ate breakfast and began breaking camp. The camp host came by to visit, and a boy from a neighboring spot walked past.   he caught my eye with an odd manner, kind of secretive, and he did not respond to my wave and hello. Our campsite was on a loop that dropped own from the main camp road, and I saw him through the bushes as he walked back to his campsite on the upper road.  None of this seemed relevant at the time.  Until I went to retrieve my clothes--my bike shorts--from the bushes.  They were gone. I searched everywhere, thinking they may have fallen.  No shorts.  

I dashed up to the camp host's site, thinking maybe he had taken them as lost items from a previous camper. Nope.   I stopped at the boy's camp, and sure enough, his dad said he had brought the shorts to their camp and his dad had made him take them back and put them where he found them.  I asked if the boy would show me where he had put them, as I could not find them.  As we walked, he said, "They are in the middle of the bush, it'll be hard to get them."  I asked why he had taken them, and he said that he was looking for treasure, and I shouldn't have left them where kids might find them."  I waded into the thorny bush and retrieved my shorts, while he wandered back to his dad.

On the road!   Finally we began our ride for day two.  We rolled through miles and miles of flat and rolling roads on the way to Beaver, Oregon.  There was little traffic for most of the way, and then we needed to be alert for the last 8 miles to the coast, because logging trucks became frequent on this curvy road with no shoulder. I continue to be grateful for my helmet mirror.

On the road to Beaver amid the sun drenched trees.

Thank you dear helmet mirror!

Once we arrived in Beaver, which was essentially a curve on Hwy 101 that housed a gas station and a few auto repair places and.....Beaver Firearms and Groceries!  The order of the items in the name is no accident. They sell firearms and a few groceries on the side!    At this point we were ravenous, and purchased our lunch there.  Sandwiches and soda and treats.  Not great fuel, but fuel nonetheless.  Nice to sit on a bench and eat, while customers arrived wearing 2nd amendment t-shirts with Confederate flag decals  Trump bumper stickers on their trucks...

Once rested and fueled, we navigated about 4 miles on 101 until the turn off for the coast and Cape Lookout.   How surreal to be riding on 101, hundreds of miles north from where I grew up. An odd, timeless connection to home....    

Both Jay and I had the illusion that we would be riding downhilll most of the way to Cape Lookout.  It was, after all, the coast!  But no. We had some serious climbing up and over the inland ridge, to the sand dunes and then UP Cape Lookout.  Grueling up, among increasting tourist traffic in RVs and trailers.  But oh, when we got to the top and saw the ocean through the trees, my heart melted.  Joy. Exhilarating DOWN down down to the park along the shore.  The smell!  I had been detecting the ocean on the air as we made our way to Beaver, but now it WAS the air.  We entered the campground (why does every campground remind me of Patrick's Point in Trinidad?)

Camp at Cape Lookout.

Cape Lookout camp.

Jay setting up Tent.

Picnic tables are for storing gear. We can eat anywhere.....  

The Hiker/Biker camp was a maze of sites nestled in the bushes and trees.  We met many cyclists doing the Pacific Coast route, but not many were interested in talking. People were from England, Australia, and Canada.  after setting up camp and hanging the damp clothes and washing more clothes, we walked down to the beach to explore.  I could have stayed here for days, soaking in the salt and water and scents.  we walked in one direction, and then turned and walked the other direction to a rock outcroping which we climbed to see what was on the other side. Another beach!   On the rock were tiny tide pools, each a miniature home for young anemones, limpets, barnacles, and crabs.

Pacific Ocean.

Cape Lookout behind Jay.

Looking north to the next Cape.

South to Cape Lookout.

Walking back, the light was hitting the wet shoreline at the perfect angle for finding agates.  The agates I found were "Oregon Agates" not California agates. They were rough and jagged and everywhere!   I collected a handful and tried to explain agates to Jay

Back in camp, we showered and made dinner of couscous, beans, and cheese.  I had grabbed Necco wafers at our stop in Beaver, and broke them out for dessert.  The Swainson's thrushes came out again for evening.  The sun was beginning to peak through the trees, slanting sideways with colors of sunset.   With tea in hand, we wound our way on the trails to the beach to watch the sun go down until it was dark.  After cribbage by headlamp, we slept a deep sleep.

Pacific Coast: Day 1, Vancouver to Fan Campground via Carlton, 54 miles by Emily

July 11: Happy Birthday to me!  What I wanted more than anything was a trip to the ocean.   Thankfully, the Oregon Cyclists have a set of directions for three routes to the ocean, from Portland.   Really!  This meant we could ride our bikes out from home and go on an adventure.   After researching the routes, we decided to go out via the 3 Capes route (green below) and back via the Tillamook/Wilson River route (red below)   https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/301633#route details

We got a late start, which ended up being okay once we got on the light rail at the airport and recognized how crowded it would be with our fully loaded bikes.   On our way to the light rail station, we took a side path because we took a wrong turn, and it was nice gravelly sandy dirt.   Suddenly, it turned to very loose, deep sand, and I went down hard.  This alleviated my fears about falling with my loaded bike, because my feet both instinctively came out of the pedals, and I wasn't hurt at all (the bruises emerged later).

The ride to Hillsborough took 1.5 hours.   I learned how to brace my bike by putting my feet next to the wheels like tire chucks.  Once in Hillsborough, we had to navigate through some traffic and city roads to get to our country road route.  One intersection stands out in my mind, and still makes me cringe when I think of it.  One of those "there but for the grace of god" moments when you realize you could have been really hurt, but are so grateful you weren't.  We came up to a light, where we needed to go straight.  We were in the right-turn lane, on the left side of it, waiting for the light to turn so we could go across.  The light in front of us turned green, and traffic coming from the left/west had stopped, Without thinking, we both popped into the intersection.  Before we had gone more than a bicycle length, we both realized we had made a serious mistake.  The traffic coming from the right/east had NOT stopped, and the car in the east-bound turn lane honked at us as we stopped in front of them.  We waved, said sorry, and waited until it was clear to finish crossing.  Phew!   That could have been so bad.   Note to self:   Green does not always mean go.  We are both used to the green arrow saying turn, and the green light saying go forward. Our brains had automatically taken the green light as a signal to MOVE. I still shake thinking about it.


Still carrying that unsettled, near-death feeling, we rolled to Carlton through farm lands, pastures, hay fields in various states of mowing, ornamental tree nurseries with rows of brilliantly colored foliage, and fruit farms.  The fruit farms were delightful with all of their strategies for keeping thieving birds at bay. There were the usual vast swaths of netting, and the whirligigs and streamers of reflective foil.  Our favorite was the tiny loudspeakers scattered throughout a field, emitting the cries of birds! There were screeches of hawks and other predators, and the warning cries of small birds.  I was looking in the sky for all of these birds but saw none.  I laughed, remembering the blue jay of my childhood that learned the red tailed hawk scream to scare away all the chickadees and juncos from the bird feeder...

Carlton was a cross-roads town, which we've learned is a good sign for cyclists wanting provisions. On my list from research was a bakery, a chocolate shop, and two grocery/deli stores.  The bakery was the standout. We got my birthday treat here: shortbread cookies (chai flavor and lavender flavor) and a chocolate filled croissant-type roll.  We checked out all the other options for lunch--Jay was set on tuna and avocado--we went back to the bakery because they made their own bread and the other stores were using regular sliced bread.    Oh my their veggie-hummus-pesto sandwich was fantastic, on these enormous slabs of bread.  

Next we needed to find ingredients for dinner tonight.   Jay: You can find those couscous packages pretty much anywhere.  Not in Carlton. Evidently they hadn't gotten the memo.  We did find a quinoa/rice pre-cooked meal packet that would be perfect with the dehydrated refried beans we had, so that's what we got.  Yay!  On our way!  Time is burning, and we have a huge hill looming before we get to camp. Not to mention our late start...     Oops   Jay has a flat (Flats:  Jay 3, Emily 1).  This flat was the same as the one I had in the Palouse: a  small metal wire curved perfectly to stick in a tire. My theory is that they are wires from the big semi-truck tires that blow out....  We go back to the bakery to fix the flat and have a beverage.     Okay, now on our way with a sense of urgency. It is now after 5 pm.

This is a serous climb, up to 1800 feet with unfriendly grades.  Thankfully light traffic, because the shoulder was, well, the bushes!   Lots of time to think  My left knee started hurting.  I wondered why, and chalked it up to my ancient age of 50 (today!). then I remembered the sand incident from earlier, and that I landed on my left leg.   I looked down at a stop, and saw the red mark across my knee.  My workaround was to pedal standing up every once in a while to give my knee a break. I also concentrated on pedaling consistently round, instead of up and down. And making sure my leg wasn't angling in or out too much.  I just kept following Jay, who was plugging away in front of me, always the motivation.  :)

Motto:  Always Say Yes.    About halfway up the mountain, a couple came alongside us in a white suv, rolled own the passenger window, and a woman said they were a mile up the road and would be out on their porch if we wanted to stop and rest and refresh.  "Thanks!"  We said, and pedaled on. When we got to their house, they called out, "There they are!  Want to stop?"  Jay hollered out, "No thank you, we have a long way to go and the day is beginning to fade."  We both wanted to keep going, fearing losing our momentum.

About 1/10th of a mile down the road (we could still hear their dogs barking a couple turns back), Jay's tire went flat again (flats:  Jay 4, Emily 1).  We both said, "We should have stopped!"  Because we would be sitting fixing flats and drinking ice water with them!    So we agreed to adopt an always say yes attitude from that moment forward. Accept what is offered, be open to what the universe brings

While Jay fixed the flat, I repaired the tube from earlier in the day. This flat was due to a leaking repair, a repair that Jay had viewed skeptically to begin with...

 

The never-ending hill finally ended, sort of, and we saw this stunning reservoir lake at the top.  But we kept climbing, and even the down hills necessitated pedaling. Very strange. We entered forests, it got darker, and we were out of water.  

Finally our campground appeared on our left, and we explored with headlamps to find our site and set up camp while eating fragrant shortbread cookies. Jay makes a delicious bean/rice dish on his magic stove.  We were camped by a lovely little creek, surrounded by berries. 

 I washed shorts and socks for the next day, and looked forward to picking berries in the morning to go with our cereal