Okanogan day 2: Oroville to Beth Lake via Molson by Emily

July 21

40 Miles, 4,265' Climbing

We awoke  to a cool, cool morning on the lake.  No wind.  We prepared hot cereal and coffee/tea for breakfast, and packed up while the sun was still beginning to peak over the hills to the east.  Wanting to get an early start for the climbs ahead, we pushed off at the same time as the sun was clear from the mountains.   The ridge we were climbing ran east/west slightly, but offered a lot of protection from the sun until about noon.

Our view from our camp site.

Packing up to head out!

Early morning on the lake.

After meandering through spread out farms on the flats, we began climbing about 4 miles into our day.   For some reason, the knowledge that we had over 4,000 feet to climb, and the view of the elevation profile just did not match up with my expectations as we rode. More on this later!  The road was basically deserted, and if vehicles came from behind we could hear them long before we could see them, thanks to the steep mountain which required vehicles (motorized or human powered) to be in their lowest gears.

After ten miles of endless climbs, we come to the top and it doesn't seem like there is anything ahead of us.  We take our celebratory photos (cue the horses), have some snacks, and continue the slight downhill towards Molson road which would take us up to Molson, the Canadian border, and a fantastic ghost town/museum. 

We think we've come to the top of our big climb. So we celebrate Jay's big birthday climb (day after his birthday).

Horses celebrating our accomplishment, hoping for some carrots.  

Photo series of Jay flying by after we left the horses, and THOUGHT we were done with the first major climb...

Here comes Jay!

The climb up to Molson was pleasant with many gentle rollers after the initial incline.  This side jaunt added about 600' of elevation to our day, and I definitely would not have wanted to miss it.  We breezed through Molson and the ghost town in order to see the lakes north of town.  They looked like scenes from a 1970s lake retreat advertisement.     The grasses were all in bloom, this lovely reddish pink color.  As we rode along the marshes, we startled many ducks and other water birds who flew quaking away.

Lakes up near Molson

Small vacation lake-side homes.

A brisk 5 miles along a hard gravel road took us to the closest point to Canada, the old town of Sidley.  150' away.  We staged some "making a break for it" photos.   The "border wall" consisted of three strands of barbed wire. It looked like it could keep cows where they needed to be, but that's about it.  Canada from here was a beautiful grassy prairie, with rock outcroppings in the distance.

Closest our bikes got to Canada.

Wildflower at US/Canada border.

No border patrol here.  Should we?

Jay's making a break for it! Canada here we come!

Looking into Canada's grassslands.

After our border fun, we returned to Molson town for lunch.  First we stopped at the school house museum, which is a three story school frozen in time. The rooms are all set up as they were in the 1970s or so.  In the gift shop there was a refreshment area where we got tea and a treat. I think mine was carrot cake.  We toured the entire museum, talked to many seniors who actually attended the school.   It is a definite stop if you are ever in the area. But it is only open from Memorial day to Labor Day, as it is staffed by volunteers.

From the school museum we rolled over to the ghost town museum where we sat and ate our actual lunch.  We wandered the grounds afterwards, and marveled at the time capsule around us, from the days before cars ruled the world.   The story of Molson is a great bit of fun.  There ended up being two towns of Molson, with a great battle over who was actually the true town of Molson.  When the original site of the town was bought by one person, the citizens moved next door to the new Molson. At one time, the town was a hub of activity, but now it is a sleepy, tiny place where very few people live.

Here is a great summary of the town's boom and bust history:  http://www.ghosttownsusa.com/molson.htm  One of the best stories is of the post office, which was a huge point of contention because where ever the post office was, that was the town.     This only became an issue because the USPS refused to grant two postal offices because the towns were right next to each other....  And then they stole the bank back and forth from each other!

Molson Ghost Town.

The ride down from Molson, back to our route was free-wheeling-flying.  Took ten minutes to descend the 5 miles of road.  It was pretty much all down hill, but not steep. So no worry about riding brakes.

Jay flying down the road from Molson.

Brooks' Bend Wildlife Sanctuary, off to the right as we rode up the rest of the ridge...   Had to take a picture of the Blue Heron sign!

Once we arrived back on the "main" road, we expected to continue cruising downhill.   No.  We had a bit of downhill, and then the climbing began again.  It turned out the turn off for Molson was only halfway up the ridge!  Thankfully, it wasn't too hot, and we had plenty of water.  The other side of the ridge was pretty steep, and curvy.  Jay got ahead of me, because he is much more comfortable going fast on his loaded touring bike.  I'm more cautious, plus I don't have the hand strength to stop myself more quickly if something should arise.  So I'm going along, and then I hear sirens behind me.   I forgot to mention that there was no shoulder, or that the shoulder was thick gravel. So when the emergency vehicle came up behind me, I had to carefully slow down and ease off the road.  They honked.   When they passed, I discovered it was a border patrol vehicle.

Near the bottom of the mountain, another border patrol vehicle came screaming up behind me with sirens going. I again came to a stop and eased off the road so they could get to wherever they needed to be.  Jay and I joked about what they possibly could be going after. We surmised it was probably people trying to escape the US into Canada!     We rolled into a convenience store in the tiny town of Chesaw, and had a lovely talk with a woman who lived in the area. She had two dogs in her car who impatiently waited for the jerky treat she had for them. She mentioned that the primary concern at the border is drugs.  The road north from Chesaw goes up to a border crossing, which is where those vehicles were headed.

Chesaw was in a river valley, and we got to weave our way along the river, around town.  On the map, it is a hairpin turn.    And Then the climbing began again.  This hill was a shock because it was steep, but it was only about 600' of elevation, so not actually that bad. We were just weary!  The other side of this mountain was a long, long slow descent along a water shed, which eventually became Beth Lake, our destination for the night.  It was a fun cruise along the river and lakelets, with great pavement, beautiful trees on both sides, and no-brakes flying.

We rode many miles winding along this river, through the pines.

River leading to Beth Lake, taken from my bike. I was just randomly shooting pictures without looking (I was watching the road), and this one came out.

Finding a place to stay at Beth Lake took a while. The road through the campground was thick gravel, dry and dusty, and we toured the entire park trying to find the water spigot. We wanted to be as near the water as possible.    Once that was found, we picked a space that had as flat a tent area as possible, and set up.  We went to the lake for a dip, where we met our campsite neighbors who had a very yappy dog. The water was cool but not too cold. Felt so refreshing to rinse off the salt and road grime. An extremely healthy lake, with absolutely untold thousands of dragonflies, in many colors and sizes.

Though the sign reads "Lake Beth" maps call it "Beth Lake." we rode our bikes through the whole park, before finding our site, which was in the loop closest to the lake.

Back at our campsite we made dinner, lentils and ramen, with Jay's secreted brownie (from Molson school gift shop!) for desert... Afterward, bundled up against the mosquitoes, we walked back to the lake to play cribbage on a picnic table there, where we were buzzed by humming birds a number of times. I was wearing a red windbreaker to protect against mosquitos, so perhaps that was the attractant. And we played cribbage to the serenading (??) of loons.   Never having really heard a loon before, we were both stunned.  Sounded like an insane person screaming.  The term Loony Bin makes a lot more sense now.  Though I am not sure which was named first!  Later in our trip, we would learn a lot more about loons, as they are a sign of how healthy a lake is.

Can you see the bird's nest hanging?

Bird nest near out site.

Here's a close up!  It's called a "pensile" nest, I believe. But I don't know who used it or called it home.....

Beth Lake, where the loons live.

Beth Lake, looking west towards Oroville, several ridges away.

So enjoyed the reflections of the trees in the water.   Was like an oil-painting.   

We retired early that evening.  It was cool out, the mosquitoes were fierce, and we were tired from the long, eventful, beautiful day.

Okanogan: Day 1, Tonasket to Oroville via Loomis, by Emily

July 20: Happy Birthday Jay!!!!  43 Miles, 1,194' Climbing.

We awoke in Tonasket, and ate our birthday breakfast of warmed cereal and hard boiled eggs, brought in the cooler from home. After loading up our bikes, parking the van in a safe place for our trip, and bidding farewell to our host, we headed to find coffee.   But not before our host caught sight of our Bernie bumper stickers, and wondered if the van would be safe there.  He laughed and said it ought to be fine, but hoped we had good insurance.

Breakfast of champions: hard boiled eggs and hot cereal.....

As we navigated morning traffic, I caught sight of the mountains/hills to the west, and wondered if we rode over them.  Our guidebook indicated we had serious hills out of the gate in the morning, and our lodging host thought we were crazy to ride the road with its traffic. So my heart was tinged with a bit of anxiety.   Yet those hills looked so interesting and unusual, with the rock outcroppings....

We are headed into those hills!

Jay had a happy birthday talk with his parents while we enjoyed coffee and tea.

And then we started.  Our route led us past, around, and through unusual hills. We kept waiting for the big climb out of Tonasket, but it never materialized. We weren't too upset about that!  Turns out the climb was just really long and gradual, so we didn't really notice it too much. This region has been scoured by floods and glaciers for many eons, and the evidence is in the hills.  The hard granite is left behind, and the dirt around them is the eroded softer rocks and debris from flooding. 

We're on our way!

Along these hills we spied old relics of aqueducts and rail car tracks from mining.  Tried to get pictures of them, but they were well camouflaged against the hills.  As we rode, we kept our eyes peeled for bits of the tracks or the tell-tale v-shaped wood channels for the water, calling out with glee when we saw them again, tracing along the hills.

Interesting geology, looking like a castle on the hill.

Close-up of the Castle-esque structure.

In the guide-book for this route, the author shared about the eagle's nest that she had missed until someone stopped her to have her look.   We saw it right away as we passed, because there were youngsters chirping in the nest while adults soared above.

The eagle nest on top of a pole. 

Riding along the river, we passed acres and acres of orchards protected from deer by mile-high fences.  Cherries (we bought some at the store in Tonasket), apricots, apples, peaches, etc.  Wish we had been there on a farmer's market day! 

Orchards and orchards and orchards.  Plums, cherries, apricots and more....

Hard to tell in this photo, but this was a matched set of Belgian draft horses hiding in those bushes!  Seemed young, very curious, and quite sweet.

Eventually, we wound our way around and through the mountains to the lake.  Palmer Lake.  Storm clouds were brewing, leaving us with astonishing shades of gray, everywhere.   We pulled into what we thought was the campground, but it was a boat launch/picnic area with no water.  We continued around the lake and found the real campground, which also had no water.   Nevertheless, this was our lunch spot. We dined on tofu strips, cherries, and other snacks.  I worried about water, but we had enough to get to Oroville if it kept cool and humid as it was.   

While eating lunch, the rain came and danced across the lake.  By the time we left, the rain was gone.

Palmer Lake, among storm clouds.

Beach on Palmer Lake where we ate lunch.

Lunch pit stop.

More incredible geology.  Uplift mountains shredded by erosion.  Rivulets of rocks at the base.

As we left Palmer Lake behind, we kept a stream or river to our side the entire way to Oroville. This truly was a road-way carved along a water-way.  Evidence of gold mines beckoned, including one gaping maw of a cave which just begged to be explored.  We didn't.     Nighthawk, a ghost town, adorned one side of the river, with many houses making the slow progression to dust. 

The route was steady rolling hills for quite a ways, until the final long climb up out of the river valley and then down to Oroville. During this climb, we rode along the Similkameen River.   Our guide book told us to look out for the Enloe Dam and Falls.  We heard the roar long before we could see the dam, and unfortunately from the road we could not see the actual falls.   Here is a picture I found on the Internet....  As we traveled down river toward Oroville Lake, we saw the river become  flat and glassy.  There were HUGE signs warning boaters of the upcoming falls, with cables or ropes strung across the river to help those who could not get to shore.  A hill hid our view.

. 

continuing to ride among the storm clouds and pallete of gray.

Our descent into Oroville was  treat, flying along a good road, surrounded by green vegetation again, including a high-quality golf course.  Oroville appeared to be a once-booming tourist destination which had fallen on hard times.  We found the campground on the lake and picked out our tent site.  Quickly, we changed into swim gear and walked across the campground to the lake.  Though it had been warm at our tent, by the time we arrived at the shore there was a gale-force wind whipping big waves.  We joined the many others in the water, which was wonderfully warm.   You know how when you are in the water you feel fine but a bit cool, then you stand up, expose yourself to the cold wind, and when you duck back into the water it feels really warm?  That's how it was.  speed boats created more waves, along with the wind.  There was a string of floats cordoning off a swimmers area, which we stayed in.

After the salt and grime of the road was washed off us, we braved the wind back to our campsite, where we found it calm. We figured the wind was a product of the lake. 

Our tent site was along the lake, but the southern end, which was shallow and more like a marsh.  A family of ducks was nearby, and the mother duck kept leading her brood near our site, then running them off into the water.  I could not figure out what she was doing, or why.

We walked to the nearby Mexican restaurant--Torino's Mexican-- for an early dinner.  I wanted to go here because the owner, Torino, is from Mexico, and closes his restaurant periodically to visit family in Mexico.   The facebook page for the restaurant keeps folks appraised of when he is gone or returning.   It was extremely delicious, authentic Mexican food, like I have had on my trips to Mexico, or at homes of friends who are from Mexico.    The cabbage salsa was just like what my friend, Marta makes!   We also had Sopitas, again just like Marta makes!  What a treat.

Cabbage Salsa!

That evening, we played cribbage, took naps, and found pretty leaves.   Early to bed, to get a jump on the long, long climbs ahead of us tomorrow.

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!