A Tale of Two Rides

My afternoon climb!

200 ft. from Sherman Pass Summit 

Flat roads and beautiful wheat field before the climb.

Sherman Pass Look Out

This morning I started my ride with the temperature in the low 40s. My fingers were so cold that I had to find little pockets of sunshine filtering through the trees where I could stop and warm my hands. It soon warmed up and the ride was slightly downhill, making for an enjoyable ride. Other than some areas where there was construction the road was smooth and lightly traveled. I was having such a pleasurable ride that I missed a turn but I only went about a mile before I realized my mistake. On my Southern Tier ride, I would have gone 20 miles before I realized that I had gone the wrong way. I’m improving. After our first rest stop in Coleville, WA, we began our 5,000 ft. ascent. At first it wasn’t so bad but once we crossed the Columbia River the real climb began. It was 22 miles of grinding and spinning. The grade was between 4 and 7 percent and the closer we got to the summit the steeper the road became. This climb made The Road to the Sun, in Glacier National Park, seem like a breeze. We were so tired at the top that it was an effort to walk the 10 yards to the Sherman Pass Elevation Sign and take pictures. The 14 mile descent to our campground wasn’t great because of road construction every few miles. He had to ride behind pilot cars and basically slosh through tar. Later riders were put in pilot trucks and driven to the bottom. My bike is a mess but I’m glad I was able to ride the whole 87 miles. I’m extremely tired this evening but I just saw the rest stop van pull in and I’m hoping the driver picked up the beer I asked him to buy. I need something for the pain. Good news, more climbing tomorrow!