Concrete WA to Rainy Pass (almost); 70 miles, mostly cloudy, 50-60s, brief showers, mostly tailwind
The first half of the day continued east along the Skagit River valley on Rt 20 and one long side road, with a very gentle continuous climb. A pleasant ride through tall evergreen forest. The traffic was light and the shoulders were reasonably wide. I have one of those bright flashing tail lights to make me visible. I met the SAG driver for lunch at the North Cascades NP visitor center. Lunch equals PB&J, an apple, some chips, and many cookies. The second half of the day involved several steeper climbs of 400-500 feet but then an unfortunate drop to lose the elevation gained as the road dipped into stream drainages. The goal was to reach Rainy Pass with a stretch goal the next pass, Washington Pass. The climb was moderate with step sections. Time and energy ended the quest about five miles short of the goal. We always start the next day from the exact location from which we left off the day before. We are just below the snow line, and there is plenty of snow in the higher elevations. That means there are many waterfalls with plenty of water. When riding by one close to the road, you get a blast of cold air like opening a refrigerator door. Tonight and last night WIFI service was only available outdoors. Tonight I am writing from a picnic table, last night is was a basketball court.
Scenes from the road. Seattle Power and Light has a series of dams for hydro electric power that creates large reservoirs.
