Day Two

I left Grand Coulee at about 7:30 AM and headed north on SR 155 into the Colville Indian Reservation. We made our first stop in Nespelem at the Chief Joseph Memorial and from there Kyle and Lothar drove ahead to Omak where Lothar would bike to Twisp and Kyle would cycle toward me and join me for the rest of the way to Omak. Before reaching Omak I climbed over the scenic Disautel Pass - the area along SR 155 has these amazingly open, bucolic landscapes characteristic of eastern Washington. The route descends into the Okanogen Valley where one can take a glimpse of the Loup Loup area and  North Cascade Range behind it - areas that I would have to climb through. The ascent to Loup Loup is a challenging 18-mile climb to 4,000 ft - at this point the afternoon heat was becoming an issue. From there I descended into the Methow Valley to continue on toward the tourist town of Winthrop. There we were fortunate enough to stay with the local veterinarian and once again my parents were able to join us for dinner in downtown Winthrop. On my car, since it's possible to set off the car alarm with a remote signal, I toyed around with the idea of surprising cute girls that would walk past with it but that idea will have to wait for another day!

Climbing out from Grand Coulee.

Descending into the Okanogan Valley.

The home-stretch to Winthrop!