Although we had a substantial net loss in elevation, the rocky trail required a lot of energy to remain upright, and by mile thirty, both our necks were sore from the bumpy terrain and diligent focus on our path ahead of us. In Cle Elum we stopped for lunch, and debated about whether to continue on the trail, which would have taken us another 25 miles into Ellensburg, or to cut to the other side of the river and follow highway 10. We were both having a hard time deciding, and lucked out as our indecision caused us to wait out a 20-minute rainstorm. We ultimately opted for giving our bodies a break and taking the highway, which ended up being relatively quiet, with nice scenic vistas. We were following the same river as the trail, and could see it to our right for much of the afternoon.
By the time we arrived in Ellensburg, there was about 40 miles left to Yakima along the Canyon Road and we debated whether to continue, but decided to stay in Ellensburg and start early tomorrow. We are at the Motel 6, the same place where we stayed 2 years ago when we rode the Iron Horse on our mountain bikes. So far, we have found ourselves re-tracing routes we either ride regularly, or have done before on our tour. Canyon road tomorrow will be the first real “new territory” of the trip.
Daily numbers:
Miles traveled: 58.8
Elevation: 471ft climbed, 1800 descended
Burritos consumed: 1
Miles of Iron Horse Trail Covered: 36
Anxious deer spooked by our bikes: 2
View from Highway 10. Iron Horse is to the right adjacent the river.
That was a long stretch on the gravel! But the big question - did you split one burrito, or was it one each? Inquiring minds want to know
ReplyDeleteThe burrito tally is a running number for the group.
ReplyDelete